14 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she'll keep up until birth. You still can't feel your baby's movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.

How your life's changing: As early discomforts (nausea, fatigue, breast tenderness) begin to fade, you may start to regain some energy and feel more comfortable with how your body's changing. (Although the top of your uterus is only a bit above your pubic bone, that growth may be enough to push your tummy out a bit.) Starting to show is an exciting pregnancy milestone and it will likely give you and your partner the visible evidence of a baby that 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 you can also breathe a little sigh of relief knowing that with the start of this trimester your risk of miscarriage has dropped significantly. Now try to focus on taking care of yourself and your baby and having faith that you're well equipped for what's ahead.

How I'm doing: I'm doing well. It's a great relief to be in the 2nd trimester. My energy has returned now so it's not as hard to get things done. I thought I had made it through the woods but I didn't make it through pregnancy without vomiting. I think it may have just been something I ate and not morning sickness though since it was a solitary event. My body is much more aware of toxins while pregnant and I think it was clearing out something that could have been harmful. I think the baby bump is definitely visible in most of my clothes now. We've started picking out a few things for the baby now. It's a difficult task that requires a lot of research since, like all parents, we want our baby to be safe, secure and happy. We're lucky that we have a lot of stores to choose from in LA.

It was a scary week for the Popes. Thankfully after being evacuated all week their house is still standing. Many people on their street weren't as lucky. We're thankful that they're now back in their house safe and sound.

The baby bump at 14 weeks:

Fortunately, I don't always look like that, here's what it looked like at 5 weeks:

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.

How I'm doing: I'm doing great this week. I feel almost back to normal. I'm still tired in the mornings but for the most part I feel pretty good. I did get a flu shot this week (thimerisol and mercury-free) so my arm was sore for a couple of days. Seeing the baby earlier in the week was a great emotional boost and relief. One of my good friends, Rachel, who we visited in Madison this summer gave birth to a beautiful baby girl earlier in the week. It's a lot more exciting to be around and see babies now. This week we also got our own gardening space in our apartment complex. It's on the small side and we're not supposed to grow vegetables but we will be growing herbs and some flowers. Other than that, it's been a pretty normal and boring week.

Ultrasound #1

So today was a great day for us. It was our 2nd prenatal appointment and our first ultrasound. We met with our midwife, Polly, again first. This time she had a midwifery student with her learning the ropes who was very pregnant herself. We went over general issues and then they brought out the doppler. The doppler is basically a wand (like an ultrasound wand) connected to a speaker. They put some gel on my abdomen and then put the doppler wand on me and looked for the heartbeat. The student was having a little trouble finding it at first but Polly thought she could hear it in the background. At this point my uterus is just starting to peak over the top of my pubic bone so it's a little tricky finding the right spot. Polly took over and found it right away. It was nice and strong and just how it should be. The baby's heart was beating in the 150s per minute; which is right on target. Polly said baby's hearts beat about 120-160 bpm.

I got cleaned up and waited for my turn at the ultrasound. We didn't have to wait long which was nice. We moved into the ultrasound room and started working with an ultrasound tech. Again, more gel and the wand. We saw the baby right away. He was laying on his back on the back of my uterus (so we were both facing forward). He was sucking his thumb (as you can see in the pictures below, the fuzzy blob near his mouth is his hand). He was quite content laying there. The technician was pushing on my abdomen trying to get him to move for a while but he was a bit stubborn. Finally he started moving a little bit so she could take the measurement of the fluid in the back of his neck (the whole reason for the ultrasound). At that point he decided he wanted to move all over the place. We saw him arch his back up several times and stretch one leg up and the other straight down. Unfortunately I can't feel any of this yet but it was neat to watch him moving all around. For the last half of the ultrasound the tech had to chase him around he was moving so much.

At that point a doctor came in to take some more measurements. She double-checked that the technician got a good neck fluid measurement, took some more measurements of the baby from crown to rump, and took a measurement of the baby's nasal bone. If the baby doesn't have a nasal bone, or its very short, this often predicts downs syndrome. Thankfully our baby has a nice little nose just as it should be.

Based on the measurements of the baby taken from crown to rump, his estimated age is 12w6d. According to my midwife (based on my last menstrual period), he is 11w6d. According to MY estimate of his age, he's 12w5d. So it looks like the due date is somewhere between April 24-30th. Since the ultrasound was after my visit with the midwife she may decide to change my due date at the next visit.

You might be wondering why I think my due date is different from the prediction my midwife made. Due dates are calculated based on the first day of your last period assuming that you ovulate on the 14th day of your cycle. This is an average across all women. As the women out there know, we're not all average. In my case, my cycles are shorter (22-24 days) and I believe I ovulate on the 11th day of my cycle. How do I know that? Ovulation can be assumed fairly accurately by taking an oral temperature each morning at the same time when you wake up. Your temperature spikes on the day of ovulation. Other signs can also point even more accurately to the day of ovulation. Many women use this method (called the Fertility Awareness Method) to get pregnant or as a means of preventing pregnancy. This is different from the rhythm method.

Ok, now for the part you've all been waiting for...




Happy Birthday Grandma Sue!

12 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

How your life's changing: Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. Though you probably won't need maternity clothes for several more weeks yet, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in looser, less restrictive clothing.

You may also start getting heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. It's caused by both hormonal and physical changes in your body — and can take the pleasure out of eating a meal or sleeping. Eating small meals and avoiding foods that make the problem worse, such as fried, spicy, or fatty foods, can help.

