PREGNANCY WEEK 20!!! HALF WAY!!!!

Dear Wren, 

Mommy is now 5 months pregnant and halfway through the pregnancy with you!  Wow!!  Time flies.  You probably weigh about 10 1/2 ounces now. You are also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) Now that you are getting so big, Mommy can feel your wiggles throughout the day....even when she is up and busy at work! At home when things are quiet, she is even able to record your little kicks!  I can't wait to feel your first kick!

You are swallowing more these days, which is good practice for your digestive system.....You get the hiccups every now and then!  You are also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in your bowels, and we will see it in your first soiled diaper.   

Now that Mommy has hit the halfway mark in her pregnancy, the top of her uterus should be about level with the belly button! I wonder what the measurement will be at the next OB visit on Monday!!!! Mommy has also gained around 8 lbs so far....which is right on track with appropriate weight gain.   She can expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. Symptoms so far: itchy belly, leg cramps, slight swelling, round ligament pain, dry skin, peeing tons, thirsty all the time and NO VOMITING!

It is hard to believe that now is the time to sign up for childbirth classes and breastfeeding classes.  I don't think Mommy and Daddy will sign up since Gracyn's birth is so fresh in their minds. She is 2.5 years old as I am writing this post!  



Love you much!  MiMi 

19w1d- MILESTONE ROUND 4 CONTINUES!

2 whole weeks with no bleeding or spotting plus back to working full time!  Hopefully I am not jinxing the situation by posting this!  Fingers crossed with lots of prayers!

19w0d- MOVEMENT!

Mommy is starting to slightly feel your movements when she is standing... Not just lying down!!!!

PREGNANCY WEEK 19!!!

Dear Wren,

Happy 19 weeks!  One week away from being half way through this pregnancy!  CRAZY!  Your sensory development is exploding! Your brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that you may be able to hear Mommy and Daddy's voices! Gracyn definitely talks to you!  She loves her baby brother already!  I asked her your name today and she said Warren James (She is 2.5 years old right now!).

You probably weigh about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to rump- the size of a mango! Your arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of your body now. Your kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on your scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on your skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.  You are also very active and Mommy is noticing slight movement on the outside of her belly.  She has been lucky enough to capture it on video, but when she puts her hands on her belly, you stop moving!  I can't wait to feel your kicks!

On the Mommy front, her belly continues to grow bigger and bigger giving her achiness in her lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support her uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. 

We are getting excited and started planning your nursery.....I am on spring break right now....taking this time to move Gracyn into her big girl room and envisioning your nursery!  Soooo much to do in this next half of the pregnancy!  

Love you with my whole heart!  MiMi 

VIDEO- KICK

The kick is on the right side. Mommy points to area after the kick! Replay if you missed it! Pretty good kick for 18w6d!!!

18w4d- NURSERY APP

Playing with a new nursery app Carousel Designs..... So far, mommy likes these fabrics for the nursery bedding and curtains! Can't wait to start sewing!

18w3d- NURSERY FABRIC!

18w1d- NO DOPPLER- SAY WHAT?

Yes, you read that right! No doppler needed now for reassurance that little mister is okay!  Wren is a mover and shaker on a regular and scheduled basis!  First thing in the morning with Mommy's coffee at breakfast, then after lunch and late evening while she relaxes after dinner!  Wren also makes his presence known when Mommy sits at her desk during work....she works with a smile on her face!  These are the precious moments in pregnancy that she cherishes!!!!!

18w1d-MILESTONE ROUND 4!

Dare I say that it has been one whole week with no spotting! Hope I am not jinxing this stretch of blood free days!  FINGERS CROSSED WITH PRAYERS!

PREGNANCY WEEK 18!!!!

Dear Wren,

 Mommy is 18 weeks pregnant!!! According to babycenter.com, head to rump, you are about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper or sweet potato) and you should weigh almost 7 ounces. You are also busy flexing your arms and legs — movements that Mommy feels consistently now!!! Your blood vessels are visible through your thin skin, and your ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from your head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around your nerves, a process that will continue for a year after you're born. 

During the last ultrasound we saw you open and close your mouth, hiccup and suck your thumb!!!! You twisted, rolled, punched, kicked and Mommy can feel those movements!  She can even see your kicks when something is laying on her belly....like her phone!  You kicked at it the other day and made it move...but when Mommy puts her hands on her belly to feel your kicks....you stop moving!  

On the Mommy front....she has all the typical pregnancy symptoms and happy to report that she hasn't vomited in a few weeks now.  Some newer symptoms include charlie horses in her calves and swelling in her legs after a long day at work! 

I love you with all my heart!

Love, Mimi

17w4d- MOMMY's VIEW!

MOMMY AND DADDY'S 4th ANNIVERSARY!

17w2d- KICKS!

Message from Mommy....I had my phone laying on my belly and I could see and feel him kicking it !!

17w1d- MORE SPOTTING! :-(

Dang! Even with the placenta moving off the cervix, Mommy spotted AGAIN tonight!  First red, then pink, then brown with each wipe! :-( The baby's heartbeat is strong and he is moving all around....that is reassuring!   The blood must be from the small pooling noticed in last ultrasound near a placental finger., which is 1/2 inch from cervix. ... She didn't call it a subchorionic hemorrhage, but I am assuming that it is the same SCH noted with first ultrasound around 7 weeks. 

