Made it to 33 weeks...here's what's happening with Pumkin

Week Thirty Three: Lanugo is disappearing (this is not Pumkin, but another 33 week old)

• You are 33 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 31 weeks)
• The baby is now 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and around 17.5 inches (44cm) in length.
• The diameter of the head is about 8.5cm.
• The baby fuzz, lanugo, is disappearing.
• Your baby drinks about a pint of amniotic fluid a day
• You may gain a pound a week (500g) for the rest of your pregnancy.
• Half of your weight gain will go directly to your baby.

The baby is using it's lungs to practice breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid. Your baby is drinking about a pint of amniotic fluid a day now and urinating the same amount. The early baby fuzz, lanugo, is disappearing now and being replaced by actual hair. The nails of your baby are now long enough to reach to the tip of the fingers or beyond and may need trimming as soon as they are born. They may scratch their face even before birth.

You may gain a pound a week for the rest of your pregnancy. Do not stop eating or start skipping meals as your weight increases. Both you and your baby need the calories and nutrition you receive from a healthy diet. Calcium intake is extremely important during pregnancy because the baby will draw calcium from the mother to make and harden bone. This can greatly weaken her own bones and teeth because the developing fetus will take minerals from the mother's skeletal structure as needed.

32 week update

Week Thirty Two: Reproductive development continues (this is not pumkin, but another 32 week baby)

• You are 32 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 30 weeks)


• The baby is 17 inches (43cm) long and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms).


• The diameter of the head is almost 4 inches (10cm).


• Under the skin the fat layer is getting thicker.


• The toenails and fingernails are completely formed.


• In boys, the testicles will be descending from the groin down into his scrotum.

During this time the baby sleeps most of the day. The uterus is getting to be a small space for the baby to move about, so you may have noticed a decrease in your baby's movements. The baby is still trying to move frequently but it just does not have enough room. The baby will turn its head from side to side and move its hands.

As space in your uterus becomes more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements may seem less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time and do a kick count.

If your baby is a boy, his testicles are moving from their location near the kidneys through the groin on their way into the scrotum. If your baby is a girl, her clitoris is now relatively prominent.

The baby will now weigh about 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Half of your weight gain now will go directly to baby. If you are carrying twins or more, their weight increase will be slower than singletons because of the lack of room in the uterus.

Are you waddling? This is because the ligaments in your pelvis have softened, allowing your hips to spread in preparation for birth. If you find that the increased weight of your breasts is uncomfortable when sleeping try wearing a soft but supportive bra to bed.

31 weeks

Week Thirty One: Baby detects light

You are 31 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 29 weeks)

• Baby weighs 3.5 pounds and measures 16.5 inches from the head to heel.
• Baby's weight is about 1.6 kg and length around 42cm.
• The eyes have now completely opened and are responding to light and darkness.
• A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump.

Your baby continues to grow. Baby's lungs and digestive tract are very near to being mature. Now that almost all of the major organs are functioning, growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. Baby's weight gain will exceed its growth in length from now on. He or she should more than double their weight again between now and birth. It weighs about 3.5 pounds (1.6kg), and crown to rump length is 11 inches (28cm). Its total length is 16.5 inches (42cm).

A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump. Baby may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that they may also prefer some types of music to others at this stage. The eyes can now completely open and the irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed.

You will probably find that though you have been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now. Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to. Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking all excellent options for pregnant women.

Your total pregnancy weight gain by this time should be between 21 and 28 pounds (9.5 and 12.5kg).

30 week milestone

Week Thirty: Baby puts on pounds

You are 30 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 28 weeks)

• Baby measurements are 16 inches and weighs about 3 pounds.
• Length is 40cm and your baby's weight is 1.4 kilograms.
• The head is almost 3.5 inches (8cm) in diameter.
• The feet are nearly 2.5 inches (6cm) long.
• The wrinkled skin is becoming smoother now.
• In boys, the testicles have moved down to the groin.
  

The baby controls its own body temperature.For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mothers blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the fetus. Their bone marrow is now responsible for red cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes. Your baby begins storing iron, calcium and phosphorus.

