Baby Plum - Week 12

While it may seem as if you've doubled in size over the past few weeks (I must be weird because I shift belly sizes during the day. I am a small tummy in the morning and a huge tummy right after I eat or towards the end of the day....then back to normal/ small belly in the morning!), it's your baby who actually has! By now, your baby weighs a full half-ounce and is about the size of a large plum. Most of his systems are in place, though there's still plenty of maturing to do. For one thing, his fetal digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements so he can eat someday, and his bone marrow is busy making white blood cells — weapons against germs once he's out of your safe haven. The pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) has started producing the hormones that'll enable him (or her) to make babies of his (or her) own in a couple of decades or so. If all these changes sound dizzying, that may just be you dealing with yet another problematic pregnancy symptom: Lots of women experience occasional dizziness and/or feel faint due to progesterone, which causes increased blood flow to your baby by relaxing your own blood vessels. More blood flow to baby means less blood flow to your body and brain and that, along with typically lower blood-sugar-levels during pregnancy, can set your world a-spinning. Do your part to keep your equilibrium by eating regularly, getting adequate rest, and standing up slowly. (I learned about this this past week. I stood up a few times too quickly and got a total blood rush...kinda scary! Then I actually experienced my first leg cramp that everyone complains about Friday night. It was NO FUN! Luckily it wasn't bad enough to wake up Eric though!)

Your baby continues to grow and develop tremendously during pregnancy week 12. You'll be amazed at the pregnancy week by week changes that start occurring within your baby in the upcoming months. Your baby's genitals will start showing signs of being either male or female soon. (Some of my friends have found out what the sex of their baby was as early as their 12 week sonogram, however, at that point, it was just a guess. I am going to ask my doctor to try to look on Tuesday even though we will be finding out during my 18 week sonogram in about 6 weeks.) During pregnancy week 12, your baby's brain is starting to make hormones, and nerve cells are multiplying at a rapid rate. Your baby may be sucking as early as this week, and your baby's kidneys may even be producing urine.

By pregnancy 12 weeks if you stimulate certain points of your uterus your baby may move in response, though you won't be able to actually feel your baby moving for another few weeks!

You are growing and expanding! By the end of pregnancy week 12 your uterus will pop out of your pelvis, and appear just above the pubic bone. (I heard from friends that this is when they felt their bellies actually made them look pregnant...although people that don't know you don't really realize it yet.) It will continue to grow into your abdomen. While it may take nine months for your uterus to grow large enough to hold your baby, it will return to its pre-pregnancy size just weeks after delivery! (It's amazing how fast the teachers I work with have lost their baby weight. Out of the 7 (of 9 of us that have gotten pregnant this year) that have already had their babies, none look like they had a baby recently! I am praying I get their luck!)

Your uterus will also weigh more and more as your pregnancy at 12 weeks continues to progress. By the end of your pregnancy your uterus will weigh up to 2 pounds, compared to 2.5 ounces prior to your pregnancy!

You may find that you are experiencing more heartburn than normal at 12 weeks pregnant. Heartburn is a burning sensation in the throat, chest and upper abdomen. This is a very common complaint during pregnancy at 12 weeks. It is caused by an increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy. Progesterone relaxes the valve between your stomach and esophagus. This relaxation allows stomach acids to enter the esophagus and cause severe irritation, which gives you the sensation of a burning feeling. (I think I experienced this the first time last night after our 2 year (and Margie and Jim's 40 year) wedding anniversary dinner. Again, no fun. It helps that Eric and I have a reclining couch. I was able to recline back, take a TUMS (even though it's on my list of things I can take, Eric was being super cautious and only let me take one). I feel much better this morning!)

The other thing I learned this week...NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER eat a lot of dried apricots in one sitting when you are teaching! Did you know they have 6 grams of fiber in 4 of them (according to my package)??? They taste so good that I ate about 12 which comes out to about 18 grams of fiber in about 10 minutes...NOT GOOD. :)

I will update you all after our Tuesday 12 week sonogram. We are doing the test for any chromosomal disorders. This describes the test:

The 12 week scan is a routine ultrasound examination carried out at 10 to 14 weeks (my doctor requires it during week 12) of gestation. During the examination, the fetus is seen by abdominal ultrasound. Occasionally the view is not clear and it may be necessary to perform a vaginal scan. At the first trimester scan they confirm that the fetus is alive, they assess the gestational age by measuring the crown-rump length and will also look for any major problems.

