Week 14

It's so hard to suck it in anymore!! But, that's a good sign and I'm still pretty good at hiding it with loose clothing. Don't want to show it off too much yet, 'cause with clothing on I still look just fat. ;-) But, at the rate our little bean is growing, I'm sure it won't be long before I just can't hide it anymore!

* 3rd OB appointment ~ Thursday, December 10th at 9:10am!
(I'm pretty sure there won't be an ultrasound at this one, but we should definitely be hearing it's little heartbeat from the baby doppler this time.)

How our baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck its thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, facial muscles are getting a workout as its tiny features form one expression after another. Kidneys are producing urine, which release into the amniotic fluid around the baby — a process that will keep up until birth. It can grasp, too, and if we were to have an ultrasound now, we may even catch the little person sucking its thumb.

In other news: Our baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Its body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of the body. (Its legs still have some lengthening to do.) It's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over its body. Our baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel the tiny punches and kicks yet, Its little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Ultrasound #2 & Week 13

Results from our second OB appointment that was on Friday, Nov 13th:
We originally were not supposed to get an ultrasound, but after about 5 minutes of using the little fetal doppler to try to hear the heartbeat and getting nothing, I demanded an ultrasound before leaving the office! There was no way I was leaving there not knowing if our baby had a heart beat or not (especially considering earlier that week I had a small amount of blood spotting). Turns out the fetal doppler was not able to pick up the tiny heartbeat because the little bean was tucked to far behind my pelvic bone. The ultrasound picked it up immediately and we got to hear the little one's heart beat racing at 148 beats per minute, just as it should!

The pictures are not very clear because we ended up waiting 50 minutes in the room before the doc came in (he forgot about us!), and by that time my bladder had filled up again, making for a not so clear ultrasound. But, nonetheless we found out the baby is growing healthy and was just snuggled up laying on it's side havin' sweet dreams! So, all is well and we're heading into week #13!!

How our baby's growing for week 13:
Fingerprints have formed on our baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of the body size now. Our baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

(source: babycenter.com)

Sleep tight little bean, Momma loves you!!

12 week baby bump

Okay it's official... I just can't hide or "suck in" the baby bump any longer! It's little, but it's there so I decided I should finally share with everyone, 'cause I know you're all waiting to see it! It's still kind of easy to hide with loose clothing, but the plumping up in the mid-section is definitely happening...and not to mention the "girls upstairs", as you can well see! I suppose the bump will start growing even faster before our eyes now that we're onto the 12th week and everything on the baby is in it's place ready to just grow and develop!


Also, Next OB appointment (#2) is on Friday the 13th at 11:10am. Pretty excited to see what the doc has to say this time! Hopefully I'll have more ultrasound pics!

Hugs to all!! Kort

Week 12

So, I know I didn't have anything posted for week 11!! I was stuck in Washington DC all week trying to learn, ha! So, I had very limited access to a computer. That's alright though...on to week 12!!

How our baby's growing:The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Our baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I prod my abdomen, the baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. The intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and kidneys will begin excreting urine into the bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in our baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. The face looks unquestionably human: Eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the head, and ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, our baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

10 Weeks...

Well, considering we were about a week off according to the ultrasound... we're back at week 10. And unfortunately I've had my first spout of 'real' sickness. Not morning sickness, but I definitely picked up some kind of cold over the weekend. Stayed home from work Monday and slept all day hoping to recover. Fortunately I do not have the regular flu or the swine flu, just some sinus issues and a bit of a cough... and of course some lovely headaches. But, I am back to the grind today and hopefully upwards on my way to recovery. I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later, just glad is wasn't any worse!
Next OB appointment... Friday, November 13th at 11:10am! Looking forward to it!

First Ultrasound

Say Hello to baby Geary!

So, we were just a bit off on how far along I was. According to this ultrasound I am 9 weeks and 2 days! Which changes the official due date to May 23rd. Also, the little bean was movin', punchin' & kickin' around so much the pictures are a little hard to decipher. The head is fairly obvious, the arms and legs look like larger white dots on these images. And it's heart rate was at 174! Doc said everything looked good and healthy with the baby and with me, and my next appointment is in 4 weeks on November 11th. We won't be able to find out the gender of baby Geary though until my 4th appointment, which is January 4th (the day before we leave for Mexico for my brother's wedding). But, I will be sure to get that posted before we take off to a land of no computers! Anyhow, we're so relieved to have heard the little heartbeat that sounded like a song of dancing drums and to find out things are coming along healthy, what an amazing thing... and a huge relief!!

...Keep on kickin' baby Geary!!

10 Weeks

How our baby's growing:

Though it's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, our baby has now completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in its body rapidly grow and mature.

Baby Geary is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including the kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout the pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside my womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Our baby's limbs can bend now. Its hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and its feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of the spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from its spinal cord. Our baby's forehead temporarily bulges with its developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, it's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, our baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

source: babycenter.com

How my life's changing:

At my next prenatal visit, (which is tomorrow!!! Tues the 20th at 9:00 am) I should be able to hear our baby's rapid heartbeat with the help of a Doppler stethoscope, a hand-held ultrasound device that our practitioner places on my belly. (Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounded like the thunder of galloping horses and hearing it for the first time was very moving). We're getting so anxious for this part!!

Before I got pregnant, my uterus was the size of a small pear. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. I'm not totally ready for maternity wear yet, but my regular clothes are feeling uncomfortably tight and my blossoming breasts are straining the seams of my bra. Also, the thickening in your midsection is most likely due to slight weight gain and bloating. I think it's time to go shopping for some elastic waistbands and spandex!! ;-)

I had one last blood draw this morning at my physicians to test my progesterone level. Hopefully I'll hear results soon. Then tomorrow is the big OB doc day!! Our first 'official' baby appointment. Greg will be joining me at the Black Hills OBGYN to see Dr. Beuhner (pronounced like "Beener") and his nurse Sandy Miller. I hope to have fantastic news and real pictures of what exactly is going on my belly! The anticipation has been like torture not knowing what's really going on inside!!

So stay tuned....!