Thursday, July 14, 2005

Our baby's development 15-19 weeks

Ok, this will fast track us up to today's developmental stage.

15 weeks:
At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form.

They couldn't even think of a fruit for a size comparison this week! I think we decided a pear was appropriate.

16 weeks:
At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

Wow, sounds like this week's growth spurt was good - hope I took lots of vitamins...

17 weeks:
Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

How is an onion bigger than an avocado? With the skeleton starting to harden up this week, I've decided to increase my calcium and mineral intake. I can really feel the need for these extra minerals, since I have been waking up with the most incredible leg cramps - which is a classic sign of magnesium and calcium deficiency. Basically Poppy is taking my stores of these minerals and I suffer the consequences. Easily fixed though! I have some great calcium powder to add to my daily protein shakes.

18 weeks:
Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Yes I have DEFINITELY been feeling lots and lots of movement and kicks! It is much more noticeable now and more frequent, like whenever I am sitting still or relaxing or eating or lying down. KICK! It feels so strange. Mainly the kicks feel like the are on my tummy side of my uterus, but considering it is a 3D hollow shape, occasionally I get a kick and a punch at the same time, but on opposite sides of the uterus so it really feels like I am hollow. It's very odd. But totally amazing thinking I am growing a person inside me!

19 weeks:
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

So we're about 15cm measured in a straight line from the top of the head to the buttocks, then legs are additional to that measurement. That's getting pretty big! Tomorrow we have a 4D scan to check on Poppy and hopefully find out if we are having a girl or a boy. Since some people are not sure if they want to know what we are having yet, I will not announce it here....you will have to email us if you want to know!

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