At this point, you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can not only hear but react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Their little pink taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden). Your baby's tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath or in his own little personal jacuzzi, as Big D calls it for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.)
The end of this week is an important milestone: Your baby would have a good chance of survival if born now--about 85 percent if given the right care. amazing! His body is well proportioned, although lacking in body fat, and the blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. Your baby's daily workout routine includes moving the muscles in the fingers, toes, arms, and legs regularly. As a result, you may feel more forceful movements. Your baby still has room to move around so you're probably feeling kicks, jabs, flips and flops. You may even see your abdomen move. how cool to see my stomach move! P has felt quite a few kicks too now :-)
I have also started showing this week! All of a sudden, I look pregnant instead of just having some extra belly weight :-)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Random baby facts
Just in case someone besides P and myself find these interesting :-) I remember a few of these from my child psych class back at the U...
~From early on in your pregnancy, your baby is more like a newborn than you might think. He sleeps, moves around, listens to sounds, and has thoughts and memories. Just like newborns, fetuses spend most of their time sleeping. At 32 weeks, your baby sleeps 90 to 95 percent of the day. Closer to birth, your baby sleeps 85 to 90 percent of the time, the same as a newborn.
~Awake or asleep, your baby moves 50 times or more each hour, flexing and extending his body, moving his head, face, and limbs, and exploring his warm, wet compartment by touch. A baby may touch his face, touch one hand to the other hand, clasp his feet, touch his foot to his leg, or grab on to the umbilical cord. By week 37, your baby has developed enough coordination so that he can grasp with the fingers. (I read in one of our pregnancy books that little ones in the womb actually get 'bored' and that's why they explore so much. Makes sense, it's not like he has toys or a TV in there to watch ;-)
~Along with these common movements, babies perform some odder activities, including "walking" around the womb by pushing off with its feet. (maybe that explains the feeling like my entire uterus is shaking...or maybe he's swinging on the umbilical cord :-)
~Fetuses also react with motion to their mother's actions. For instance, ultrasounds have shown a fetus bouncing up and down when the mother laughs. Watching this on the screen, moms-to-be often laugh harder, and the fetus starts moving up and down even faster! (very interesting and completely adorable! Lil' Bean was moving lots during our ultrasound...perhaps our laughing and clapping helped :-)
~Second or third children may have more stretching room in the womb than first babies because a woman's uterus is bigger and the umbilical cord longer after her first pregnancy. These children usually get more motor experience in utero and tend to be more active infants.
~By week 29, you should be feeling your baby move at least 10 times an hour.
~Along with the ability to feel, see, and hear comes the capacity to learn and remember. For example, a fetus may be startled by a loud noise, but stops responding once the noise has been repeated several times. (hopefully Lil' Dude is getting used to G-dawg! Not only is Goliath becoming increasingly more protective, we think his bark is getting incrementally louder too ;-)
~Studies have also shown that babies can feel and remember their mother's emotional state. An experiment in Australia revealed that unborn babies were participating in the emotional upset of their mothers watching a disturbing 20-minute segment of a movie. When they were reexposed to this film up to three months after birth, they still showed recognition of the earlier experience.(this is fascinating...their memory is incredible at such a young age! So much for watching the L&D videos :-)
~In the 1980s, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro performed a study with a feeding contraption that allows a baby to hear one set of sounds through headphones when it sucks faster, and to hear a different set of sounds when it sucks slower. This experiment revealed that within hours of birth, a baby already prefers its mother's voice to a stranger's, suggesting that it must have learned and remembered the voice from the womb. Newborns also preferred a story read to it repeatedly in the womb over a new one. (So the 'read it again' that I used to hear while babysitting starts very early...:-)
~From early on in your pregnancy, your baby is more like a newborn than you might think. He sleeps, moves around, listens to sounds, and has thoughts and memories. Just like newborns, fetuses spend most of their time sleeping. At 32 weeks, your baby sleeps 90 to 95 percent of the day. Closer to birth, your baby sleeps 85 to 90 percent of the time, the same as a newborn.
