BillyandAshlee.com

So I’m really not 19 weeks until Thursday, but I leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday for a conference and won’t be back until Friday night. I’m stil feeling great and feeling more and more kicks everyday! I was feeling quite a few tonight, so I had Billy put his hand on my belly and I felt 3 or so within a few minutes, but he wasn’t able to feel them yet. Maybe another week or so!

19 week update:

Your Baby’s Development

Welcome to the fifth month of pregnancy! This week your baby is working on protecting her skin, as she develops a waxy substance called vernix caseosa, which will disappear at birth. Vernix is secreted by the glands in the skin this week, and protects the growing skin from getting chapped or wrinkled from floating in amniotic fluid.

During this time, you may feel Baby’s first movements, called “quickening.” If you’ve already had one child, you’ll probably feel those first flutterings about 2 weeks earlier than you did in your first pregnancy, mainly because you know what sensation to look for. This week, Baby will grow to about five or six inches, and will weigh about seven ounces by week’s end.

Also this week, you can expect that:

• Buds that will later produce permanent teeth are now forming behind the baby teeth buds.

Your Development

Recurrent dizziness is common, and nothing to worry about. If you feel dizzy when you stand up quickly, this might be caused by gravity rapidly draining blood from the brain. Standing up slowly will help with this problem. Also, when you’re lying down on your back, your uterus may compress important blood vessels, causing lowered blood pressure and increased dizziness. You can help combat this by sleeping on your left side which can allow better digestive functioning, and may help lessen swelling in your arms and legs.

Pregnancy also affects your blood sugar level, and both high and low blood sugar levels can make you dizzy. Eating a balanced diet of small, frequent meals, and not skipping meals can help regulate your blood sugar and help prevent dizziness.

This might be a good week to check into childbirth classes. If you’re a first-time parent or you’d like a refresher course, a structured class can help prepare you for labor and delivery. You’ll want to be finished with class no later than 37 weeks, when you’ll be considered full-term. Labor could start at any time from then on.

18 weeks and I’m still feeling great! I’m up 10-11 pounds so far (which I’ve read is average). I’ve been feeling flutters for a few weeks now (since about 15.5 weeks), but I wasn’t sure if it was the baby or not. However, starting on Wednesday, I started feeling what I believe to be actual kicks!! I’ve noticed them everyday since at 12:30 and 4:30 and sometimes again around 7:30! Billy is really jealous and can’t wait until he can feel them! Hopefully just a few more weeks:).

Here’s the belly picture today, from 18weeks 2 days.

Your Baby’s Development

By now, the bones of Baby’s inner ear and the nerve endings from the brain have developed enough so that your baby can probably detect sounds clearly. Experts believe that one of the most comforting sounds she hears is Mom’s heartbeat. She may also hear your voice, your stomach rumbling, and the sound of blood moving through the umbilical cord to and from the placenta, which is now almost as big as she is.

And that’s not all! Here’s what else is happening to baby this week:

• She will begin to swallow, and may even feel thirsty sometimes. Some experts think thirst may trigger your baby to swallow. Since amniotic fluid is constantly being produced, Baby’s swallowing of excess fluid helps keeps it at a constant level.

• Baby’s chest will continue to move up and down to mimic breathing, but she’s not breathing air — just swallowing and inhaling amniotic fluid. This is a normal part of your baby’s development—this intake of amniotic fluid will not harm her.

• If baby is a girl, the vagina, uterus, and Fallopian tubes will be in place by the end of the week.

Your Development

On average, pregnant moms have gained about 10 or 11 pounds by now. It’s a good idea to gain weight gradually; by not putting on a lot of weight all at once, your body won’t be as stressed and you may have an easier time delivering the baby. (Plus you’ll have fewer extra pounds to lose afterwards!) If you’re having difficulty getting a good night’s sleep because of this added weight and the resulting discomfort, try urinating before going to bed, propping yourself up with pillows in bed, and resting on your left side.

This week you may also want to prepare yourself for a mid-pregnancy ultrasound, which is often recommended sometime during the second trimester, usually between 18 and 22 weeks. This test can help your doctor assess fetal growth and development, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, and determine whether the projected due date is accurate. At this early date, the test may also be able to detect gender, but only if the baby is in a position where genitals are visible.

This week has been super busy with getting ready for Nate’s wedding today and Billy got his brand new motorcycle on Thursday! We’ll be gone all day today, but will try to get the sonogram pictures on here tomorrow. Everyone keeps staring at them trying to decide girl or boy, but only 23 more weeks will tell!!

I had my first person ask me if I was expecting this week! I guess that means that I’ve started showing to the rest of the world, and not just to those who know me!

Here’s the latest picture!

