Third trimester, round two

Pregnancy two seems to go much, much faster than pregnancy one ever did. I'm sure it's because my attention is mostly taken up by the two year old who is always around demanding something or someone or something else. But, whatever the reason, this weekend marks the beginning of the third trimester.

I feel totally fine. The usual complaints are beginning - occasional sciatic pain, heartburn, trouble sleeping - but really, I feel great. And the next six weeks should go super fast, since the holidays are upon us and between (US) thanksgiving and Christmas, Kate and I are heading to Ontario to visit family. Before I know it, January will be here and the pregnancy will be nearly done.

To commemorate the start of trimester three, a picture:

An announcement

Nearly 36 weeks

The promised belly pic. I kept disagreeing when people said that my belly had grown a lot recently. But now that I see the picture, it's totally true. I now look like I'm nearing full term, which I am. I had a midwife appointment today, and the measurement confirmed the growth spurt. Today I was measuring a bit more than a week ahead. She also thought that the baby was starting to drop. Definitely heading towards the finish!

Graeme bought me this shirt the other day:

I love it.

32 weeks

32 weeks. I'm feeling really good, and I'm enjoying being pregnant. She continues to be really active and wiggly, and I continue to have occasional heartburn. Otherwise, not much to report. Instead this week, a real, true belly shot. Unfortunately, I had to do it with the flash off so it's not totally in focus. I'll get Graeme to take some for next week.



This week:
- She is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
- All five senses are working.
- Toenails are completely formed.
- Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in.
- Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month.

27 weeks

Time seems to be flying now! 27 weeks, 13 to go. I had a midwife appointment this morning, which was good. My blood pressure was slightly higher than normal, but that was likely because I managed to lock myself out of our house this morning. I gathered up my stuff to go, and headed to the car. Upon checking my pockets, I realized my keys were still inside on the coffee table. This would normally not be a problem, since the back door is usually open. But there have been a lot of breakins around the neighbourhood in the past month, so I've been better about locking it - and the windows. Hmmm. I went to the back yard and tried pulling on the doors. They moved a bit, but I couldn't get them to open. I checked a few windows and they were all locked. At this point, I had 10 minutes to make it to the birth center. I headed towards the car to call Marlene, who has an extra key to our house, and noticed that the bathroom window wasn't locked. I climbed up on the air conditioner and opened the window. The window doesn't open very wide, but I did manage to get myself through it into the bathtub. It was not comfortable climbing through there and leaning on my belly. So, I did make it to my appointment, only 10 minutes late (I called on my way) but I did have slightly higher blood pressure.

Otherwise, the appointment was good. Baby Texan was awake and wiggling around, and her heart beat was good. They took some blood for the glucose test (I had the two-hour postprandial screen, rather than the 1-hour glucose tolerance test) and I told her my latest symptoms (continued heartburn, pain from my liver related to BTs feet pushing on it, minor sciatic pain) and asked a few questions I've been saving up. I also got a letter to the airlines for our flights next week.

I'm taking the day off, so I'm planning on cleaning up the house, going to the gym and preparing for movie night. I love having a week day off. It seems so decadent.

This weeks development (and a belly shot at the bottom):
- The brain continues its rapid growth.
- Response to sound grows more consistent, the network of nerves to the ear is nearly complete. As the hearing continues to develop, he or she may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner's.
- Lungs continue to grow and prepare for functioning outside of the womb.
- She continues to take small breaths and although she's only breathing in water and not air, it's still good practice for when she's born.
- Eyelids are now open more. Your baby can distinguish between light and dark.
- Retinas have formed.

Nesting? Who, me? (plus belly shot)

Last week I organized the closet in Baby Texan's room, and I've also done some other decorating/organizing. Cleary, in the first picture, you can see that the crown molding is still not up. And there is no crib bedding yet, so I'm obviously not in FULL nesting mode. I haven't started doing the laundry, for example (although there is a pile to be done.)



The closet, with explanatory labels.


And the belly this morning:

24 weeks

Week 24. Wow, it seems to be going so quickly now. Maybe that's because I definitely look pregnant:


Sorry about the flash. Graeme is away, and the 'hold the camera out and click' thing doesn't get the angle or the full glory of the growing belly.