The fetus now weighs about 3 pounds (1.4kg). He or she will gain about half a pound a week until week 38. Baby is getting fatter and beginning to control its own body temperature. Baby continues to put on fat stores and the major weight gains will occur in the coming weeks. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. Head and body are now proportioned like a newborn. Hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing, eyelids are opening and closing.

You may be starting to experience some swelling of your ankles and legs. If you have not experience swelling yet, it is highly probable that you will, as approximately 40 to 75 percent of women experience mild swelling related to pregnancy.

Your uterus is now about 4 inches (10cm) above your bellybutton. It may feel like you are running out of room as your uterus grows up under your ribs. However, your fetus, placenta and uterus will continue to get larger, you still have 10 weeks to go. The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds (11.5 to 16kg). About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the placenta, the baby and in the volume of amniotic fluid. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound (500 grams) a week

29 Weeks...what's happening inside

You are 29 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 27 weeks)
(This picture is not pumkin, but another 29 week old baby)

• Your baby now weighs about 2 and a half pounds (1150gm)
  and is about 15 inches (38.5cm) long from head to heel.
• Brain is busy developing billions of neurons.
• Baby's muscles and lungs are continuing to mature.
• The fetus can taste and respond to pain.
• The milk teeth have developed under the gums.

The baby's head is growing bigger to accommodate the brain, which is busy developing billions of neurons. The eyes can move in their sockets. They may be able to follow a blinking light. As well as your baby's increasing sensitivity to changes in light, they may also be able to taste. Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences or dislike for particular tastes at this stage.

Baby is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, they will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if baby is performing somersaults for an olympic gold medal. Baby may be performing fewer movements because living conditions in the womb are becoming more cramped. The baby is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. Some of your baby's kicks and punches may even take your breath away.

Baby hears things better from the vibrations all around, and can now distinguish real sounds and voices. Do not forget to continue to 'teach' your baby in the womb by exposing them to music, literature, and simply talking to them. At this stage baby eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall.

At week twenty nine, your baby measures about 11 inches (28 cm) from crown to rump, or a total length of about 15 inches (38cm) from head to heel, and weighs about 2.5 pounds (1150gm

27 weeks and counting...

So I had another dr appt today, so I thought I would update you all on the goings ons of little Pumkin.

First of all, I am not so sure he/she is that little. The karate chops that I am getting to in internals tell me this baby is the equivilent of Mia Hamm (girl soccer player) or David Beckham (boy soccer player)...yep, I am getting plain assualted. So vigorously that Brian was successfully able to feel baby wake up and kick someone (me) and it knocked his had off the belly. Yep, I felt it jump.

The appointment today went well. Here's the scoop:

• I am gaining exactly what I am supposed to (about 1/2 - 1 lb each week).
• My blood pressure is great 118/66, which means nothing to me, but they say it's good!
• My test for 5th's disease came back completely negative, which means Pumkin has no exposure or effects of that.
• Pumkin's heartrate was 154 today...a level Greyson's never was that high
• I have to get sugar tested next week...we'll see what happens with that!

25 Weeks

Week Twenty Five: Exploration continues


You are 25 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 23 weeks)

• The unborn child is 34 cm in length and weighs almost 690 grams.
  
• Baby is around 13.5 inches in length and weighs 1 and half pounds.
  
• Bones are becoming solid, hands are now fully developed.
  
• The brain is growing rapidly, the brain cells are starting to mature.
  
• The sexual organs are fully developed.

Baby is now pretty well built portion wise even though it still has little body fat and its skin is thin. The structures of the spine begin to form -- All 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments. The tiny brain is growing rapidly, and the baby is starting to fill the space in your uterus. The uterus is now about the size of a soccer ball and mom looks pregnant.

Your baby's hands are now fully developed, although some of the nerve connections to the hands have a long way to go. Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and clasp objects placed in palm. Exploring the structures inside your uterus may have become baby's prime entertainment. Fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus gives itself; it touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord. Twins will explore each other and begin their bonding. See: Twins 3D sonagram movie.

Blood vessels of the lungs develop. Your baby's nostrils begin to open. The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. Their swallowing reflexes are developing. Baby can hear sounds outside the womb and the brain cells are starting to mature also. Already it can learn and remember and can recognise its mother and fathers voice.