~Awake or asleep, your baby moves 50 times or more each hour, flexing and extending his body, moving his head, face, and limbs, and exploring his warm, wet compartment by touch. A baby may touch his face, touch one hand to the other hand, clasp his feet, touch his foot to his leg, or grab on to the umbilical cord. By week 37, your baby has developed enough coordination so that he can grasp with the fingers. (I read in one of our pregnancy books that little ones in the womb actually get 'bored' and that's why they explore so much. Makes sense, it's not like he has toys or a TV in there to watch ;-)
~Along with these common movements, babies perform some odder activities, including "walking" around the womb by pushing off with its feet. (maybe that explains the feeling like my entire uterus is shaking...or maybe he's swinging on the umbilical cord :-)
~Fetuses also react with motion to their mother's actions. For instance, ultrasounds have shown a fetus bouncing up and down when the mother laughs. Watching this on the screen, moms-to-be often laugh harder, and the fetus starts moving up and down even faster! (very interesting and completely adorable! Lil' Bean was moving lots during our ultrasound...perhaps our laughing and clapping helped :-)
~Second or third children may have more stretching room in the womb than first babies because a woman's uterus is bigger and the umbilical cord longer after her first pregnancy. These children usually get more motor experience in utero and tend to be more active infants.
~By week 29, you should be feeling your baby move at least 10 times an hour.
~Along with the ability to feel, see, and hear comes the capacity to learn and remember. For example, a fetus may be startled by a loud noise, but stops responding once the noise has been repeated several times. (hopefully Lil' Dude is getting used to G-dawg! Not only is Goliath becoming increasingly more protective, we think his bark is getting incrementally louder too ;-)
~Studies have also shown that babies can feel and remember their mother's emotional state. An experiment in Australia revealed that unborn babies were participating in the emotional upset of their mothers watching a disturbing 20-minute segment of a movie. When they were reexposed to this film up to three months after birth, they still showed recognition of the earlier experience.(this is fascinating...their memory is incredible at such a young age! So much for watching the L&D videos :-)
~In the 1980s, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro performed a study with a feeding contraption that allows a baby to hear one set of sounds through headphones when it sucks faster, and to hear a different set of sounds when it sucks slower. This experiment revealed that within hours of birth, a baby already prefers its mother's voice to a stranger's, suggesting that it must have learned and remembered the voice from the womb. Newborns also preferred a story read to it repeatedly in the womb over a new one. (So the 'read it again' that I used to hear while babysitting starts very early...:-)
Week 22: Thumb-sucker
Unfortunately, the poll did not work for everyone...sorry :-( We will post the results (and our choices) soon!
On another note (e.g. not exactly Bean related per se), Bean and I are looking forward to having P home soon (he hasn't had a rotation here for a few months.) His current rotation was switched in the middle and he had to pick up and travel to Columbia, SC...where the living conditions are less than desirable (think horrible smells, holes in the walls, rats, and having to share this err, 'home' with a bunch of female PA students from a different university.) P also has had 2 conferences the past 2 weekends so we haven't spent weekends together lately either :-( However, since this is Lil' Bean's blog and we didn't want to post too much about us...on to Bean's development this week!
This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids).
Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white. ( hmmm...what color will his hair be? If mommy's genes win out, it definitely will not be white when he is born, and he will have lots and lots of it :-)
No wonder you’re getting so big, you’re now housing a wonder baby! Your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure: their inner ear is now developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance. Lucky for your little explorer, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings — where skin, body parts and umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences. Your foot-long baby, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin right now as more and more wrinkles are showing up each week. Not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just their skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when they’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub.
On another note (e.g. not exactly Bean related per se), Bean and I are looking forward to having P home soon (he hasn't had a rotation here for a few months.) His current rotation was switched in the middle and he had to pick up and travel to Columbia, SC...where the living conditions are less than desirable (think horrible smells, holes in the walls, rats, and having to share this err, 'home' with a bunch of female PA students from a different university.) P also has had 2 conferences the past 2 weekends so we haven't spent weekends together lately either :-( However, since this is Lil' Bean's blog and we didn't want to post too much about us...on to Bean's development this week!