I've been feeling really good, although I'm sorry to report that the heartburn has returned, which I knew it would, but it was quite nice when it was gone for a few days. Otherwise, no side effects to report. She is very active, and continues to improve her aim at punching my bladder. I'm really enjoying this second trimester, it's just like they say - the honeymoon trimester.

I failed to post last week's developmental milestones. Week 23:
- Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since she hasn't begun to form body fat.
- Bones located in the middle ear harden. She is able to hear.
- The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
- The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
- If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .

And week 24:
- Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
- Her body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
- Taste buds begin to form.
- Little creases have appeared on the palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved.
- Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
- Lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
- This week the baby is officially considered viable.

Finally a new post

Erika has been visiting since the weekend, and I've neglected posting all week. She has been taking a few pictures, so not much excuse not to post. She took this one after I said "these clothes fit last week!":

We had a prenatal appointment this morning. Everything is going great, with 13 lb weight gain so far, great blood pressure, and measuring right on target. We asked if we could take a little peek at her on the ultrasound so that Erika could see her. She didn't cooperate and show us her profile, but we did get to see her which is always exciting.

And here is me and my sweet dog:

Week 22

The belly shot this week was taken in the evening, when the belly is at it's finest. B.T. has been getting stronger, with more visible belly movement and strong kicking this week. The great thing this week is that the heartburn has gone. yay! I've been feeling really good, and definitely falling in love with her already.



This week:
- She can now hear your conversations more clearly.
- Eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed.
- Fingernails have grown to the end of the fingers.
- The brain has entered a stage of rapid growth, especially in what's called the germinal matrix. This structure deep in the middle of the brain serves as a kind of factory for brain cells and disappears shortly before birth.
- The liver is starting to break down bilirubin, a substance produced by red blood cells.
- Length is 10.94 inches (27.8cm); weight is nearly 1 pound (430gm).

20 week belly and a cool gift

Here is my belly this evening. I've always been posting morning shots, when my belly is significantly smaller. I seem to get bigger through the day as I retain water. I am definitely showing by the end of the day.

Tonight we were at Laura Sue's birthday party. We saw Amanda and John for the first time in months. Apparently, they bought a gift for Baby Texan soon after finding out that she was on her way. It's fantastic:

19 weeks

It's true what they say about the second trimester. I've been feeling great. Lots of energy, fewer side effects/symptoms, and I'm actually enjoying being pregnant. I feel her move every day and it's starting to make me think of the things we need to get done before she arrives. And things we need - all these little things like a thermometer, a nose sucker-thingy, baby washclothes and soap, baby sunscreen and diaper cream... it seems endless.

The midwife appointment on Wednesday morning shows that I'm doing great, and the U/S showed that she is doing great. My blood pressure is fantastic, 90/64 and I've gained about 10 lbs so far. She weighs almost a pound, by U/S estimates. It's crazy to think that in the first half of this gestation she has gotten to 1 lb, and in the second half she needs to gain 7 more! That means I'm going to get a lot bigger. My belly seems bigger than it is in pictures:


Sharon, Nick and Selah, friends from Seattle, will be visiting later this week. That means cleaning up the spare room for them. It also means that Selah needs a place to sleep, which means I get to assemble the crib. Yay! I'm a bit overly excited about that. It all seems more real now that we know she is a she, and now that I feel her moving, but a crib in the house. That's just crazy.

This week, #19, here is what is happening.
- She has the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. She has a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.
- Nerves are being coated with a fatty substance called myelin, which insulates the nerves so that impulses can flow smoothly.
- Scalp hair becomes apparent this week. It has sprouted and continues to grow.
- The milk teeth buds have already developed and over the next few days the buds for the permanent teeth will begin to form behind the milk teeth.
- The uterus starts to develop. The vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place.
-She is swallowing amniotic fluid and his or her kidneys are making urine.
- size is around 6.02 inches (15.3cm).