We had our “big” sonogram yesterday and everything looks great!! The baby was moving and kicking and squirming like crazy and the sonogram tech told us we were going to have a lot of fun when the baby gets here, haha! The baby was laying breach, which she said is typical as they move all the time right now and by the time we were done with the sonogram, it was laying on its belly. She asked if we wanted to know the gender if she could tell, and we said no but of course we’re dying to know! Only 23 more weeks, right? =) At the end, she did say that she knew. They don’t write it in our chart because our dr. (Dr. Younglove) said that if we don’t want to know, he doesn’t want to know…he doesn’t want to have to keep the secret and there’s no reason he needs to know.

All the measurements were within a day or so of eachother, which they say is a good thing and the baby was measuring a day or two ahead (16w5d and 16w6d), so the growth is great! The crown-to-rump length was about 5 inches and the baby weighed about 5 ounces. We got to see the heart, brain, spine, bladder, stomach, and of course the hands, feet, legs and arms! The heartrate was 158. The only “concern” was that I have a low lying placenta (it attached lower on the uterine walls rather than higher) but Dr. Younglove is not concerned because he said I have a lot of growing left to do since I’m only 16 weeks. He said that as I grow, the placenta will move up and out of the way (this is less severe than placenta previa), so no cause for concern whatsoever he said.

The sonogram tech gave us about 20 pictures and videotaped about 20 minutes or so of it for us! Our internet was down last night and Billy has a new computer and doesn’t have the scanner software installed, so as soon as we take care of all of that, we’ll get the pictures and video on this website.

My next appt is in 4 weeks and I believe they’re all pretty routine now until the last month or so (pee in a cup, weigh, bloodpressure, messure fundal height, listen to heartbeat, answer questions). The dr. said I should be feeling movement between 18 and 22 weeks, so only just over a week until it’s possible! From the looks of those kicks, the sonogram tech said I’ll definitely feel a lot of kicks! The baby was kicking my bladder throughout the entire sonogram!

I’m still not feeling any movement, or anything that I’m sure is movement at least! Hopefully in another few weeks. Billy and I went to a pregnancy class this week called Baby Building. It is paid for by my employer (American Century) and is a program through the St. Lukes Hospital system. We really enjoyed it and learned quite a bit. I didn’t gain any weight this week, which was fine since I’d gained 4.5 pounds in the 2 weeks before!! I’m at a total gain of 7 pounds now, which seems to be right on track according to what I’ve read and my doctor. We have our big sonogram on Monday and we can’t wait! We get to videotape it, so be waiting for pictures and video Monday or Tuesday night! As of today, we’re still planning on it being a surprise! Here’s the latest belly picture from today, 16weeks and 2 days.

Your Baby’s Development

You’re not the only one who’s smiling! Baby can now make facial expressions because of the development of her facial muscles. This week she can squint, smile and frown. This is probably not an indication of mood, but may be linked to random impulses in the developing brain.

Overall growth continues—your baby now weighs about 2.8 to three ounces and is about four or five inches long.

Other highlights this week include:

• Her ability to make some voluntary muscle movements means she can now hold her head somewhat erect.

• Baby is developing a sensitivity to light, and may respond with heart rate accelerations to projections of light on the abdomen. This can serve as a test of well-being before birth.

• Hiccups may start now, but you won’t hear or feel them because the baby’s system is filled with fluid rather than air.

• Baby’s heart is now pumping the equivalent of 25 quarts of blood each day.

• Arm and leg movements are becoming more coordinated.

• Baby’s bladder will empty about every 40-45 minutes.

Your Development

As your pregnancy progresses, it’s important for you to get plenty of rest. The best position for you now is lying comfortably on your side, perhaps with a pillow propped against your back and another between your legs. The best sleeping position, specifically during the last couple of months of pregnancy is on your left side. By lying on your left side, you’ll experience better digestive functioning, improved blood and nutrient flow to the placenta, and less swelling of hands, feet and legs. This is because, when lying on your left side, you are reducing pressure on the vena cava, a large vein which transports blood from the lower part of your body to your heart.

Additionally, this position allows for both you and Baby to receive more oxygen. Avoid lying on your back, because your uterus could block important blood vessels in the back of your abdomen and interfere with circulation to you and your baby. Also avoid lying on your stomach, which puts too much pressure on your growing uterus.

If you move suddenly you may a feel an ache in your sides. Not to worry… what you’re feeling are the ligaments on the sides of your uterus and pelvic walls stretching as your baby grows. It’s normal to feel some discomfort, but if it continues for a few days or if your discomfort increases, you may want to talk with your doctor.

I think my belly has popped a bit more in the last couple of days, down pretty low. Whenever Billy sees my belly, he keeps saying “you’re pregnant!”, haha. We’re going to take advantage of the weather this weekend and get the garage cleaned out (so that it’s ready for Billy’s new motorcycle when it gets here!), grill out, and take Brody for some long walks with our friends and their dogs.