This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids).
Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white. ( hmmm...what color will his hair be? If mommy's genes win out, it definitely will not be white when he is born, and he will have lots and lots of it :-)
No wonder you’re getting so big, you’re now housing a wonder baby! Your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure: their inner ear is now developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance. Lucky for your little explorer, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings — where skin, body parts and umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences. Your foot-long baby, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin right now as more and more wrinkles are showing up each week. Not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just their skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when they’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Take our baby name poll!
Even though we have 99% decided upon a name, we want to see what everyone else thinks ;-) (P finally let me give a hint as to the name...up until now, he has wanted it to be a secret :-) And let us know if you have any boy name favorites that aren't on the poll.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Week 21: 'Look Mommy, I'm dreaming!'
Your beautiful little miracle-gro baby will be putting on a full ounce and a half this week (up to 16.5 oz), and is a hiccupping fool! Yep, hiccups are those little jerky motions you may feel—it's his little lungs practicing the important task of breathing! ( Ahh, so he's not breakdancing in there. We thought our little guy just had really good rhythm...)
For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any baby’s healthy sleep schedule. And in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, fairly translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine!
Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. Your growing baby is currently about the size of a large banana.
During the next 10 weeks, you will gain about half of the total gain for your entire pregnancy. You might notice an increase in appetite because you need 500 more calories a day to support your charged up metabolism. ( so that's why I've been ravenous lately! Yay - just another excuse to bring on the food :-)
For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any baby’s healthy sleep schedule. And in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, fairly translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine!
Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. Your growing baby is currently about the size of a large banana.
During the next 10 weeks, you will gain about half of the total gain for your entire pregnancy. You might notice an increase in appetite because you need 500 more calories a day to support your charged up metabolism. ( so that's why I've been ravenous lately! Yay - just another excuse to bring on the food :-)
Fun facts
Here are some fun 'birth day' facts...if Lil' Bean decides to make his arrival near his approximate due date (e.g. before October :-)
~ Your baby's birthstone will be Sapphire (Clear Thinking)
~ Your baby's Flower is Aster or Morning_Glory (Brown, Deep Blue)
~ Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Pig
~ Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Libra
~ This time next year your baby will be 33 Weeks Old!
~ Your baby will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2023, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year. Can you imagine?
~ Your baby's birthstone will be Sapphire (Clear Thinking)
~ Your baby's Flower is Aster or Morning_Glory (Brown, Deep Blue)
~ Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Pig
~ Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Libra
~ This time next year your baby will be 33 Weeks Old!
~ Your baby will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2023, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year. Can you imagine?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Lil' Bean's first book
This past weekend, our little one experienced his first book being read to him - at least, his first in the womb. Daddy read Dr. Seuss' ABC book (Dr. Seuss is P's favorite children's series) and we could tell Bean liked it by the taps (or maybe he just likes Daddy's deep voice ;-) And if Bean is anything like Mom, he will have accumulated and read a bjillion books in his lifetime...so we are just starting him off early :-) And hopefully after we move to a bigger house, we can build him a mini library in the nursery, heh.
Monday, May 14, 2007
We have movement people ;-)
Lil' Bean has been even more active lately (or maybe I'm just feeling it more ;-) and from what I hear, the little taps, thumps, and kicks will be even more prominent and frequent in the weeks to come. We think he's practicing his early hockey/baseball/football skills (or at least it feels like he might be shooting a puck at my uterus ;-)
And...Daddy (or "P" Papa-to-be as Aunt K calls him now) finally felt him kick (or maybe it was a punch?) - he was very excited. We are so easily entertained these days...probably not unlike millions of parents everywhere :-)
And...Daddy (or "P" Papa-to-be as Aunt K calls him now) finally felt him kick (or maybe it was a punch?) - he was very excited. We are so easily entertained these days...probably not unlike millions of parents everywhere :-)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The 50-Yard Line
This week's update on our little one...