The nuchal translucency (also spelled nucal translucency) is a collection of fluid beneath the fetal skin in the region of the fetal neck and this is present and seen in all fetuses in early pregnancy. The fluid collection is however increased in many fetuses with Down's syndrome and many other chromosomal abnormalities. It is called a 'translucency' because on ultrasound this appears as a black space beneath the fetal skin. It is this black space that you will see measured during the ultrasound scan.Currently the most accurate non invasive test for detecting Down syndrome during pregnancy is the measurement of the nuchal translucency with an ultrasound between 11 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. This is normally less than 2.5mm and when seen increased (greater than 2.5mm, see image on the right) may indicate the baby has Down syndrome or may indicate another chromosomal abnormality. 95% of measurements will indicate a reduced risk.

Baby Lime - 11 Weeks

From this week until week 20, your baby will be growing rapidly — increasing in size from about 2 inches (5 cm) to about 8 inches (20 cm) from crown to rump. To accommodate all this growth, the blood vessels in the placenta are increasing in both size and number to provide the baby with more nutrients.

During pregnancy week 11, your baby is almost large enough for you to nestle in your palm. Most babies are just under 1 ½ inches long by now and may weigh as much as .3 ounces, about the size of a large lime. Your baby’s skin is still transparent, once your baby reaches full term he will start to fill out, and you will no longer be able to see your baby’s blood vessels showing through his skin. Most babies will double their size during the next three weeks (I looked it up and in 3 weeks, aka 14 weeks pregnant, the baby is about the size of a large lemon or a small orange). The iris will begin to develop this week and finger nails appear.

Week 11 of pregnancy marks the end of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby is called a fetus. It also marks the period when your baby is out of the danger zone for the development of most congenital complications. Other developments that are happening around this time are the external genitals move outside of the body , the hair follicles of the skin are forming , and teeth are beginning to form.

By now you probably look a little pregnant to those that know you closely. Your uterus is growing every day, and is now peaking out just above the midpoint of your pelvis. Not bad. As soon as the uterus grows past the middle part of your pubic bone you will finally "pop" in a big way, to a point where you might need to start considering pregnancy clothing. I think I am going to honestly consider the clothing pretty quickly...that or loose clothing. It's so weird because I have only gained one pound, however, my rib cage and tummy have grown so most of my dresses that fit two weeks ago are now pretty uncomfortable or tight in those areas, therefore, I can't really wear them anymore. I have noticed the looser my clothing, the better I feel at the end of the day. Poor Eric had to listen to me bawl today as I cried because nothing was comfortable when I put it on...and no, I was not trying to just get new clothes, my clothes are seriously fitting different. I am all about the long or knit dresses or the elastic banded pants. On Friday we took my second graders on a field trip to the Outdoor Learning Center. I had to wear a cami under my polo shirt so that I could wear my jeans undone and do the rubber band trick. Anyways...not much happened this past week except for me being exhausted all week. Eric and I are just anxious...next Tuesday, June 2nd, we will have our next sonogram. I keep looking at all of my friends' 12 week sonograms and the baby is SO MUCH different than the sonogram I have from my 6 week appointment. We can't wait to see our little one!

10 Week Appointment UPDATE

Today was a day of 2 special things: Eric and I's second anniversary and having our 10 week appointment. Good news...we were able to hear the heartbeat. It was so amazing. She first showed me mine, and then moved over and we heard the baby's heartbeat. It was 160 beats per minute which is a strong and healthy heartbeat. We are so excited. Our next appointment is June 2nd. It will be the test for down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders. Keep us in your prayers still. Until next time...

Baby Prune/ Kumquat - 10 Weeks

I am now 10 weeks and I feel like I am starting to show a little bit, but I am assuming it's all water weight since I have not really gained all but 2 pounds or so. Last night we had Mariam and Philip's wedding shower at our house. It was a Hollywood themed shower where you were supposed to come dressed as a famous Hollywood star. It actually turned out quite fun. All of my friends that knew me before me being pregnant were saying that they were starting to see a little tummy so they must agree with me. Right now I am feeling more like I just like a girl with a little belly (something I am not used to having), however, it does not really look flabby. My stomach is still really hard except it now just has a pooch. (See in the pictures?)

