Well another week has come and gone. We are now at 11 weeks, I can't believe we're in the double digits. Time is flying, yet standing still at the same time. It's finally all starting to feel real. Our baby is now the size of a lime, she's getting so big! What's happening with the baby this week:
"The growth of your baby is phenomenal now and your baby's length will double in the next three weeks. The head is grossly out of proportion and is almost half of the baby's length. This is the last week of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby will be called a fetus. Your baby's fingernails appear this week! External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features and the development of male or female will be complete in three weeks. The placenta's blood vessels increase to provide your baby with the nutrients and oxygen she needs for continued growth. Your baby's ears are gradually moving from the neck towards the sides of her head. Inside of your baby's abdomen, the intestines are developing. Because the intestines are so large, some of them project into the umbilical cord and they will return to the abdomen within the next week or two. Your baby is now able to swallow. The urinary system functions. The baby swallows and urinates the amniotic fluid and the fluid is continually replaced. All vital organs are formed and, for the most part, function normally. As a preparation for breastfeeding, your baby now has learned to swallow. Babies swallow amniotic fluid in the uterus.Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell."
"The growth of your baby is phenomenal now and your baby's length will double in the next three weeks. The head is grossly out of proportion and is almost half of the baby's length. This is the last week of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby will be called a fetus. Your baby's fingernails appear this week! External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features and the development of male or female will be complete in three weeks. The placenta's blood vessels increase to provide your baby with the nutrients and oxygen she needs for continued growth. Your baby's ears are gradually moving from the neck towards the sides of her head. Inside of your baby's abdomen, the intestines are developing. Because the intestines are so large, some of them project into the umbilical cord and they will return to the abdomen within the next week or two. Your baby is now able to swallow. The urinary system functions. The baby swallows and urinates the amniotic fluid and the fluid is continually replaced. All vital organs are formed and, for the most part, function normally. As a preparation for breastfeeding, your baby now has learned to swallow. Babies swallow amniotic fluid in the uterus.Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell."
What's happening with me this week:
I'm finally starting to feel a little better, I think the medication is helping. I've been so tired lately and don't ever want to do anything, so I'm just trying to sleep as much as possible. I'm finally able to notice changes in my belly. My regular pants no longer button, but I bought a Bella Band, and it's amazing! I'm hoping I can put off or avoid buying maternity pants, we'll see. My new aliment this week is constipation, and it sucks! Who would have thought it was only a year ago that I was having chronic diarrhea, and now here I am begging to be able to poop, what a crazy world it is! I can no longer eat at night, because the food isn't going anywhere, since I'm not pooping, by night time if I eat it has to instantly come back up because there is no room for it to move. I think I now know what it must be like after gastric bypass surgery. You want to eat, your body tells you you're hungry, but you eat and your stomach tells your brain that everything must come back out because there's no room. I wish the baby, my bowels, and my stomach would all communicate. The baby tells me to eat, my stomach tells me not to eat, my intestines tell me the food is never leaving. Okay, enough talk about my bowels and there lack of movement, for now.