Babies at 25 weeks of pregnancy stand a 50% chance of survival.

24 weeks... what's happening inside

Week Twenty Four: Practices breathing

You are 24 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 22 weeks)

• The child is now gaining around 3 ounces (90 grams) a week.
• Baby weighs about 1.3 pounds and is 12 inches long.
• Baby weighs about 600 grams and is 30cm (crown to heel) long.
• The eyelids can be seen very clearly.
• If born at this stage is officially considered viable, they may well be able to survive.

Your baby is producing surfactant. This is stuff that keeps the small air sacs in our lungs from collapsing. The unborn baby is covered with a fine, downy hair and the skin is protected by a waxy substance. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. The baby practices breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid into developing lungs.

Baby gains about 3 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs. The body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn. Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his or her distaste.

Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of the hands has improved as they sucks their thumb. Over the next week or so, the sweat glands will be forming in the skin. The lungs are developing branches of the respiratory tree and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

After this week your baby is officially considered viable. 36% of babies can survive premature birth at 24 weeks - However, serious complications are still possible. Baby now weighs about 1.3 pound (600gm) and is around 12 inches (30cm) long.

23 weeks...what's happening inside

Week Twenty Three: Sense of balance develops

You are 23 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 21 weeks)

• He or she measures over 28cm and weighs up to 550 grams.
• The baby is over 11 inches tall, weighs about a pound.
• The eyebrows are visible.
• The child can successfully suck.

Bones located in the middle ear harden.Your baby does a regular 'workout' inside your womb. He or she turns from side to side and head over heels. Thanks to a fully developed inner ear, which controls balance, your baby may have a sense of whether he or she is upside-down or right side up in the womb.

Skin pigment is now forming. The fetus is now proportioned like a newborn except it is a thinner version of a newborn baby since its baby fat has not developed much yet. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. Baby has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.

If born now, your baby would have a 20% chance of survival, the odds going up with each passing day. By this week, your baby weighs a little over 1 pound (500g). Its crown to heel length is 11 inches (28cm).

Week 21 Baby Development

You are 21 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 19 weeks)

Length is now measured crown to heel.
The fetus has grown to 10.5 inches (27 cm) - 12.7 ounces (360 grams).
It is now gaining weight steadily, with fat being added to the body.
Bone marrow has started making blood cells.

Their small intestine is starting to absorb sugars.Your baby's bone marrow has started making blood cells, a job done by the liver and spleen until this point. The placenta has provided nearly all of your baby's nourishment, now your baby will begin to absorb small amounts of sugar from swallowed amniotic fluid.

Based on the size of baby's head, which is about 2 inches (5cm), the date of birth can be determined to within one week. The fetus is steadily gaining fat and has grown a whitish coat of a slick, fatty substance to protect skin in amniotic fluid and to ease delivery.

In girls, the vagina is formed and the ovaries already contain over six million eggs which will be reduced to about 400 by the time of puberty. For boys, the testes begin to descend from the abdomen this week. (Boys don't produce sperm until puberty).

The baby can hear and recognize the mother's voice, and may respond to some types of music.

Week 18 Update

www.baby2see.com says:


Week Eighteen: Baby begins to hear

You are 18 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 16 weeks)

• The fetus is now 6 inches long and weighs 7 ounces.
• The fetus measures about 15cm and weighs almost 200 grams.
• They can hear sounds and may be startled by loud noises.
• Recognizable active and rest periods.

The skin is building a protective wax layer (vernix).Vernix (a white cheese like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo, a soft lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs, both help to protect your baby's skin during the months in water. Your baby may hear your heart beating, your stomach rumbling or blood moving through the umbilical cord. He or she may even be startled by loud noises.

Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs and the vocal chords are formed. Baby goes through the motions of crying but without air doesn't make a sound; yet.

Your baby may have the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. Baby will have a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.

Your baby measures about 6 inches (15cm) crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces (200gm).

Weekly Update: 16 weeks

Week Sixteen: Facial expressions are possible

You are 16 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 14 weeks)

• The fetus measures nearly 5 inches (12cm) from head to buttocks.
  