Week 20
This week you’ve got about 10.5 inches and approximately 10.5 oz of solid baby-miracle-goodness! Their little delicates bones continue to ossify and toughen while their itsy bitsy finger and toe pads are finishing up. Your little monkey now has teeth buds, although they’re hidden beneath the gum line. And finally! Their limbs have reached their relative proportions—no more alien baby! Their cute pink lips are more defined, and might be helping out in a bit of prenatal thumb-sucking. If you have a little boy, then their tiny testes are descending, though they have not yet passed the abdominal wall. What’s more, eyelashes and eyebrows are also visible. At this point, your little one really looks like a miniature baby—and we do mean miniature as your little swimmer currently weighs a mere eighth of their final birth weight. With half the pregnancy behind you, the most significant gains are yet to come!
And, not that we need to tell you, but your baby may sometimes seem like a kick-boxer in training with no appreciation for your exhausted-pregnant-momma sleep needs.
Week 20
This week you’ve got about 10.5 inches and approximately 10.5 oz of solid baby-miracle-goodness! Their little delicates bones continue to ossify and toughen while their itsy bitsy finger and toe pads are finishing up. Your little monkey now has teeth buds, although they’re hidden beneath the gum line. And finally! Their limbs have reached their relative proportions—no more alien baby! Their cute pink lips are more defined, and might be helping out in a bit of prenatal thumb-sucking. If you have a little boy, then their tiny testes are descending, though they have not yet passed the abdominal wall. What’s more, eyelashes and eyebrows are also visible. At this point, your little one really looks like a miniature baby—and we do mean miniature as your little swimmer currently weighs a mere eighth of their final birth weight. With half the pregnancy behind you, the most significant gains are yet to come!
And, not that we need to tell you, but your baby may sometimes seem like a kick-boxer in training with no appreciation for your exhausted-pregnant-momma sleep needs.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Week 19 - Almost halfway!!
The weeks are flying by, sometimes too quickly and sometimes not quickly enough (we can't wait to meet you Lil' Bean!!). Although I have been feeling the flutters (turning into taps and light kicks) since midway through the 14th week, P, to his great disappointment, has not been able to feel them. It is sweet how much he wants to feel his little man, but all of the veterans say it will take a few weeks ;-)
We also received the results of the AFP screen today - and the levels were completely normal...another sigh of relief for us.
Here's this week's summary of where Lil' Bean's at:
Week 19
Your baby is now approximately 10 inches long! How did so much growth occur in so little time? It's actually just a question of measuring the legs, which at the 19th week most doctors start to do (instead of the crown-to-rump measurements we've used previously). His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. This week your lil’ fetus will start on an appetizing diet of amniotic fluid which they are now capable of swallowing, digesting, and passing the fluid as far as their tiny “large” intestines.
We also received the results of the AFP screen today - and the levels were completely normal...another sigh of relief for us.
Here's this week's summary of where Lil' Bean's at:
Week 19
Your baby is now approximately 10 inches long! How did so much growth occur in so little time? It's actually just a question of measuring the legs, which at the 19th week most doctors start to do (instead of the crown-to-rump measurements we've used previously). His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. This week your lil’ fetus will start on an appetizing diet of amniotic fluid which they are now capable of swallowing, digesting, and passing the fluid as far as their tiny “large” intestines.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Happy Birthday P!
Our awesome daddy-to-be celebrates a birthday today! Lil' Bean sends his love and can't wait to meet his daddy (or at least, that person with the really deep "Canadian" voice who talks to him all the time ;-) P has been absolutely amazing since the day I met him almost 10 years ago, and even more so (if that is possible ) these last few months. I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is so patient, loving, caring, empathetic, and truly my best friend...I LOVE YOU!! Thank you for making each day just a bit better than the last, I couldn't have asked for a better husband! I am so looking forward to spending the rest of our many, many years together...
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