Your baby is about 6-7" long and the size of a large tomato.
You will probably be feeling some movements by now and you should be able to tell when baby is awake or asleep, they will often fall asleep if you walk a lot and create a rocking motion, which can lead to a very lively baby when you are ready to sleep! You lil one now has the ability to dream now, although who knows what they will be dreaming of! Your baby’s teeth buds are forming, not only for baby teeth, but also for the adult teeth as well.
If you are taking supplements, esp. if they contain iron, you may notice some constipation, which can lead to piles. Remember to drink plenty of fluids, water if you can, and eat wholegrain bread and cereals and lots of fruit. Try to avoid salty, sugary and refined foods (all the good stuff)! Speaking of good food to eat while pregnant, many women are scared about eating fish, although it is really good for you and baby, containing lots of Omega3. Just avoid fish that may contain mercury, such as swordfish, striped bass or blue-fin tuna, otherwise go for it!
I went for my half way scan this week and it was very exciting! We decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Having one surprise and one known sex with our 2 other children, we decided it was much more exciting waiting till the moment you meet your little one to find out who and what they are. Baby kicks are getting stronger now, and feeling more like kicks and less like a flutter! My dear husband is trying desperately to feel them, but nothing yet! :( I have spent most nights this week laying in the bath humming and watching the little kicks.
Your baby is about 6" long, about the size of a sweet potato.
Your little babe is spending a long time floating around in liquid and that paper thin skin needs protecting, so this week a layer of wax covers their skin, called vernix caseosa forms over your baby. Not only does this keep baby nice and protected, but will also help with the birthing process as a kind of lubricant! The pads of your little ones fingers and toes are forming this week and bones continue to harden.
Your uterus is now half way between your pelvis and belly button; this may affect how often you have to visit the washroom. This may be most uncomfortable at night so try to avoid drinking too much in the evenings. Your body is also producing an extra litre of blood round your body, which makes your blood pressure lower and you are more vulnerable to dizzy spells, so be careful not to get up from seating to standing too quickly.
From the Eyes of A TBS Mama...
Loving my new burst of energy! Feel like I actually got some house work done this week, visited a few friends I haven't seen in a while and finally able let go and moved into my maternity clothes. They are definitely on the large size but I feel so comfy and better when people want to my belly. I especially love my maternity pyjamas (a must if nothing else). I look forward to the evening, knowing I can slip into them and let it all hang out!
Your baby is about 6" long, about the size of an onion.
This week your little monkey's bones will be starting to harden and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. Fat deposits and sweat glands are forming as your little one looks more and more human. Your baby’s legs are longer than her arms and they will be wiggling and stretching a lot more now.
You may notice it's a little harder to get to sleep at night now, try drinking some warm milk or camomile tea before bed to help and trying propping yourself up with some cushions or invest in a long pillow (which can be useful for breastfeeding also). You should now avoid sleeping on your back as the weight pushing on blood vessels; it's recommended you lay on your left to help normal blood flow. Try lying with your leg raised on a pillow.
From the Eyes of A TBS Mama...
The baby bump is definitely arriving this week, I feel like I am growing more every day! I love waking up in the morning and laying with my hand on my little bump. I'm still fitting in my normal clothes with the aid of an elastic band on the zip! Although I have one pair of maternity trousers for when I’m feeling exceptionally big! I went for my work’s Christmas party at the weekend and enjoyed the benefits of not drinking. I drove, gave lifts and drank tea and water so didn't spend any money! Also woke up feeling refreshed while everyone was moaning about their hangover! It's surprising how much longer you can last sober, I was out dancing many of the more intoxicated ladies, although I was tired the next morning and lounged around watching films with the kids till lunch time…beats feeling ill and having an empty purse any day.
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!
Your baby's is now 3-4" long, about the size of an apple.
Your little munchkin is learning every day now! They have learned to reach and grab with their hands, touching their feet and generally wiggling around! The legs are now growing longer than the arms so starting to look more like a little person.
Also your little one's lungs are getting ready to take that first breath by sucking in and out amniotic fluid and have taste buds forming, although there isn't anything for baby to taste yet. The ears are fully developed now too so why not sing a song or read aloud to your bump to get the used to the sounds.