• The fetus weighs about 3.5 ounces (100 grams).
  
• The fetus is covered with a protective soft down to regulate its temperature.
  
• Fat begins to form underneath skin.
  

Baby hears external voices, sleeps and dreams.Your baby has learned to breathe. This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest, inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid. These actions help the lungs to develop and grow. More developed facial muscles may lead to various expressions, such as squinting and frowning. Your baby nows weighs more than their afterbirth. The baby can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.You are showing more now and have an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. The rest of your body is still changing. A total of 5 to 10 pound (2.25 to 4.5 kg) weight gain by this point in your pregnancy is normal.The crown to rump length of your baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches (11 to 12 cm). Fetal weight has doubled in 2 weeks and is about 3.5 ounces (100g).

Week 15: What's baby up to...

Week Fifteen: Bones and muscles grow

You are 15 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 13 weeks)
Baby is now over 4 inches (10cm) long
and weighs about 2.5 ounces (75 grams).
He or she can move its arms and make a fist.
Fingernails and toenails are present.

Baby's skin is still very thin.Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head. The bone and marrow that make up your baby's skeletal system are continuing to develop this week. The bones and muscles are continuing to grow. You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, twists and turns; but don't panic if you don't feel movement yet. Their ears are nearly in position, and the three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden.

By the end of the week, the roof of your baby's mouth will be completely formed. The fetus has an adult's taste buds and may be able to savor the mother's meals. The baby's thin skin is covered with ultra fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth.The fetal crown to rump length by this week of pregnancy is 4 to 4.5 inches (100 to 115mm). The fetus weighs about 2.5 ounces (75g). It's close to the size of a softball.

What's happening at 13 weeks, baby?

So what's happening to baby???

According to "thebump.com":
Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

According to "baby2see.com":

• You are 13 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 11 weeks)
• The fetus has grown to about 3 inches (8cm) long.
• Weight approximately 1 ounce (25 grams).
• Bone is beginning to replace cartilage and the ribs are appearing.
• The nose and chin are well defined.
• Movements can be measured.
• The child will begin to learn to suck its thumb.
• The child can open and close its mouth.
  

The external genitalia are well defined making it is possible to determine the baby's gender.Your baby is now producing insulin the hormone that controls their blood glucose. The fetus is now 3 inches long and weighs about an ounce. The baby's unique fingerprints are already in place. The muscles lengthen and become organized. You can't feel it yet, but your baby can move in a jerky fashion, flexing the arms and kicking the legs.

Your uterus has grown quite a bit. You can probably feel its upper edge above the pubic bone in the lowest part of your abdomen, about 4 inches (10cm) below your bellybutton. At 13 weeks, your uterus fills your pelvis and starts growing upward into your abdomen. It feels like a soft, smooth ball. Soon you will start feeling the first flutters of the unborn child kicking and moving within.

The first three months were period of rapid development, next three months will be period of rapid growth. Baby quadruples weight during the 4th month. Your baby is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm).

13 weeks

So what is happening? So, not that anything exciting is happening, but I am "out of the woods" in terms of most's description of miscarriage risk. I am officially going to be 13 weeks during the course of this week. (this is the 8 week frog/blob pic)

I am getting fat, yep that's how us short girls most often carry a baby. I would say my biggest problem is lack of exercise. I need to get off my butt and exercise. I am hoping that being back to classes and having access to the fitness center will help with that. I did enroll in a baby and me water class, that is cool and more work than it feels like when you are in the water.

I had my first OB appointment, saw baby blob (or frog as Greyson calls it...so it may very well be affectionately called baby frog or tadpole...who knows!) and saw the heart rate. She didn't tell us the rate, so I can't tell you who will be anxiously guessing the gender what the rate was. Greyson's was roughly 150ish each time we went.

I know this sounds crazy, but I am already starting to feel the beginnings of movement. I have felt lots of flutters and now I am starting to feel what feels like it would if you took your knuckle and twisted it a little into your belly, really lightly.

So my plan for the week is to enjoy being prego, tell the rest of the people at work, and have fun at my water class...and get on the treadmill.