Weekend pictures

I shouldn't have promised belly pictures on a particular day. It never seems to get done when I say that. But here is the belly this morning. I should take an evening shot too, since through the day my belly seems to expand and I am definitely showing more at the end of the day.



Yesterday I was volunteering at an adventure race and took Westley with me. The weather wasn't great - very windy and quite cold, but the flowers are out and that made up for the cool weather. It is very typical here to plop your little kids in the middle of a field of bluebonnets for a picture, so I made Westley pose in a similar fashion.

17 weeks

I missed week 16 since I was out and about. (I started this post yesterday, but wanted to add a belly pic. But I realized today that if I wait for the belly shot, I'll have to add week 18. I'll post a belly shot on Thursday when week 18 begins.)

Week 16:
- Fat begins to form underneath skin (the fetus, not me. That has already happened to me).
- The fetus has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
- The heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double my heartrate.
- Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.
- The fetus has learned to breathe.
Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.
Week 17:
- The fetus weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.
- Pads are forming on the tiny fingertips and toes.
- The eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.
- Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel.
- The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger
- If the fetus is male the prostate begins to develop.
- The skeleton is tranforming from cartilage to bone.

15.5 weeks

I've been remiss at posting fetal development updates. I've readjusted the countdown at the bottom of the page to the original due date. It was when the date seemed to have changed that I stopped the updates, but it's time to start them again. I think we only missed week 14, so we'll play catch up today. And a bonus belly shot. By the evenings, I'm definitely showing, although not enough that anyone would dare ask me in the grocery store when I'm due. It's a dangerous question to ask a woman who looks like me. Maybe I'm just fat.

I am officially in the 2nd trimester, regardless of which (of three) ways you count trimesters.
Last week (week 14):
- Thyroid gland has matured and the fetus begins producing hormones.
- In boys, the prostate gland develops.
- In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis.
- The fetus's bones are getting harder and stronger.
- The skin is very transparent still.
- Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in the amniotic fluid.

This week (week 15):
- May begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns. Fetus can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck it's thumb.
- The legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
- The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden.
- Fingernails and toenails are growing.
- Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting.
- The fetus is 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).
(from pregnancy.org)

Belly shot

Finally, a belly pic. Let's call this 15 weeks, since we're not changing my due date. I had a midwife appointment today and everything is going great. My blood work from last month came back all normal, and I tested negative for protein and glucose in my urine (I have a pee on a stick). My blood pressure was great. The midwife was very happy. They were all surprised at how little I'm showing for 15 weeks. My uterus is still measuring a week beyond my dates (16 weeks) but we're not changing the dates. It gives me more flexibility to go late if the kid decides it's too cozy to come out.

I've been having a lot of ligament stretching pain the last few weeks, but I don't know if that correlates with showing. I keep expecting to wake up suddenly one morning and I'll look pregnant.

12/13 belly

I have a midwife appointment in two weeks and then I'll clarify which count we're using. Either way, here are this weekend's belly shots. The first is if I'm flexing - not much different than it ever was, except for a bit of extra insulation.


And the relaxed belly. Definitely starting to show.

9 weeks

Nine weeks. I actually felt better this past week than I had the previous week. I hadn't expected that, since it seems that week 8/9 is when a lot of women are feeling their worst. I was still super tired, but my stomach wasn't as cranky as it has been. There is definitely a bump starting though. This picture was taken this morning, and I wasn't bloated. Definitely not as flat as it was a few weeks ago.



What will be happening in the human petri dish this week:
- Fetus has begun movement
- Most joints are formed now
- Fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand
- Fingerprints are already evident in the skin
- Average size this week -- length 0.9 inch (2.3cm), weight 0.07 ounce (2gm)

8 week belly

No belly at all. The other day Graeme thought I was showing already until I told him I was bloated. For some reason, he didn't want to hug me after that. Hmm.

Belly picture - 5.5 weeks

I'm going to take weekly pictures of my belly to document the growth. Although, it probably won't be doing it every week until something actually happens. I think it's already changed a bit. When I lay down, there is a new little bulge in the middle that wasn't there before. I expect I'm going to show very early - I'm so small that there isn't anywhere to hide a fetus.

Week 5.5: