Your Baby's Growth
Your baby is 5-6" long, about the size of an avocado.
Your baby is at the start of a huge growth spurt over the next couple of weeks, so be ready for that baby bump to arrive! You may start feeling stretching around your pelvis and sides and this is normal as the ligaments grow with your baby. Of course anything too painful or for a long time you should mention to your healthcare provider.
Your little one's eyes will be at the front of their head now and look a little less alien like, they will also have eyelashes starting to form as well as tiny fingernails. Your babies genitals will be formed by now and you may be able to tell the sex of your baby if you had a scan this week (depending on your little one being in the right posistion!)
You may undergo some blood tests over the next few weeks, the main one being an AFP test where they check the protein in babys urine to help spot any signs or downs syndrome or spina bifida. They cannot give an exact result but are good indicators if there might be a problem.
This is the stage where mum should be starting to bloom, nice hair, nails and feel generally good, so why not treat yourself to a weekend away or a night with the girls to enjoy the newly returned energy.You may need to treat yourself to a new bra as a lot of women may notice their breasts start to get bigger now, just remember to get measured properly so you get some good support.
Starting to feel butterflies in your tummy? That's how most mums describe the first movements of baby. Light little flicks and it's amazing when you do start to notice them. If you lay on your back you're more likely to feel something, but you may still have to wait a few more weeks!
From the Eyes of A TBS Mama...
I saw the midwife this week. As I am having a home birth, she comes to my house for my check ups. This week, she took some bloods, checked that I was feeling ok and we listened to baby's heart beat for the first time. Baby tried to kick her off and I felt the baby move, so it's definitelyy baby and not gas. Woo! Big brother and sister have started talking to my belly now, they love laying together and telling the baby how excited they are to meet him/her and how many kisses they're going to give, so cute. My daughter is especially excited and we have started watching some water births together as she has decided she wants to be at the birth this time. She wants to be the one to anounce if it's a girl or boy!