PREGNANCY WEEK 17!!!!

Dear Wren,

According to Babycenter.com, your  skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — your lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. At the 14 week ultrasound, you had the cord up and over your left should....your sister had hers up over her right shoulder!  HAHA.  You now weigh 5 to 6 ounces and are around 5 inches long from head to bottom or about 9 inches from head to toes!!!.You can move your joints, and your sweat glands are starting to develop.  Your eyes are looking forward now, but are still fused shut.

During the ultrasoud we saw you opening and closing your mouth....you are recycling the amniotic fluid by swallowing up to a liter a day. Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. During the ultrasound we saw this in your bowel and stomach!  We also saw your bladder and kidneys!!!  Pretty cool! Fat stores begin to develop under you skin this week! The fat will provide energy and help keep you warm after birth....we noticed in the 3D/4D ultrasound that you are looking more plump and not so skeletal!!!!

Mommy can feel her uterus just below the bellybutton. If she put her fingers sideways and measures, it is about two finger-widths (1 inch) below her bellybutton. Her uterus is the size of a cantaloupe!  At the OB appointment, the fundus was measuring right on track!  Mommy is feeling you more consistently now!!!  

Love, MiMi 

16w6d- MILESTONE ROUND 3

2 whole weeks with no spotting from Placenta Previa!!!! Now that the placenta has shifted to low lying... I/2 inch from cervix all restrictions have been lifted with the exception of pelvic rest!  There is still a small pooling of blood near cervix but nothing to worry about if spotting happens again!!!!  WOOT WOOT!!!!

16w5d- BIG KICKS!!!

FIRST BROTHER/SISTER PHOTO!

16w5d- ULTRASOUND

Mommy had another ultrasound to check on the placenta, since she has a complete previa......or should I say, did have a complete previa....THE PLACENTA HAS MOVED!!!!  In fact it is now about a 1/2 inch from the cervix!!!!!  YAYAYAYAY! Mommy may or may not experience spotting in the future to due a small pool of blood near the cervix, but nothing to worry about!!!! AND MODIFIED BED REST RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED!!!  Mommy gets to go back to work tomorrow!  Here's something interesting....the placenta is posterior, not anterior which she was told before by this very same ultrasound tech!  Hmmmmm?????  Now we know why Mommy has been feeling you move so early- the placenta is not blocking your kicks!

As for Mommy, she gained 8 lbs. so far! Still very tired, morning sickness has let up, needs bigger bras to cover her sore boobies and has a new pregnancy symptom....numb legs after she sits for a short time! The doc says it is normal....the baby is resting on a nerve!  OUCH!  

Here are some precious ultrasound pics of our healthy little mister: Even though this was not a medical anatomy scan, she told us that he looks like a healthy little baby....4 chamber heart with strong HB 159, good cord insertion, two kidneys, bladder, stomach, 10 fingers, 10 toes, and very active!!!!! The anatomy scan will be April 3! You will be 20w2d then! 

VIDEO-16w5d- ULTRASOUND!

MOMMY

3 years ago today Mommy was pregnant with Gracyn. Today she is pregnant with Wren!

16w2d- MORE MOVEMENT!

Mommy is starting to feel you move more consistently- especially after meals!  This happened yesterday and again today....I bet this will be the norm now! YAY!  She also felt you kick at the doppler heartbeat probe today while listening to your heartbeat!  Until now, she has only been able to hear the kick through the Doppler....today she heard and felt it at the same time!!!!!  

BELLY PROGRESSION!

Mommy felt you move more today!!!

PREGNANCY WEEK 16!!!

Dear Wren,

According to BabyCenter.com....You are in for a growth spurt over the next few weeks!!!  You will actually double in weight and add inches to your body!   Right now, you are about the size of an avocado: I am guessing  you are about 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and between 4-5 ounces, right now. Your legs are much more developed, your head is more erect than it has been, and your eyes have moved closer to the front of your head. Your ears are close to their final position, too and you can hear Mommy, Daddy and your sister talking to you!!!  In fact, Gracyn talks to you sometimes as she kisses Mommy's belly! The patterning of your scalp has begun, though hair color, and texture isn't  recognizable yet. You've even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, your heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as you continue to develop. Mommy finds your heartbeat daily on her home doppler!  It beats the 150s and 160s depending on how active you are at the moment she is listening!

Mommy's uterus is close to her  navel, ...in fact, her belly button has already changed in appearance....pretty shallow!  She also feels round ligaments that support you, which are thickening and stretching as you grow. Mommy has been feeling flutters for a few weeks now and even a few tapping motions....but nothing consistent, yet.  With your placenta being anterior, she may not feel the big movements for several more weeks.  

On the Mommy front, she is glowing! And she is actually starting to feel better this week. In fact, she is getting antsy on modified bedrest....hoping she gets better news at her next utrsound and OB visit on Monday....hopefully the placenta is migrating up and off the cervix!  

Love, MiMi

15w6d- HAHA

Looks like this Grandma needs to go on a diet! Actually your Mommy's cute belly is sticking out behind me! HAHA!

15w6d- MILESTONE ROUND 3

One whole week with no spotting!  Prayers that this positive streak continues!