Week 16

There haven't been really any changes with my pregnancy this week.  My morning sickness hasn't returned thankfully.  I'm not yet feeling our baby; I really hope to soon.  I'm still suffering from a lung issue.  I went into see Dr. Huffman today because it's now been 2.5 weeks that I've been feeling sick.  I'm having a hard time breathing but not able to clear my lungs.  The medicine I was recommended last week by the RN at the doctor's last week hasn't helped me.  I thought maybe I had bronchitis but Dr. Huffman thinks its either pneumonia or a severely inflamed bronchial airway due to my asthma.  So I ended up having to go in for a chest X-ray which wasn't thrilled about because of my pregnancy but she thought I'd reach appoint that it was necessary.  I should have the results by Monday.  I'm also now on a steroid inhaler in hopes it clears it.  If its not better in a week, Dr. Huffman wants me to see a lung specialist.  I really hope the steroid clears it up soon.  I'm ready to feel better.

The crown-to-rump length of our baby is about 4 1/3 to 4 2/3 inches.  He or she weighs about 2.75 ounces and is about the size of an avocado.  Fine lanugo hair covers our baby's head.  The umbilical cord is attached to the abdomen; this attachment has moved lower on the body of the fetus. The legs are now longer than the arms, and s/he is moving those arms and legs frequently, especially because there's still lots of room to move within the uterus. Fingernails and toenails are growing too.

Week 15

I think I'm finally past the nausea.  I have had a horrible cold all week so hopefully that's not masking it but I haven't felt sick since last weekend.  I'm so relieved.  I can now feel the weight of my belly if I lay slightly to the side, gravity wants to pull it down!  I can definitely feel where my uterus starts and ends.  I did go into see doctor's this week for my cold so I was able to hear our baby's heart beat again.  It was in the 150s bpm.  Also great to hear, especially at this stage in the early second trimester when I can't yet feel the baby but I don't have the same "symptoms" as in the first trimester.

Our baby's crown-to-rump length is about 4 to 4 1/2 inches and he/she weighs around 1 3/4 ounces.  He/she is about the size of an orange or softball.  Our baby's rapid growth continues.  His/her skin is thin.  At this point, you can see blood vessels through the skin.  Fine hair, called lanugo hair, covers the baby's body.

By this time, our baby's may be sucking its thumb.  Eyes continue to develop externally.  They now look more like normal ears.  Bones that have already formed are getting harder and retaining calcium rapidly.  If an X-ray were done at this time, the baby's skeleton would be visible.

Week 14

For the first half of the week, my nausea had come back but the last two days it's disappeared again.  Hopefully the coming and going of the nausea is a sign that it's soon to end.  I look forward to that.  I'm not as cold all the time like I was the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy.  I think my hormones are leveling off.  My weight gain has slowed down also.  I've been pretty consistent in weight now for a few weeks.  Hopefully, I'll start looking my weeks in pregnancy instead of a few months ahead!  I'm looking forward to feeling the baby soon.  I hope it is sooner than I did with the girls which was between 17 and 19 weeks. 


Our baby is a whopping 3 1/2 inches long and is 1 to 2 ounces. S/he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements. The eyes and ears continue to move and develop, the neck is still getting longer, and the baby's chin no longer rests on his/her chest. The hands are becoming functional, and the baby is beginning to learn to move/use them (probably more reflex than anything). At this point, our little one is receiving all of his/her nourishment from the placenta.

Week 13 - 3 Months

Finally through the first trimester!  It's always great to get through this first milestone.  I'm looking forward to starting the second trimester, finding out what we're having and feeling the baby move.  Unfortunately, my nausea has actually gotten worse the last few days.  I'm ready to feel better.  Although, I'm not nearly has hungry as I was weeks ago and have actually lost a few of the pounds I put on those first few weeks.  I'm still tired and on weekdays when I don't get a nap, it's a long day.  We're in Minnesota right now visiting Emile's parents.  While they spend time with the girls, I get a chance to rest.

As our baby continues to develop, the vocal cords begin to form. The face is looking more and more human each day as the eyes begin to move closer together instead of being on the sides of the head and the ears move to a normal position. It would be possible now to determine the baby's sex by looking at the genitals. The intestines move farther into the baby's body; the liver begins to secrete bile and the pancreas begins to produce insulin.

Week 12

I had an appointment with Dr. Placide this morning.  It was the first time I got to hear our baby's heartbeat.  What a great sound!  His/her heart rate was about 161 bpm.  My appointment was really quick.  Because I had no questions, after checking the heartbeat, I was pretty much done.  My next appointment won't be for six weeks now.

Although Dr. Placide doesn't think I could be feeling the baby yet, I'm wondering if maybe I have.  Last Sunday (11wk 2d), I definitely felt a flutter type feeling and then again two more times this week.  Maybe it's just my uterus expanding or moving.  We'll see if it starts happening more before I say for sure whether it's the baby or not.

My nausea has gotten better this week thankfully.  I've been feeling sick the last two days but I think I'm just getting a cold or something.  I'm still cold frequently and can be pretty moody.  But I'm also less tired than I was five weeks ago.  I think my chest is starting to get larger also.  It was actually hurting the other day.  I suppose it knows what to do to get ready to nurse again.

Our baby weighs between 1/3 and 1/2 ounces.  By now, nearly all of our baby's organs, structures and systems are fully formed. The heart has begun to pump several quarts of blood through his/her body every day. Our baby has also begun to develop nerves and a spinal cord, allowing him/her to feel some types of pain. While our baby's brain is not the same size it will be at birth, it does have the same structure. Fingers and toes have separated and hair and nails continue to grow. Also, the external genitals can now show definite signs of male and female gender. Before, where there was only reflex movement, our baby now moves spontaneously and at random, although his/her movements are still too slight to be felt.

NT Scan

We did the NT scan today.  Everything looked great.  The first thing I wanted to see was the heartbeat.  It's always nerve wracking going week to week between ultrasounds before I feel kicks.  It's nice having another ultrasound to see him/her moving around.  Our baby was calmer than Claire was during the NT scan.  But the technician was able to measure the fluid level behind the baby's neck which was well withing the normal range (it was below 3 at 1.5 mm).  Plus, the baby does have a nasal bridge bone.  Although I still need to get my blood work results back, so far both the fluid level and the bridge bone are all great signs for a low chance of Down Syndrome or Trisomy 13/18. 

His/her heartbeat was strong at 168 bpm.  The crown to rump length was 2.5 inches.  We could see his/her arms (both), legs (both), bladder and stomach.  All great development milestones for this stage.  Before the ultrasound, we met with a genetic counselor because I'm considered Advanced Material Age to discuss the potential geneic disorder concerns.  Thanksfully we don't have any high risk factors in our family so it was a pretty straightforward meeting.  It was a great appointment and wonderful seeing our third little one.