Well, I started back to work today (the kids arrive next Monday...can you believe I will be 6 months pregnant at that point???). As most of you know, I will be teaching Kindergarten this year. I am super excited because I am so blessed with such a great team. Two of us are 34 and two of us are 27 so we are all around the same age. 3 out of 4 of us went to University of North Texas at some point. (GO EAGLES!) It looks like I am going to have 22 kiddos this year (the state maximum allowed) so that will be fun!I had my 22 week doctor appointment last Friday. Brianna is truly growing. My uterus is measuring right at an inch and a 1/2 above my belly button. I have now gained a total of 13 pounds which is "perfect" for this point...however, 6 pounds of those I gained in the last 4 weeks (which apparently is too much over 4 weeks). My doctor said my weight goal is to do only a pound a week...so we will see how that goes. She is weighing in at about a pound right now...crazy huh?
Here is the information for this week:
Your baby's got a while to go before her lungs will be ready for air and is practicing her "breathing" on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of her lungs. Other highlights this week:Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the baby, not you! Well, OK, maybe for the baby and you). Your baby will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! You'll be happy to know the same won't apply to you. Your Mini is starting to look more like a newborn as her skin becomes less see-through. Her body is looking more proportional now, although her head is still kinda big compared to her cute little body. Your baby is positively HUGE during pregnancy at 23 weeks, a whopping 1.1 pound (or almost at least!). That is quite an accomplishment for someone that used to weigh less than one ounce. Your baby at 23 weeks is now the size of a small baby doll you might purchase for a little girl. That's pretty impressive considering your baby could fit in the palm of your hand just a few short weeks ago. Your newborn baby is also about 11 inches long by pregnancy week 23! Your baby can often hear loud noises in the womb from now and as you continue your pregnancy week by week, so don't be surprised if your baby seems to move around a bit when you are vacuuming or in an environment where loud noises are quite common (she sure moved around a lot this morning during our team meeting with our principal...I guess she did not recognize the male's voice since it was not Daddy (Eric talks to her all the time now so that she will recognize his voice when she arrives) so she must have been quite curious who was talking a lot that was sitting next to me or within close ear range...ha ha). The bones located in your baby's middle ear are starting to form by pregnancy week 23 and your baby is continuing to fill out and look more and more proportional. If your baby were born this week there is a small chance your baby would survive, however it is best that your baby stay put for a number of weeks! Many women start to wonder what might happen if their baby is born prematurely. A baby born between 23 and 24 weeks would have a 10 to 70 percent chance of survival. It truly depends on a number of factors that have to be taken into consideration. Every day your baby stays in the womb increases their survival rate approximately 3 percent during weeks 23 and 26. Generally after 26 weeks the survival rate jumps to 80-90%.
Fact: You are carrying around several extra pounds of weight located not only in your belly but in your bra as well. Who's baring the brunt of all this poundage? Mr. Shoulders and Mr. Back. Don't suffer in silence. Get sweet relief:Even in early pregnancy, back pain can be a real bother, and when you get to the halfway point, forget about it! Try lying on a cool ice pack to relieve some of the strain. Some alternative approaches like acupuncture (ummmm....NO THANKS...needles and me do NOT mix!!!) and massage (ooooo...I could use one of those right about NOW!) can ease the pain. And if not, having someone rub you for an hour still feels pretty darn good (thank goodness Dad bought Eric and I the massage chair Christmas before last...we have gotten a lot of use out of it...especially me right now!). Your uterus is continuing to grow and expand at 23 weeks pregnant, and by now is about 1.5 inches above your bellybutton. You are probably feeling less and less graceful 23 weeks pregnant as your belly continues to expand. Your baby has lots of room to move in your uterus now, so her movements are probably quite strong at this point. You probably feel lots of flipping and flopping, and may even notice your stomach moving about!
Well, off to bed...super tired and it takes me FOREVER to fall asleep now because it's so hard to get comfortable. Until next week...
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