Week 25

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:Our little girl has now formed all 33 rings, 150 joints and 1,000 ligaments in the structure of her spine. The surfactant that is essential for lung function after birth is also beginning to develop. All five senses are fully developed. She's close to 1 1/2 to 2 lbs now and starting to fill out!

I'm definitely having a harder time bending over and so forth now. I make a lot of grunting noises which Emile finds entertaining. She's kicking a lot which I feel really low -- I'm guessing she's breech right now. And the never ending need to pee has started! My Braxton Hicks continue to be pretty frequent, although not painful. Tomorrow I have my next appointment in which they'll test me for Gestational Diabetes. I'm looking forward to hearing her heartbeat again and finding out how everything is going.

Natalie finds it amusing to push on my belly button that sticks out pretty predominately now. We captured a photo of her doing it recently:

When we ask her where her belly is, she'll pull up her shirt and point to it and then come over to me and pull up my shirt to point to my belly button.

Week 24

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:
I'm getting a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions now, at least 3-4 a day. It's mostly just a tightening of my uterus that goes away in about 30 seconds. It seems to occur less if I drink more water so I'm trying to stay well hydrated. I can feel her kicking all the time now which is a great feeling. She's more active in the afternoon and evening. I can now see her kicking from the outside as of last Friday (23w 3 d). Emile felt her kick on Sunday (23w 5d). I'm glad he was finally able to feel her. It helps make it feel more really for him (not that my big belly doesn't help).

She now weighs about a pound and a half and is probably around 8.5 inches long. Her lungs are gaining blood vessels now, preparing them for taking over the task of getting oxygen into the blood stream. Our baby is working out her own waking and sleeping periods.

Week 23

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
Sound sleep is a thing of the past. I'm now waking up a few times a night from both being uncomfortable and to pee. Of course, Natalie waking up and turning her Rainforest crib soother on hasn't helped. I'm definitely feeling the baby a lot more right now. A few times a day I can feel her kick and roll around. I think I may be starting to get Braxton Hicks contractions -- at least once or twice a day my belly starts tightening up, just like with Natalie (it started around week 25 with her). My c-section scar itches a lot lately also.

Our baby's pancreas is developing well and is even beginning to produce insulin. The bones in the little one's middle ear are hardening now. She weighs about a pound and is about 8 inches in length - she's the size of a small doll.

Week 22

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:

I'm definitely starting to feel our baby more. Not every day, but more frequently than before. I even felt her kick with my hand from the outside of my belly last week Wednesday (21w 1d). I'm starting to feel more sluggish and am making more noises when I get up.

She's probably around 7.5 inches long now and by the end of this week getting close to, if not more than, a pound! She's starting to get plumper now. Her body and face are starting to take on more of an appearance of what she'll look like as an infant -- how exciting! Our baby's liver is now starting to function also.

Week 21 - 5 months!

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:I am now 5 months pregnant!

I had my 20 week appointment last Thursday with Dr. Gaines. Everything looked good -- he was able to find her heartbeat right away. We discussed how I'm not feeling her as much as I did with Natalie. If I'm not feeling her within 2 weeks, I can call in to get another ultrasound just to be sure my placenta isn't blocking her kicks etc. I am starting to feel her a little bit more (maybe every few days) but I may still go in for the extra ultrasound if she doesn't pick up more -- just for the added reassurance that all is good.

We also discussed my VBAC vs. c-section options. As I expected from him, he's more for going straight for a c-section mostly because my last c-section was not due to fetal distress (which would be dependent on the baby) but rather my body not laboring on it's own. I'm still planning to wait and see how things are going come 37-38 weeks.

I'm starting to get sore hips at night sleeping (so it begins!). I have to keep rolling over periodically throughout the night. I expect this to only get worse here on out.

My belly is starting to feel harder with my uterus up much higher.

Our baby girl is about the size of a large banana right now. She probably weighs around 10.5 ounces by now. Baby's legs have grown longer and are now in the proper proportion to the rest of his body. Our baby can now swallow and has started swallowing amniotic fluid.

Week 20 -- Half Way!

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
Wow...half way already! I can't believe how much faster this pregnancy is going compared to my pregnancy with Natalie.

This week our daughter should be about 9-10 oz. and have a crown-to-rump length of about 6 inches. The amniotic fluid has reached a volume of about 12 ounces. Our baby's heart is beating at a rate of 120 to 160 beats per minute. The baby's sense of smell is present now.

I can feel that the top of my uterus is now right at my belly button. I have to pee all the time -- especially at night. I've started getting up 2-3 times a night now. I think I've started feeling her move around as of last Wednesday (19w1d); however, the feels are very different than they were with Natalie that I'm still not entirely sure. I'm looking forward to my doctor's appointment on Thursday to discuss the type of movements I think I'm feeling and to find out if he thinks I have an anterior placenta.

Week 19

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
This week has been a very emotional week for me. For some reason, I've felt more emotionally effected by things going on in my life than I typically do. I know pregnancy hormones cause a lot of mood changes which I'm sure is the main reason for this (work being incredibly slow right now doesn't help either) but I definitely didn't have this type of emotional roller coaster with my previous pregnancy. Hopefully, these hormones level off soon.

Another difference I've noticed compared to my last pregnancy is that my nose is dry constantly!!! Sometimes if I rub it the wrong way, it actually hurts! This was not something I experienced last time.

My belly is getting pretty big now although I think my uterus is starting to slow down in it's expansion because my belly is starting to look more in lines with the size at 19 weeks with Natalie. As mentioned previously, the uterus expands quicker in the beginning with a second pregnancy; however, the baby is not actually growing faster etc. Eventually the uterus stops it's rapid expansion and continues on a normal growth rate as with a first pregnancy.

Our baby probably weighs close to 7 oz. now and is 5.5-6 inches long. Buds for permanent teeth are now forming behind the buds for baby teeth. Baby's toes are not quite as developed as her hands, but they'll catch up. The baby spends about 6 hours a day awake and 18 or so asleep. This is about the same ratio as a newborn.