Happy Halloween!
Your Baby
Your baby’s liver and spleen are now producing
blood cells, and the pancreas is beginning to release digestive enzymes.
Your baby’s liver accounts for 10 percent of the total weight, which is
about a half an ounce by now. The muscular system and nervous system
are responding to each other and junior is now able to bend, stretch,
kick, and even make faces. These movements are not a response to any
particular stimulation, but are occurring nevertheless. The sex of your
baby is becoming more pronounced as well, and the kidneys are now
producing urine from the amniotic fluid that he or she has ingested.
Because your baby won’t be using the lungs to breathe until birth, all
of the oxygen needed is coming from the placenta.
Today was so much fun! We couldn't wait to see you again. You have grown so much since our last ultrasound. We can now see your mouth, your eyes and your nose. You were also a lot more active!
Aunt Noelle came with us. We were all laughing because you were moving around like crazy. At one point you did a complete sideways barrel roll! I was laughing so hard that the Dr. was having trouble getting a clear picture.
I can't wait to be able to feel the movements. I am sure I am in for a real treat after seeing all your stunts!
The Dr. called you a "healthy kid" and mentioned that everything is looking great! Your heartbeat was 173 beats per minute this time.
Your Baby
Your baby is now about the size of a fig, and is
busy moving around inside of your uterus. This is the beginning of a
three week period where your baby will double in length and will go
through a growth spurt. If you could touch the little fingers you would
feel that tiny fingernails are beginning to form. At some point during
this week blood will circulate between your uterus and the fetus. Your
baby looks more human now than ever before, with a neck, straighter
back, and thicker skin. The head is almost as big as the rest of its
body, but this is normal, and the risk of defects becomes less as the
vital organs are now fully formed and are less likely to be affected by
outside influences.
Your Baby
The tiny baby floating around inside is now
equipped with all of the internal organs, and even the heart is almost
fully developed. The tail is gone, and the webbing between the fingers
and toes has disappeared. The eyes are moving from the side of the head
to front, where they will eventually be when you first make eye contact
with your bundle of joy. Your embryo is graduating at the end of the
week – to become a fetus. If you could see your baby’s ears you would
notice that they are getting their final shape – ready for hearing all
those lectures you will have to give in the years ahead. Your baby is
preparing to make some noise, with the diaphragm emerging this week. If
you’re carrying twins, you better be prepared for the duet they’ll be
singing at birth.
You have now earned the nickname of Baby Shanny!
Today was a big day. We announced to every one else (friends, family and coworkers) that we were expecting a baby! We posted your last ultrasound picture on facebook and wrote under it:
"We are blessed and proud to say, that Baby Shanahan is due in May!"
That night we went to your second concert! We saw Eric Church with our friends. They were all so excited to hear the news! Again, you don't know it yet, but country music is your favorite!
We had our 2nd Dr. Appointment today to make sure all was going well. It was so neat to see you this time because we were able to see your head, legs and arms! You were very active. We saw your arms moving and your legs kicking in the air! The lady who was doing the ultrasound caught a picture with you kicking your legs up!
Your Baby
Your breasts might be the ones that are sore, but
your baby is growing nipples too this week. The little miracle inside is
now equipped with the organs that will be filling up all those diapers
when he or she is born. The head is now half the size of your baby’s
body. That little tail that made him resemble a tadpole is starting to
disappear, and with the right ultrasound Doppler you might even be able
to hear the heartbeat. The fingers and toes are webbed right now, but
this will disappear before birth. Even though your baby has fully
developed eyes, it will be quite a while before they open, and even
longer before you will find out what color they are.
You are growing fast! You are now the size of a kidney bean. You are starting to look more and more like a little baby every day.
Mom still is feeling great. This week I am not feeling as hungry as usual.
Your Baby
It’s a boy - no wait...it’s a girl. This is the
week that your baby’s primary reproductive organs will either become
testes or ovaries. Even though the sex of your baby was determined at
conception, the gonads took until now to become one or the other. If
you’re planning on determining your baby’s sex before birth, it’s still
too soon to show on an ultrasound. Even though you can’t tell the sex of
your baby yet, some other visual distinctions are becoming apparent.
Your baby’s face now has an upper lip, eyelids and the tip of the nose. A
tiny tongue is even growing inside the mouth. The tiny little fingers
and toes that you will be counting at birth have begun to form too. If
you’re carrying twins, it’s possible that you may have one of each sex
developing in your uterus.
