Week 25 I added a larger picture of me in a Christmas stocking to the photo album for anyone who wanted a better look.
Here is what i-am-pregnant.com has to say about the 25th week of pregnancy:
Your baby's crown-to-rump length is about 8.8 inches. Weight has increased to around 1.5 pounds and fat is still being deposited at a high rate. Babies come in all shapes and sizes, so your baby could vary slightly from these `average` measurements. Your uterus has grown quite a bit bigger this week. The top of your uterus is between your bellybutton and your sternum. Your uterus is about the size of a soccer ball now!
If your baby were delivered at this time, it would have a good chance of surviving. It is best for your baby to remain inside of you for the remainder of the pregnancy, but great advances have been made in the care of a premature baby. Ventilators, monitors and medications all help premature babies develop and grow outside of the womb. If your baby were born this early, he would probably have to spend several months in the hospital and would be more susceptible to infections and other complications.
You can hear your baby's heartbeat with both a doppler and a stethoscope at this time, and your partner may even be able to hear the heartbeat unaided if he puts his ear in the right position. Sex differentiation is being completed now. If you are expecting a baby boy, the testes start to descend into the scrotum. In baby girls, the vagina is hollowing out. Your baby is able to do more with their fingers now and can move his fingers to make a complete fist. As your baby becomes more dextrous, he will be able to touch and hold his feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time. Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, you might begin to notice these patterns as well. Some women experience the most fetal movements while they are trying to rest.
2007-12-20 (23 weeks)
Birthday Reflections 28 years ago today, I was born in Jefferson Davis Charity Hospital in Houston, Texas after what I hear was a long labor. I weighed in at 6 pounds and 4 ounces (if I remember correctly) and my Dad was one of the first fathers allowed in the delivery room (because of this we made the newspaper). Grandpa once told me that after witnessing my birth, Dad considered becoming an M.D. so that he could be a part of the miracle of birth on a regular basis. I guess he decided he was too invested in his education in physics to change careers. :)
Five days after I was born, I was put in my Dad's Christmas stocking. It was Christmas and I was small enough, so why not? There are also many pictures of my Mom and Dad holding me with big smiles on their faces. Such a tiny little thing brings such joy. I guess it's true that the best presents come in small packages!
On my 29th birthday, I will be mother to Sophia. The first born child of two first borns. Now that I think about it, she will be carrying on a tradition as I was the first born to two first borns as well. One of these days, she will have her own baby and she will think back to the stories that she heard of her birth. Though I don't yet know how much she will weigh or how many long hours I will have to endure labor to bring her into this world, I can safely predict a few things. Sophia will be born into this world surrounded by people who love her, many friends and family members will come to visit her at the hospital and in those first days there will be many pictures taken of her being held by her parents-- who will have very large smiles on their faces.
2007-12-19 (23 weeks)
Baby Fat The appointment yesterday went fine. I was weighed, my blood pressure was measured, the fundus height was measured (to see how big my uterus is) and we listened to Sophia's heart beat again. Every thing was fine, Doctor Howell even said I had a perfect little tummy. To be perfectly honest though, I'm kinda freaking out about my weight gain. I've gained another 6 pounds since my last appointment and only have 7 pounds less to gain forideal weight gain and everything after that is extra fat. So I am obviously going to go over. I know that I should just start going to the gym more, but that isn't stopping me from being upset about this whole baby fat thing.
I guess I've been lulled into complacency until now because my looks haven't really changed. I do know that certain parts of me are a little bigger than I would like, but nothing dramatic. My maternity clothes still fit pretty much the same as when I bought them and my face doesn't look different. Of course, now that I look in the mirror after what Dr. Howell said yesterday, I see a big marshmallow staring back at me.
I know that I am probably blowing this out of proportion and that I should just be happy that Sophia is healthy, but I figured I should be honest in this journal about my ups and downs. This is definitely one of my downs. :(
2007-12-18 (23 weeks)
Christmas time I really do love Christmas and I've been thinking that next year will be Sophia's first Christmas. I can only imagine how much more fun it will be to see Christmas, the decorations, the family gatherings and holiday music, through her eyes. She will be 8 months old this time next year, probably cruising around and trying her best to get into things. Dean and I went to what must be in the top ten for most crowded malls in Texas if not the United States last weekend and I wondered what a little one must make of all those people frantically crowding into one place to do their shopping!
I have another appointment with our doctor today and it looks like Dean may not be able to make it this time. Hopefully, they won't tell me that I've gained too much weight! It will be nice to hear Sophia's heart beat again and maybe she will give a little kick for Doctor Howell to show how strong she is. :)