Here are the things for 10 weeks:

Your baby is getting big... in fact, by pregnancy week 10 your baby is big enough to start being weighed! By pregnancy week 10 your baby will measure between 31 and 42 mm or a little more than an inch and a half! Your baby is about the size of a prune or kumquat (WHAT IS THAT? is what I was wondering...so I went to look it up. It is what that orange thing is in the picture.), maybe slightly larger by now. It weighs about 5 grams, or about the weight of a quarter, maybe even a little more.

This week is somewhat of a landmark for your developing baby. By now, your baby's complete body plan is laid down. Your baby will continue to develop and grow for the remainder of the pregnancy. The fingers and toes have separated and the tail has disappeared now. Your baby has taste and tooth buds at this point, which will continue to develop. The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed. External genitalia are not apparent until next week, but a male's testes will already be producing testosterone.

You may think you are starting to show by pregnancy 10 weeks, but most people still probably can't tell that you are pregnant yet. That is ok! After pregnancy week 10 and in the next few weeks you will start seeing some changes in your profile, your partner may have already commented on your ever so slightly more rounded belly!

Here is the 25-35 pound recommended weight break down of the weight you gain:

For women who are carrying one child:

7.5 pounds goes to the baby
2.0 pounds goes to the uterus
1.5 pounds goes to the placenta
2.0 pounds goes to the breasts
8.0 pounds goes to blood and fluid
7.0 pounds goes to fat.

Here is a great video on Week 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fh3clhytaI

I will update again Tuesday, May 19th after our sonogram (on our 2nd year wedding anniversarty) or on Wednesday.

Baby Olive - 9 Weeks

Last Wednesday I came out to my co-workers by saying that I was "the next sheet cake." It's kinda a joke between all of us that we get sheet cakes to celebrate something (marriage, baby, retirement, etc.). Let's just say I am #9 that is pregnant: We have had 2 kindergarten teachers, me in 2nd grade, 1 third grade teacher, 1 fourth grade teacher, 1 special education teacher, our speech therapist, our assistant principal, and 1of our coaches' wives that have all been pregnant = 9 new babies into the Carlisle family. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't come to work at Carlisle! HA HA! Just kidding. So anyways, I said I was going to be the next sheet cake. You should have seen everyone's faces! They all looked so confused until it all set in! It was great. Of course everyone congratulated me and gave me hugs. It felt great to be able to share it with everyone and have such a warm welcome.

Sunday we had a good Mother's Day. We went over to "Mom B.A."'s house (what my mom wants her grandmother name to be...short for Mama Beth Ann (since her mother was Mama Mona and my great grandmother was Mama Katie, she wants to follow the same type pattern)) for lunch. My grandmother, Mama Mona (who now will be "GREAT GRAND Mama Mona" she says) was here to visit from Houston. Everyone was there including James (my step-dad), Susan (my sister), and Chris (Susan's wonderful boyfriend). I posted pictures of us girls (my fun sister could not be serious for a picture for my camera...ha ha). The other picture is of my mom, grandmother, and I.

Eric and I then headed over to Nana's (what his mom wants to be called) house for dinner. Jim (his dad) and Chad (his brother) were both there also. It was a great day. Unfortuntately, we did not take any pictures there. :( I think we were all just exhausted.

So here is everything going on for week 9 if you are interested (my comments in red):

Big news! You may be able to hear the heartbeat this week with the help of a Doppler, an ultrasound device that captures the chug-a-chug sound of baby's heart. The first time you hear baby's heart, your own heart may skip a beat—it's the first real evidence that there's someone growing inside you! If you can't hear the heartbeat, no worries, your doc will just check again in a few weeks. (We are hoping to hear it next Tuesday at my 10 week appointment since we were able to see it on the last sonogram. We are really looking forward to it due to that.)

Until now, all pre-babies look the same "down there." This week, however, your baby will begin to develop either male or female genitalia. In layman terms, your baby is beginning to develop her hoo-ha or his wee-wee. (YES, those are their words, NOT mine.) While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks, the version you'll give birth to is being developed right now. At this stage, your developing fetus is 1-inch in length, about the size of a martini olive (you remember martinis, don't you?) or a large grape and weighs a mere 2 grams—a little less than a penny (or in 2nd grade terms, 2 paperclips).

By pregnancy 9 weeks most of the aspects of your baby's physical structure such as head, arms, legs and torso are in place. If you were to peek in on your little one you'd find they resemble a miniature human being (one with a very large head!). Because your baby's organs and limbs are forming, in the next few weeks your baby will be putting on weight. Your baby's tail should have disappeared by now, and your baby's organs and muscles should be functioning on their own. It's hard to believe that something so small can function so completely isn't it!

