16 Weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

How Mom's Life Is Changing:
The top of your uterus is about halfway between your pubic bone and your navel, and the round ligaments that support it are thickening and stretching as it grows. You're probably feeling a whole lot better as you settle into pregnancy, too. Less nausea, fewer mood swings, and "glowing" skin contribute to an overall sense of well-being.

Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently.

This website seriously makes my baby look like an alien!

16 Weeks Pregnant

15 Week Bump Pic and Survey

Total weight gain/loss: at last appointment, I was up 6...but Dr H says that's okay, so I feel okay about it...but I've been cutting bak on crap.

Next Appointment: May 11 for a reg appt and May 20 for gender! (less than one month!!)

Maternity clothes? oh yes. I'm starting to find that my pre preg shirts look stupid...by stupid i mean they make me look fat. Maternity shirts will at least let me look knocked up! I went to target and got a super cute dress yesterday and a pair of shorts. Shorts are going back, I hate them.

Stretch marks: had them for awhile, wont be able to blame them on the bean! But no new ones...at least that I can see!

Sleep: Sleep has been rough this past week. My sweet little fetus is laying on my sciatic nerve, and has been for the past 3.5 days. It does feel better when I lay down, but then I just have a hard time getting comfortable. As long as it's for Bean, I'm okay with it.

Best moment this week: I popped. I dont remember when exactly, but I did!

Movement: I hear movement all the time on the doppler, but I don't feel it yet!

Food cravings: I'm about to kill someone for a wet burrito (just the thing to help me watch my eating habits..)

Food aversions: Still nothing!

Gender: No clue. I used to think boy, and now I'm just not sure.

Belly Button in or out: still in...will be for a while!

What I miss: my family, but that has nothing to do with the baby. Since it is getting warmer, I have really wanted an Iced Green Tea Latte from Starbucks...but they dont make them decaf so I will miss them a lot, since I used to drink one a day! i will be limiting myself....

What I am looking forward to: seeing my family soon and in less than a month(barley) we will know if bean is packin heat!

Contractions: none.

Milestones: I got my first stranger comment! A guy at the golf course said "oh my gosh Megan, You're going to be a mommy!" eep! I sure am!

15 Weeks!

What Bean Is Up To:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

How My Body Is Changing:
You've probably gained about 5 pounds by now (a little more or less is fine, too) and are well into the swing of your pregnancy, but you may still be surprised by an unexpected symptom now and then. If your nose is stuffed up, for instance, you can probably chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose.

15 Weeks Pregnant

I think I just look really chubby..ugh. Hopefully soon I'll either get fat enough to look like a legit preggo, or i'll "pop" but until then, I'm stuck looking chubby.

Bean is as big as a lemon!!

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.





How Your Life Is Changing:
Welcome to your second trimester! Your energy is likely returning, your breasts may be feeling less tender, and your queasiness may have completely abated by now. If not, hang on — chances are good it will soon be behind you (although an unlucky few will still feel nauseated months from now).

The top of your uterus is a bit above your pubic bone, which may be enough to push your tummy out a tad. Starting to show can be quite a thrill, giving you and your partner visible evidence of the baby you've been waiting for. Take some time to plan, daydream, and enjoy this amazing time. It's normal to worry a bit now and then, but try to focus on taking care of yourself and your baby, and having faith that you're well equipped for what's ahead


Apparently we also have what looks like a karate fetus....

14 Weeks Pregnant

13 Weeks

Well, the intestines and everything being pushed around are making a bump.....and i'll take it!





Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside. More good news: Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift around this time. Birth is still months away, but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow.

woah, bean looks like a Gremlin..."A very cute gremlin"-B

13 Weeks Pregnant

And the Results are in!

The blood work results are in from the NT Scan!!

Bean has a 1 in 10,000 chance of Down syndrome or trisomy 13/18! That's the lowest chance possible that they give out!

WAY TO GO BEAN!!

NT Scan

Look at Bean growing!! Holy cow! A human being!! He/She is just over 12 weeks old and measuring just over 2 inches long!

We had a scan done today to measure the fluid behind Bean's neck. This can tell that there is a problem like Down Syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18. They want less than 2.50mm of fluid and Bean measured at 1.00mm! Good to go! I also got some blood work done, but I'm 100% sure that is going to come back fine!

Bean was being a little bit of a stinker and wouldn't move around for the tech to get to the back of the neck, so the tech was pushing and wiggling my stomach to get bean to move. At one point we saw a tiny little hand fly up and bean flipped over onto his/her side and stuck its butt out at us! it was so funny! it's like s/he was saying "I'm not ready to play yet, come back later!" Just like brian does...ooh man, am I in trouble or what?!