Baby will be growing a soft layer of hair all over their body this week too, which maybe why most mummy's-to-be experience what's called "linea nigra" a line of hair running up to your belly button, but don't worry it should fade after baby is born.
You should start feeling like you have a bit more energy now as the placenta takes over the job of feeding your baby, but remember to keep eating little and often to prevent low blood sugar and help fight tiredness. Fruit and nuts are good things to have laying around to grab on the move, also it's important to keep levels of omega 3 up, for you and to help babys brain development, you can find a lot of it in walnuts as well as beans, fish (esp tuna) and the highest levels are in flax seeds.
Here is a great list of vitamins to be sure to take at this stage. Also be sure to keep your iron up as your baby is growing! Take a look at this article for tips to increase your iron intake.
You may notice you have a blocked or even bloody nose around this time, which is perfectly normal, it's down to the increased supply of blood moving round your body. Also if this isn't your first pregnancy you may start feeling some little movements around now, although if it is your first you may have to wait another 3-6 weeks before you feel it.
From the Eyes of A TBS Mama...
Feeling like I've been on a hormone wave for the past 2 weeks and I am finally getting off! I feel normal again and apart from crying at Tangled (the movie), several times, I almost feel human! Have felt some little flutters from the baby this week, nothing I could confidently say was a kick, but certainly little butterflies! Been aching around my pelvis too this week, which I'm sure is just muscles stretching out. I've just been trying to sit with my feet up and get the hot water bottle out. OH has been very sweet and has started rubbing my feet as we sit on the sofa together, which if I have had a busy day is bliss! I think he's just happy for me not to be feeling sick or miserable anymore. :)
As I sit back and enjoy the joys of pregnancy for the third time round I can't help but reflect back on my past two pregnancies. My last pregnancy, three years ago, is a beautiful memory, having gained confidence, knowing exactly what I want and how I want things to go, right down to the very last detail. Also having the confidence to enforce exactly what I want on everyone involved and making my birthing experience exactly that, mine!
My first isn't quite the same fond memory. . My midwife was retiring half way through my pregnancy so generations apart and wasn't shy in holding back her opinions on what she saw as a young mum to be. I had a raised AFP level in my triple test and rang me, while I was at work She told me I needed an emergency scan, and "you'll have to decide if you want to keep it after". Of course I went home in floods of tears, cried all night and went for a scan only to be told everything was fine,. It was only 0.1 over the normal level and no one had any concerns.
Luckily the midwife that replaced her, when I was 6 months pregnant, was much more helpful and made me realise that it was my birth and I could decide how I wanted it to go. I started feeling confident in putting my ideas forward, about having a water birth, not having people in the hospital room with us (not even aware of the option of homebirths at this stage!) and just generally being left to do things on our own.
Things went pretty much how we wanted: we got the pool (yay!), we got a CD player and we had the lights out and our music on. Giving birth 3 days after Christmas the ward was understaffed so we were left completely alone till OH pushed the button 2 minutes before our daughter made her entrance! One midwife came in and helped him bring our baby out of the water and onto my chest and the whole experience was amazing. Unfortunately it was 6:45 pm and they wanted me to stay in overnight, or rather told me I had to.
I started to feel like people weren't listening to me again. I was taken to a bed, OH was told he had to leave in 15 minutes and I was suddenly scared to death. I couldn't even stand up as I hadn't eaten in 16 hours and no one was listening to me. I asked for food, and a bed pan as I couldn't walk. I was told I had to go to the toilet and the midwife manhandled me down the hall to get food, where I was given 2 biscuits and told I had missed dinner. I have never felt so helpless and scared in my life. I struggled with breastfeeding and almost an hour after pressing my buzzer, a midwife came and I asked for help and she quite obviously didn't know what she was doing either and gave up also. I didn't sleep a wink, I just held my baby and waited for OH to turn up at 8am when my bag was packed and I left instantly.
I still feel emotional thinking of how bad I was made to feel at what should have been the most amazing moment of my life. I am sure not everyone involved looked down on me because I was younger, but that was how I felt at the time. It is the reason now I try to only ever say positive things to people going through pregnancy and birth, no matter what their choices and decisions are because the only thing that can ruin it all is negativity.
