Grow Baby, Grow!

6-Week Ultrasound – April 2, 2013

Heart Rate: 150 bpm

Length: ¼ inch

Size: A lentil

Fetal Developments: Jaw, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, ears, kidneys, liver, and lungs are beginning to form.

I’m Feeling: Exhausted, but incredibly happy, grateful, and blessed.

Cravings: No real cravings at this point.

7-Week Ultrasound – April 11, 2013

Heart Rate: 134 bpm

Length: ½ inch

Size: A blueberry

Fetal Developments: Mouth, tongue, kidneys, intestines, and limb buds are beginning to form. Blood is beginning to course through the body.

I’m Feeling: Exhausted, but incredibly happy, grateful, and blessed.

Cravings: No real cravings at this point.

9-Week Ultrasound – April 22, 2013

Heart Rate: 152 bpm

Length: 1 ½ inch

Size: A large raspberry

Fetal Developments: Growing a millimeter per day. Arm and leg buds sprouting. Developing webbed fingers and toes, and can swim in the womb.

I’m Feeling: Exhausted and extremely hungry every couple of hours. Still feeling happy, grateful, and blessed!

Cravings: Tomatoes in all forms (including marinara which I typically do not prefer), pizza, and any kind of meat. Huge aversion to dairy products and cooked onions. Yuck!

13-Week Ultrasound – May 23, 2013

Heart Rate: 148 bpm

Weight: ½ ounce

Length: 3 inches

Size: A peach

Fetal Developments: Ankles, wrists, hands, and feet have formed, with tiny bones and muscles forming in arms and legs. Hands and feet now have individual fingers and toes rather than webbed digits. Tiny buds of baby teeth now formed under the gums.

I’m Feeling: Exhausted and hungry with a queasy “morning sickness” feeling around the clock. Brushing my teeth ignites gag reflexes which induce vomiting. What sounds delicious in one moment can cause feelings of nausea in another. Extreme headaches. Still happy, grateful, and blessed!

Cravings: Meat, meat, and more meat (especially steak)! Tomatoes, Bushman Mushrooms from Outback, and pickles.

20-Week Ultrasound – July 8, 2013

Heart Rate: 149 bpm

Weight: 11 ounces

Length: 6.5 inches

Size: A can of soda

Fetal Developments: Facial features and unique fingerprints present. Can hear sounds and is beginning to respond to outside stimuli. Eyebrows and hair beginning to grow. Taste buds developing and can distinguish sweet from bitter tastes. Will suck if its lips are stroked. Can swallow and get the hiccups. Skin is developing and transparent.

I’m Feeling: Lots of headaches and heartburn. The queasy, “morning sickness” subsided for the most part around week 18. Amazed and in awe at the movements I’m feeling within my belly. Still incredibly happy, grateful, and blessed!

Cravings: No particular cravings at this point and my aversion to dairy products has subsided.

22-Week Ultrasound – July 27, 2013

Estimated Size: A small doll

Fetal Developments: Skin will start to fit baby’s frame as fat deposits fill things out. By the end of the month, baby will double in weight. Organs and bones visible through skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath.

I’m feeling: Extreme heartburn! Super excited, happy, grateful, and blessed!

Cravings: No real cravings at this point.

It has been incredible to watch our little one grow from a tiny embryo to a beautiful little fetus, blooming and growing with each new day. We feel unbelievably blessed.