How I'm doing: I finished taking my last dose of antibiotics this morning. I'm pretty much back to 100% now. I still have a little bit of congestion in the morning but nothing too terrible. I think any nausea I had is pretty much completely gone as well. Eating is much easier and I feel better in general. I'm glad it was fairly minor and didn't last long. My energy is slowly returning. I'm definitely still not myself. I don't have much trouble staying up at night but I do have trouble getting up in the morning. I could sleep much later. I got up relatively early this morning (8:30 AM) and only made it until noon before taking a nap.

I purchased a few more maternity items today. Most of my jeans are too tight. A few pairs can be buttoned but they are very uncomfortable after sitting for any length of time. I'm starting to move clothes out of my closet that aren't comfortable to wear any longer.

Tuesday is the big day. It's Grandma Sue's birthday and it's also the day of our first ultrasound. We're very excited to see this little baby and make sure it's doing OK in there. It will also be nice to have confirmation that there's only 1. We'll make sure to post pictures. According to all the books I have it should look like a cute baby in there at this point even though it's only a few inches long.

Less than two weeks until the end of the first trimester.

11 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

How your life's changing: At this point, you may be experiencing some strange symptoms, such as excessive saliva. Learn which of your symptoms are normal and which are a sign that something might be wrong. You're probably also wondering things like, Can I keep going to dance class? Could the air bags in my car hurt my baby? Which cold medications are safe to take now? Find out what's safe and what's not during pregnancy.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain between 2 and 5 pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

How I'm doing: I'm doing much better this week so far. I can feel my cold starting to go away. My headaches went away the day after I started the antibiotics; that was welcome relief. I'm still congested. I still have a cough sometimes. But those are getting better. For the most part I'm just tired and it's really hard to get out of bed in the morning. Probably because I can sleep now after going a few days without being able to get to sleep between coughing and blowing my nose. Last night I slept for 11 hours. I also finally felt well enough to clean the house up. It was getting pretty bad after a week of me just laying down every day when I got home from work and Scott being at work until 8 or so several times during the week and working full days on Saturday and Sunday. As far as the baby goes, I'm feeling pretty good. My stomach still gets uneasy every once in a while but it's getting better. My clothes are getting tighter. I don't think it will be long before I need to wear some maternity pants. Thankfully the 2 pairs I have are adjustable so I can actually adjust them small enough to fit me now and they'll grow with me. Our baby is officially a fetus now, it's no longer an embryo. Just another 2 short weeks and we'll be out of the first trimester, which is a major milestone. Another week and a half before we get to see the baby for our first prenatal screening. When we see the heartbeat we'll also be passing a hurdle towards insuring our baby will make it here healthy.

10 weeks

How your baby's growing: Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

How your life's changing: At your next prenatal visit, you may be able to hear your baby's rapid heartbeat with the help of a Doppler stethoscope, a handheld ultrasound device that your practitioner places on your belly. Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounded like the thunder of galloping horses and hearing it for the first time was very moving.

Before you got pregnant, your uterus was the size of a small pear. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. Though you're probably not ready for maternity wear, you may find that your regular clothes are becoming uncomfortably tight and your blossoming breasts are straining the seams of your bra. The thickening in your midsection is most likely due to slight weight gain and bloating at this point. In these transitional weeks between regular and maternity clothes, pants and skirts with forgiving elastic waistbands (or low-rise waistlines that sit below your belly) will provide some much-needed comfort.

Depending on your level of fitness, you can most likely participate in a wide range of activities during pregnancy. Swimming and walking are excellent choices for the whole nine months. Exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance — three qualities that can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labor, and make it easier to get back into shape after your baby is born. (Unfortunately, there's no evidence that regular exercise shortens labor.)

How I'm doing: Not that great unfortunately. The main reason my 10 week update is coming when week 10 is just about over is because I've been sick. I started feeling like I might be coming down with something last Thursday night and it proceeded to get worse all weekend. I guess there's a cold going around and my depressed immune system couldn't fight it off. My midwife gave me a list of some of the medications I'm allowed to take, I tried one and it didn't work at all so I gave up. I decided to stay home from work on Monday and get another day of recuperation in. I ended up not leaving the house at from when I got home from work on Friday until Monday evening--I really didn't feel up to anything. I thought pregnancy in general made me tired and not feel so great but now I know it can get much, much worse. I had been improving slightly. I went through less than a whole box of Kleenex in a day AND I wasn't coughing all day long.

Tuesday night the headaches set in. Not a low-grade pain but a searing stabbing pain. I've had migraines and this definitely wasn't a migraine. My forehead hurt, my eye sockets hurt and they hurt so badly at times it woke me up. I decided when I woke up I should go to the doctor. I read about sinus infections on WebMD and it sounded like something that should be looked at by a doctor. I called my regular primary care physician (who I knew would be easier to see since she saves day-of appointments). I went in and she agreed that I probably did have a sinus infection. She prescribed Amoxicillin (an antibiotic; sinus infections are bacterial infections whereas colds are viruses) and Nasonex (a nasal spray, you've probably seen the commercials). She also explained that the baby is basically acting like a parasite as far as my body is concerned. Which reminded me of this article from the satirical newspaper, The Onion. The baby is depressing my immune system which might be part of the reason I got sick (and why Scott seems to be resisting it so far).

As far as pregnancy is concerned, it's pretty much gone unnoticed except for the fact that I've been keenly aware of all the cold remedies in the world that I can't touch. That and my pants were tight this morning after spending the last 4 days in yoga pants and gym shorts.