24 Weeks

Okay, so I've slacked off on the posts for a while. Has this baby taken a lot out of me! I was extremely tired my 1st trimester. Now I'm feeling better, just fat! To date I've gained 25 lbs.

We had our ultrasound on June 12th. We have been blessed with a little girl (or at least so we think!). We can't wait to meet Abigail Brooke! She has been kicking up a storm and loves to wake mommy up in the middle of the night!

I've also been blessed with calf cramps in the middle of the night! Oh boy!

Our Baby - 9 Weeks!

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.

5 Weeks, 1 Day

How your baby's growing:
Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.

The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.

His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

Zachary's So Funny

We asked Zachary last night what he would do if he has a baby brother instead of a sister. He told us he would be very mad and we would have to sell the baby, because he only wants a sister! I hope he doesn't really get mad if it's a boy!!!

Ultrasound Results

The sac is in my uterus... However they can't see the embryo yet because I'm only 4 weeks and 2 days today! I think this pregnancy is going to last forever! The good news is the baby is in the right spot and I get to have another ultrasound done in 2 weeks so I get plenty of pictures of my lil baby!!!

4 Weeks 2 Days

Pregnancy: 4 weeks




How your baby's growing:
This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until ten weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.

Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.

The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.

Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

See what's going on in your uterus this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.


How your life's changing:
Sometime this week, you may be able to find out whether you're pregnant. For the most accurate results, wait until the end of the week to take a home pregnancy test. (You can try one now if you like, but you're more likely to get a correct result a week past your expected period.)

If the test is positive, call your practitioner's office and schedule your first prenatal appointment. Most practitioners won't see you until you're about eight weeks along, unless you have a medical condition, had problems with a previous pregnancy, or are having symptoms that need to be checked out.

If you're taking any medications — prescription or over-the-counter — ask now whether it's safe to keep taking them. And be sure to alert your caregiver to any other issues of concern.

You should already be taking a multivitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. Once you're pregnant, you'll need a bit more — 600 mcg a day — so switch to a prenatal vitamin if you haven't already.

The next six weeks are critical to your baby's development. The rudimentary versions of the placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already functioning. Through the placenta, your baby is exposed to what you take into your body, so make sure it's good for both of you.

If your home pregnancy test is negative, take another at five weeks if you still haven't gotten your period. Many urine tests are not sensitive enough to detect a pregnancy at four weeks.

If you've been trying to conceive with no success for a year or more (or for six months if you're over 35), talk to your healthcare provider about a workup exam for you and your partner to spot possible fertility problems. While the results may be upsetting, finding out about a problem sooner rather than later will get you started on the road to treatment — and to your ultimate goal: having a baby.


Pregnancy test re-do "I took a home pregnancy test and got a negative result, but I just knew I was pregnant. I felt it, somehow. So I waited a few days and took another test, first thing in the morning. Sure enough, I was right — this time it was positive." — Anonymous

Proud Big Brother

Well, Zachary found out last night, and since then he has insisted he is having a baby sister. He wants to call her P.U.P.P.Y., after his favorite stuffed animal (yes he spells it out instead of saying it). He is telling everyone he is running into that he is going to be a big brother because Mommy has a baby in her belly! I wish I could make him understand we have about 35 more weeks to wait until the baby is due!

First OB Visit

I went to the Ob today. This was to confirm I was pregnant... and for them to give me rules to follow, such as what medications aren't allowed, what foods I can't eat, etc. The dr. said my uterus is enlarged which is a good sign the baby is where he/she should be, and I could possibly be further along than what we think! I hope it's not twins!!! :) Anyway, she scheduled me for preliminary blood work and I have an ultrasound tomorrow to verify where the baby is and how far along I am. I'm so excited! Everything looks great so far! My due date is October 26, 2008 - Zachary's birthday.

From The Beginning...

Well, on Saturday, February 16, 2008 I found out I'm pregnant! I'm so excited! I took another test on Monday and it was screaming at me!!! Today, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 I called my doctor to schedule an appointment for the lab work and ultrasound, seeing I am considered "high-risk" until they confirm where the baby is. They said with the symptoms I have and all, it seems everything is fine and they are going to wait until Friday to do a real visit with labs, etc. I'm so happy!

How am I feeling today? TIRED! All I want to do is sleep, and everytime I eat I burp for close to an hour. Yuck! No fun at all!

Chris is in Florida this week so he is missing all the fun. Poor him! It must be horrible waking up to 70 degree weather and sunshine everyday. I'm just sad he'll miss our first doctor's visit.