Week 26

Week 26 has been quite exciting, actually.  The visit to the clinic resulted in the best picture we have of our baby, as well as some very good news.

So, how is the baby doing?  She’s healthy, normal size, and not one problem at all.  We were able to see her mouth moving, like chewing.  At this point in her development, her ears are improving a lot, allowing her to possibly listen to our conversations.  Her lungs are also practicing breathing.  Amniotic fluid is going in and out of her lungs as they get ready for birth.  Best of all, her position inside the uterus is head down.  She’s in the correct position for birth.  She’s now 873 grams, quickly approaching 1 kg.  We got some pictures of her face, including an amazing 4D ultrasound picture.

These regular ultrasound pictures show her face. On the left is her full face, while on the right is her chin, lips and nose.

 

This is the clearest picture we have of her face so far. Incredibly clear!

Mom is going through some discomfort as the second trimester nears the end.  She can’t seem to eat as much, since the baby is pushing against her stomach.  She’s feeling a bit sick at times, too.  The baby is very active still, punching and kicking a lot.

The final 3 months are going to seem long, I think.  Discomfort is increasing, as well as boredom from being home all the time.  But that’ll all change after birth.  From this week, there will be clinic visits every 2 weeks, but ultrasound only once a month.

Week 23

On Thursday last week, we went to the clinic to have the regular checkup on the baby.  The focus was a bit different this time.  While we got to see the regular ultrasound, there was something extra this time.  The doctor showed us the blood flow through her heart.  He was doing this to check that her blood is flowing in the correct direction through her heart.  Everything is normal!  Also, he was checking her lips to make sure they’ve formed correctly.

Through the ultrasound, the doctor determined that our baby is slightly smaller than average and her legs are slightly longer than average, but well within normal.  4 weeks before, we were told she was average weight and her legs were slightly shorter than average.  Things sure can change quickly in only 4 weeks!  She is now 565 grams.  The blood vessels in her lungs are developing, getting ready to be able to breathe.  She can hear quite a bit now, as well.

In the ultrasound pictures, we got just head images, but one of them is amazing.  Take a look for yourself:

This is the 4D picture. You can see her eye, nose and mouth, and her left arm is covering the left side of her face. This isn't the best picture I thought they could have given us, though.

On the left is the full face picture. You can clearly see the eye, though the nose and mouth are a bit difficult to make out. Her left arm at the bottom is clear. The right-hand picture is the amazing one. You can very clearly see her chin, lips and nose, including her nostrils!

How’s mom doing?  She’s been doing a lot of exercising lately to keep in shape, both for her health and to prepare for the birth.  The baby is kicking and punching hard, which is sometimes painful.  To prevent dryness, she’s using lotion on her belly.  This won’t prevent stretch marks, though.

The next clinic visit is after only 3 weeks.  That’s the start of the third trimester.  After that, it’s every 2 weeks.

Week 17

We’re now in week 17 of the pregnancy.  This post is a couple days late, though.  Anyway, things are really changing now.  What’s happening to the baby?  Its bones are now changing from cartilage to solid bone.  All the joints are moving, too.  The baby is about 13cm long from head to bottom.  Also, the baby’s hearing is starting to develop now, and reacting to sounds.  The brain is also developing the senses.

What’s happening with my fiancee this week?  She’s been feeling abdominal pains.  That’s the round ligament pain because of the growing baby and expanding uterus.  Also, the baby is now growing up to around the belly button area, so there’s a baby bump!  She’s also feeling a bit dizzy at times and has an irregular sleeping schedule (wide awake at night, sleepy during the day).  The morning sickness is mostly gone.

2 more weeks until the next checkup and ultrasound!