Week 14
Wednesday February 23rd 2005, 4:05 pm
Filed under:
Family 
Welcome to the
second trimester! This is usually the time when mothers feel their
best. They are “over” the joys of early pregnancy and have more energy.
They are also beginning to feel pregnant.
Some
people have delayed spreading the good news until this point. If you
are one of these people enjoy telling now, and think of some creative ways
to do it. This is also a time when fathers and other family members
start becoming more involved as the pregnancy becomes more real for
them. Encourage them to participate in your pregnancy to the extent
that you feel comfortable with.
Your appointments will now consist of:
Blood Pressure
Weight
Fundal Height (Growth of the Uterus)
Baby's Heart Tones
Urine
Baby:
There
are a lot of things going on this week! All twenty teeth have formed
and are waiting (Teething is yet to come!). Your baby approximately
weighs in at 1 ounce (28.3 grams). Consider that the placenta weighs
about an ounce now as well.
Your
baby's intestines are migrating from the umbilical cord into his or her
abdomen. The villi are also forming in the intestines, these help in
peristaltic movements and digestion. The pancreas of your little one is
even secreting insulin!
Dad:
It's time to
celebrate! You're out of the first trimester! Perhaps you've been
waiting to tell family and friends. Most people feel more confident at
this point and do begin to tell their circle of friends. |
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Week 12
Thursday February 17th 2005, 9:22 pm
Filed under:
Family Mother:
You may
actually start feeling better from your extreme tiredness and nausea
this week. Others will hang on to it for awhile longer. Your abdomen
may start expanding, especially if this is not your first pregnancy.
Your placenta
will take over the production of hormones around this time. If you have
suffered from corpus luteum cysts they may begin to dissolve now. Your
risk of miscarriage is reduced even further.
Baby:
While
your baby's brain is not the same size it will be at birth, it does
have the same structure. Bile is being secreted by this time. S/he
weighs about 14 grams and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length.
Your
baby has its reflexes and also practice movements in the digestive
tract. All of this in preparation for extrauterine life.
If
your practitioner uses a doppler, you may be able to hear your baby's
heart beat at this office visit. It will sound very fast. Some say that
they hear clicking or the sounds of horse hooves. Either way it is a
joyous sound to hear! Your risk of miscarriage is greatly reduced once
you hear this sound.
Click the audio file to hear a baby's heart beat. It's beating at about 160 beats per minute (BPM).
Dad:
Consider joining a
support group for dads! There are plenty of online groups dedicated to
the art of fathering. These groups can be havens for you to discuss all
of your feelings from the good to the bad and every joy and frustration
in between. |
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We’re Pregnant (and we have proof!)
Thursday February 03rd 2005, 7:25 pm
Filed under:
Family Jen and I just got back from the Dr's and we're Pregnant! Ends up
that Jen is right around 10 weeks. I'm soo excited, we both are!
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Week 10
Thursday February 03rd 2005, 7:00 am
Filed under:
Family
You are still tired, and nauseated, hang on only a few more weeks for most of you! Your abdomen may begin to pooch out, but it will be more from bowel distension than the uterus. Your waistline is slowly disappearing! Remember to measure your waist and belly now! Comparing later can be a lot of fun!
Baby:
The baby now enters it's fetal period. The average size is approximately 27-35 mm crown to rump length (CRL), or 1.06-1.38 inches. S/he weighs in at 4 grams, or 4 paper clips. Tiny toes have formed. The eyes are largely open, but the eyelids are beginning to fuse, and will stay that way until 25-27 weeks. External genitalia is beginning to differentiate. External ears are completely formed, as well as the upper lip. The biggest accomplishment this week is the disappearance of the tail!
Click the audio file to hear a baby's heart beat at 10 weeks 2 days. It's beating at about 160 beats per minute (BPM).
Dad:
Is the reality of pregnancy setting in yet? Do you start worrying about things like how you'll afford groceries if she takes maternity leave? These are normal dad worries and legitimate. Make sure you sit down and rationalize your feelings prior to having the discussions with her. There are plenty of answers to your questions. Finding out now about both of your maternity/paternity leave policies will be helpful in determining what your family can handle.
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