15th Week

This week I'm an orange...but it feels more like I'm a cantaloupe!! Should my tummy really be this big so soon?  Are they sure there is only one in there? As my Ultrasound tech said at the first scan,"well it looks like only one but they could be conjoined and the other one is just hiding."  WHAT?!  Who says that to a first time, newly pregnant, terrified, neurotic, hormonal woman?! :s


Otherwise, things are moving along well and we can't wait for the next scan.  We are pretty sure we want to find out the sex.  I know....I know.  Why not let it be a surprise!  Well, neither of us really like surprises and it makes sense to prepare for either a boy or girl.  Besides, I could never keep a Xmas present wrapped and would always peel the wrapping back to sneak a peek!

When home to visit my parents recently, we pulled out the family Christening  gown that was hand-made in 1869.  It has traveled in my family from England to Ireland to Canada and has been witness to many Baptisms. It is in remarkable shape for a hand-made silk garment that is ~142 years old. I certainly never thought that I would be lucky enough to have a child whose name would be added to the "Saga of the Christening Robe"!   It is still very surreal to me.

What's happening with baby this week? "The baby is around 4 inches long and weighs around 1.75 ounces by now. The reddish and wrinkled skin gets covered with fine hair called Lanugo. This Lanugo enables the baby to maintain a constant body temperature and it almost disappears by the time the baby is born. The baby can swallow and hear you and other sounds now. You might be able to feel moments of activity and periods of rest as the baby moves, kicks, sleeps and wakes. You might notice some fluttering movements but they might not be so profound. The baby can grasp, squint, frown, grimace and suck the thumb at this stage. The skin is very thin and the blood vessels are visible. The baby’s legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head. Fingernails and toenails are growing and the eyebrows develop including some hair growth on the head. The baby has taste buds and can develop hiccups from time to time. The three little bones in the middle ear start hardening. The auditory centers in the baby’s brain do not develop so soon so the baby might not understand what he/she hears but the hearing capacity is developing very rapidly now. The amniotic liquid that surrounds the baby carries external sounds to travel to the baby especially the mother’s heart beat, stomach and voice.

Only 165 days to go.....