Lunch with Steve
Mom and I got together with Steve today. We went to Chipotle and Steve offered to buy all of our meals. So nice of him! It was good to catch up. He told us about his new job and how he's already a supervisor, among other things! 12-14-17
23 Weeks Along!
My baby is as big as a papaya (last week he was a spaghetti squash). He is 8 inches long and a little over a pound in weight. He's very cute but still very wrinkly. Poised to put on pounds, baby's birthday suit has outpaced the fat that will start to accumulate very soon. In the meantime, saggy skin will sag from those little limbs. His skin is also cellophane-thin and taken on a reddish cast, thanks to the vivid network of blood vessels developing underneath. Luckily, a tough, protective protein called keratin is being added to baby's skin cells and that will thicken his skin as he continues to gestate in your cozy uterus. Right now, the lung maturation process is beginning, though it will be a while before the baby is ready to breathe. Small capillaries in the lungs and specialized lung cells called neumocytes are developing. These all important cells are producing surfactant down the road, the crucial substance that will help baby's lungs expand after birth. The placenta, the recently completed baby's life support system, acts as a sophisticated trading post and filtering system, transferring oxygen and nutrients to your fetus while removing waste products. It also protects the baby, working as a sort of fetal security check point by preventing certain harmful substances and infections from passing from my system into the baby's. The placenta is also hard at work producing hormones: estrogen and progesterone; they keep your pregnancy going strong. There's something comforting in knowing there have been babies born at this stage of gestation, who have survived and gone on to lead a healthy life. I trust that my body is going to keep my babe in my womb for much longer, but it's good to know that if he were to be born this week, he would have a likely chance of survival. 12-20-17
23 Weeks, 1 Day Along & Infection
I am especially grateful for the placenta this week and that it acts as a protective filtering system for the baby. Monday, I came down with some kind of a lower respiratory tract infection. The most notable symptom was an annoying cough. I've been resting quite a bit. Today, I'm feeling somewhat better. Baby is doing well, as far as I can tell! We haven't gotten an ultrasound for about 5 weeks, which makes me sad, but at each appointment, his heartrate was checked and all was fine. I can't believe we will be out of the second trimester in about a month! Last night John and I sang "Skidda-marink" to the baby. I can't believe how he knows the song so well already. He hits every note and knows every word. I secretly think John should have been a singer, but don't bother telling him that, he'll just laugh. He only shows me, but he has an incredible voice. He's very embarrassed by it, I don't know why... Baby is moving quite a bit! I enjoy most of the punches and kicks and I can usually pin point the exact organ that is being "assaulted." Probably the most uncomfortable is the jab to what I think is my cervix. Not going to lie, I don't love that move. But I mostly just LOVE feeling him move. It's so cute. John thinks it's cute too. John did a little impression of the baby moving around and tugging on the umbilical cord. 12-21-17
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