Thursday, February 25, 2010

Oh my...98 days to go!

I can't believe I am in my last week of the 2nd trimester. To tell you the truth I'm a little afraid. That means my reading will begin to include discussions on mucus plugs and bloody shows. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet. But what I am excited about is traveling back home to California to visit with friends and family and for my baby shower. I’ll be home (California will always be home for me) from March 20-28 and I am so happy that Mike will be going too! While we are in California we scheduled a 3D ultrasound. Yay! Can’t wait to see my little girl again, and our moms will be going with us. They are both really excited.

How Courtney is growing:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. (Because we all know what an English hothouse cucumber is right?)



Monday, February 22, 2010

25 week belly picture!

This was taken Saturday at the wedding of a good friend. In the picture I am 25 weeks 2 days!



Thursday, February 18, 2010

25 weeks!

Pregnancy: 25 weeks (6 months)

Weight Gain: Up 14 ::swallows loudly:::

Sleep: Getting more uncomfortable.

Gender: Girl.

Name: Courtney Holland

Feeling: Good.

Health: Great except for the terrible heartburn I've had the last few days.

Movement: Yes. She has her moments where I wonder "what are you doing in there?"

Belly: Definitely growing.

Next Appointment: March 10. I'll be 27w6d. I'll be getting my rhogam shot (because I am O- and Mike has A+ blood) and I'll also be taking the 1 hour glucose tolerance test (to test for Gestational Diabetes) again.

Baby this week:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

She weighs as much as an average rutabaga:


Thursday, February 11, 2010

V-Day!

No, not Valentine's Day. Viability Day! Today I am 24 weeks which means little girl has made it to another big milestone. This means that if Courtney was born anytime after 24 weeks she has a 50/50 survival rate and the NICU would do everything in their power to save her life. BUT, I plan for her to stay in there as long as she wants.

My doctors appointment went well yesterday. I am measuring right on and the results from my 20 week ultrasound show that she is measuring right on with my dates. I'm really working hard at keeping my blood pressure under control (I get nervous every time I go to the doctor) and the first time they took my BP it was 190/70. :-O After I met with the doctor, the nurse took it again and it was 134/64. She said that is great and next time tell the nurse to just take my BP after my meeting with the doctor. I was given the glucose drink and told to drink it right before my next appointment and they will take my blood exactly one hour later. If you don't remember, this is to test for gestational diabetes. I took this test at around 8 weeks and failed the 1 hour test and then passed the 3 hour. Now I get to do it again. UGH!

Mike is gone to South Carolina for Boarding Officer training until March so I'm just trying to keep myself busy.

Here is a little about the baby at 24 weeks:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.



Thursday, February 4, 2010

23 week belly pictures!

Since Mike's going to be gone for the next 5 weeks I thought I'd have him take my last belly picture until he gets back. Here I am at 23 weeks with special guest, Daisy.





23 Weeks!

This past week Mike was able to feel Courtney kick from the outside. He feels it sporadically and I've learned to stop asking "Did you feel that?" Little girl has received some wonderful gifts this past week from my sister. Some adorable pink and white shoes from Old Navy and of course a bib that says "My auntie loves me", along with some other great things. I also received a pair of red and white striped leg warmers from Stephani which was very sweet of her. I'm so thrilled that Mike was granted leave and we will be coming home to California for a whole week in March. I can't wait to see everyone and for everyone to see how much BIGGER my belly has grown since I was home in November (I had no bump then).

How baby is doing this week:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.



What baby looks like inside (from pregnology.com)