The Gift of Life

Your baby now weighs more than 4.7 pounds / 2.2 kilograms and is 18 inches / over 45 centimetres from top to toe. She’s filling out and getting rounder — she’ll need her fat layers later to regulate her body temperature.

If you don’t already talk to your baby, this is a good time to start — at 35 weeks her hearing is fully developed. Don’t feel ridiculous if you’re already chatting in baby talk. Some evidence shows that newborns pay closer attention to high-pitched tones.

If you’ve been nervous about going into premature labour, you’ll be happy to know that 99 per cent of babies born at week 35 can survive outside the womb — and most have no major problems. Although your baby’s central nervous system is still maturing, her lungs are nearly fully developed by now.

Many women start to notice a tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvic region or pain as they walk. This may be caused by the pelvic joints loosening, ready for labour.

Source: BabyCenter

We had our ultrasound yesterday. You could say I was a bit anxious of the results, though deep in my heart, I knew that our little bub was really just fine. The procedure took almost 30 minutes of our time because the technician had to measure all Baby’s little parts once again as well as check on the baby’s heart rate, blood flow within the umbilical cord and the amount of amniotic fluid that was present in the womb. The technician’s conclusion? Everything was found to be normal. Baby was of the right weight and size (estimated to weigh 2.5 kilos at 34 weeks). There was really nothing to worry about at this time.

It was soooo good to see our little angel once again. This time Baby is well developed now and we could see that the face is truly fully formed. In a few more weeks, we will be seeing Baby in the flesh. Can’t wait!

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How your baby’s growing at 20 weeks:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She’s also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby’s head to her bottom — known as the “crown to rump” measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby’s legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She’s also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that’s the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you’ll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

How your life’s changing:
You’ve made it to the halfway mark — Congratulations! The top of your uterus is at the level of your belly button now, and you’ve likely gained about 10 pounds. Expect to gain an average of about another pound each week from now on. (If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less.) Make sure you’re getting enough iron, a mineral that’s used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron for your developing baby and the placenta, and to keep up with your expanding blood volume.

If you haven’t already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one. Whether you’re a first-timer or a pro, you can benefit from a structured class that helps prepare you for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, all-day session. Ask your doctor or midwife for a recommendation. At 37 weeks, you’ll be considered full-term, so plan to be done with classes by then.

Source: BabyCenter

Thank God all is well with Baby! Everything is normal as far as the ultrasound results are concerned.

Oh, and we already know the gender. My sister-in-law suggested to keep it a secret for a while… until after the baby shower of course, for a little guessing game.

Yes, that is our baby’s profile on our very first ultrasound. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to record any of the scans or the actual experience by the diagnostic clinic. We do have the plates though of all the scans taken of the baby on an xray film.

Everything is much real to us now. The ultrasound has given us a way to finally connect to our little angel as we saw it move and squirm under the pressure of the ultrasound head with its tiny heart beating normally. We saw also four limbs moving actively, the spine and our baby’s little mouth (doing a little swallow). I cannot quite explain the feeling. It is just sooo overwhelming!

J now feels its going to be a girl for us. I have felt that way though from the very beginning. The technician tells us that the baby is ok and have found no abnormalities. Thank God!

AT 13 WEEKS

How your baby’s growing:
Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you’re expecting, but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he’s only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there’s a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he’s starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he’s been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby’s critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably.

How your life’s changing:
Time to celebrate! This is the last week of your first trimester. Next week you’ll be in your second trimester. That’s great news for two reasons: One, your risk of miscarriage drops dramatically, and two, many women see early pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, subside. (In some cases, though, heartburn replaces the nausea.) 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. Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift in the second trimester as nausea abates and energy returns.

Source: BabyCenter