Your uterus is still growing at 9 weeks pregnant, now closer to a small cantaloupe than a grapefruit. By pregnancy week 9 you may notice that you feel more bloated and lethargic than ever before. You may notice an increase in weight gain, which may be more associated with fluid retention than actual weight. (I definitely have the fluid retention. Right after I eat, my tummy blows up for about 2 hours. Then it goes back down to a little pooch. I feel like I look pregnant because I actually have a little pooch, however, I know that I just look like a normal girl with a little bit of a belly. I have only gained 1 or 2 pounds, however, my weight has definitely shifted to other areas and there is a lot of water retention.)

Keep praying for us as we go through this journey that we are so excited about. I will update this some time next week.

Baby Raspberry - 8 Weeks

So I am now 8 weeks...

This is what it has to say about what is going on along with my comments in red:

Average size: .63 in, .04 oz (about the size of a Raspberry)

Your baby is doing a lot of growing during pregnancy 8 weeks. Up until this point in time your baby had a small tail... that starts to disappear this week, and your little one will soon have eyelids to cover their blossoming eyes. While the arms and legs are also lengthening, the fingers and toes are likely to still be webbed. Your baby's brain is also maturing during pregnancy week 8 (I started the DHA supplement to assist with the brain development yesterday) as nerve cells begin to connect with one another, forming the groundwork for communication later in life.

Did you know the tip of your baby's nose is even formed by pregnancy 8 weeks? The lungs are also working hard at maturing by pregnancy week 8, though they won't be fully mature until near term. However, tubes leading from your baby's throat to the lungs begin to form branches.
By week eight your baby should also have distinct elbows, which allow the arms to curve around the chest. Your baby's organs continue to develop with lightning quick speed. Before you have time to even blink an eye your little one will resemble a miniature human being, complete with ten fingers, ten toes, skin and all the body parts we all have!

You are definitely starting to grow by 8 weeks pregnant inside as your uterus continues to expand (I swear that I can sometimes feel this), however it is likely that you still are not showing much on the outside . This is particularly true of first time moms, though as we mentioned you will likely start feeling some tightening along your waistline (I have actually lost 2 pounds, but my jeans feel tighter around the waist). You may want to start looking for maternity jeans.

Your healthcare provider might tell you that your uterus is now about the size of a grapefruit (see picture above...that's HUGE) by pregnancy at 8 weeks. That is a lot of progress from its pre-pregnancy state, where it was smaller than a plum (the size the baby will be in 4 weeks at our 12 week appointment on June 2, 2009)!

Women who have been pregnant before often report showing sooner than they did with their first pregnancy. While it is not uncommon to not start showing until the fifth month (August for me) the first time around, many moms report that they started showing as early as eight weeks with their second and third pregnancies. If you are carrying twins or triplets (YIKES! We only saw one baby at the first sonogram so I think we are good.), you will start showing sooner than your singleton peers, as your babies will be taking up a lot more room in the uterus. You are probably consumed with fatigue (to say the least...I have to take a nap everyday when I come home), and still battling some nausea (knock on wood, nothing since week 5...I keep asking myself, "Am I really pregnant because everyone else is complaining about this nausea thing and I haven't had a whole lot"...but at the same time, I have been keeping something on my stomach at all times or else I feel sick). Remember that the symptoms associated with early pregnancy pass with time, and most women go on to find their pregnancies rewarding and enjoyable (That's me SO FAR!...I hope this does not jinx me!).

Well, off to bed. Long day ahead of me tomorrow with TONS of end-of-year testing for all of my wonderful second graders!

Full of Life - Nancy O'Dell

So last night I was watching "Access Hollywood" and I saw that one of their reporters had just put out a book about going through her pregnancy...so like a pregnancy craving, I had to go buy it right away (I am not kidding...I had to have it last night. I could not wait another day.)

I started reading it last night and read some more today. I am already 1/2 way though the book. It's about all the good, bad, scary, and normal things you go through when expecting and being a new mom that no one ever tells you. It's great so far. The only reason why I ever put it down is b/c the tiredness sets in. HA HA!

Today I had my first craving (as in I HAD to have it). I wanted one of those French Doughnuts. So I got one in chocolate and one in regular glazed. Man were they good. I am not normally a doughnut person, but this morning I totally could have eaten a dozen by myself...ha ha. Thank goodness I only bought 2. :)