Week 22

22 Weeks Pregnant

Weight: 115.4 (+10.4lbs from starting weight, +0.4lbs from last week)

Symptoms: heartburn, acne, itchy belly, leaky breasts (gross)

How I am Feeling: I am still feeling great. It's such a complete change from how I felt the first 16 weeks or so.

Best Thing about Pregnancy: Dan and I have started seeing my belly moving from the outside. It's weird and awesome at the same time.

Worst Thing about Pregnancy: I woke up on Monday morning with two wet spots on my shirt. Just great. My midwife said it was on the early side of normal, but not completely unusual.

What I am Looking Forward to This Week: We are leaving on Friday to spend the weekend in Atlanta. My niece is getting baptized. Dan really needs a trip and I love going out of town and being away from the usual.

This is also my first week of not working. It has been a little difficult to keep busy, but I am trying. There are so many things that I want to get done, but it still seems too early to do much shopping for the baby. That hasn't stopped me from ordering a few cloth diapers this week. I am so determined to make cloth diapers work for us for the environmental, health and financial benefits. Plus, everyone says that I won't be able to follow through with it, which makes me determined to prove them wrong.

This is the end of weekly fruit sizes, monthly from here on out. Sad.

Weeks 22- 26 (Month 5): Papaya

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

Week 21

21 Weeks Pregnant



Weight: 115.0 (+10 lbs)



Symptoms: round ligament pain, peeing all of the time, forgetfulness


How I am Feeling:  I am pretty happy with the pregnancy this week. 


Best Thing about Pregnancy: I am feeling the baby move all of the time now. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. 


Worst Thing about Pregnancy: The frequency that I have to pee is getting ridiculous. 


What I am Looking Forward to this Week: Friday will be my last day of work and that is very exciting. 




On Sunday night, the baby was moving around and Dan felt a kick from the outside for the first time. He was surprised at how strong the kick was. I got a little teary because it was really amazing to share those movements with Dan. 


The anatomy sonogram was on Monday. The baby was in a funny position and I was disappointed with the pictures.  I asked the technician to not show us the sex, so that was really great. The body parts looked great and there are no signs of defects. We could see the hemispheres of the brain, all of the vertebrae on the spine, the 4 chambers of the heart, the lungs, the stomach and the kidneys. We also counted 10 fingers and 10 toes. 


Week 21: Banana

 Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Week 20

20 Weeks Pregnant


Weight: the battery in my scale is dead, so I'm not sure

Symptoms: braxton hicks contractions, round ligament pain, peeing every 10 minutes


How I am Feeling: I am still feeling pretty good and am getting my energy back.


Best Thing about Pregnancy: I'm halfway there!!!


Worst Thing about Pregnancy: I don't really feel attractive anymore. I don't think Dan sees me the same way he use to.


What I am Looking Forward to this Week: I have the anatomy sonogram scheduled on Monday. We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby, but I am really excited to see the baby again and for Dan to see the baby for the first time.
 
Week 20: Cantaloupe

 
 Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Week 19

I didn't write last week (sweet potato). It was a really bad week. More on that later.

19 Weeks Pregnant
Weight: 112.6 (up 7.6lbs from starting weight)

Symptoms: acne, braxton hicks contractions, back aches

How I am Feeling: much better

Best Thing about Pregnancy: I am feeling the baby move more and more often and I love it so much.

Worst Thing about Pregnancy: I'm getting so big and uncomfortable.

What I am Looking Forward to this Week: Reading about fatherhood with Dan. 


There was an unfortunate incident last week at work that resulted in me quitting my job today. I will probably continue working for a few weeks, but it was a bad week. I was also sick last Monday. I vomited a substantial  amount of blood, so I went to the doctor. Everything ended up being okay, but it was another stress to an already bad week. 


This week has been much better so far. Dan and I had a chat about the stresses in our lives. Quitting my job should help with that. 


Week 19: Mango

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

17 Weeks Pregnant

17 Weeks Pregnant

Weight: +5.6 lbs from starting weight (110.6)

Symptoms: acne, emotional, round ligament pain, peeing every 10 minutes

How I am Feeling: I've been having a rough week.

Best Thing about Pregnancy: It's almost halfway over.

Worst Thing about Pregnancy: It's really putting a strain on my relationship with Dan.

What I am Looking Forward to this Week:  Date night on Saturday


The past week has been very difficult week for me. Dan is having a mid-life crisis and it's driving me crazy. He has been really focused on himself when I have needed him and his attention the most. The crazy pregnancy hormones have made me over-sensitive and over-emotional. I am so excited to have a child, but pregnancy is just not fun. 


Week 17: Onion

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

Week 16

16 Weeks Pregnant

Weight: +4.6 lbs from starting weight (109.6)

Symptoms: more acne, a little nauseous, grumpy

How I am Feeling: continuing to feel better, though I've had a couple bad days

Best Thing about Pregnancy: feeling the baby moving for the first time

Worst Thing about Pregnancy: I've been really emotional lately- mean to Dan, feeling sad or lonely- for no reason at all

What I am Looking Forward to this Week: I have the second round of blood work for the NT scan this week. The first test looked good, so I hope this goes well also. 


Week 16: Avocado

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

Week 15

15 Weeks Pregnant

Weight: +3.6 lbs from starting weight (108.6)

Symptoms: acne, trouble sleeping

How I am Feeling: much better actually, no nausea in the afternoons (very little in the morning)

Best Thing about Pregnancy: planning all of the fun baby things

Worst Thing about Pregnancy: looking less pregnant and more like I had a big lunch

What I am Looking Forward to this Week: hoping to feel the baby move soon


Nothing really exciting to report this week. My belly button is so weird and getting weirder as my stomach continues to expand. 


Week 15: 

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.