18 Weeks!

We are 18 weeks through the pregnancy now! 22 weeks to go!

I'm getting weekly updates from a place called "baby gaga" (www.baby-gaga.com) on how the baby is changing, and what's going on with my body as far as the pregnancy is concerned. I thought that some of you might want to know some of what's going on, so I figured I would share them with everyone here.

Doern Family Update:
For those keeping track, and asking, I have two appointments this week. One appointment is on 1/19 with my regular OB. It's just a pregnancy check up and the first of my weekly P-17 shots. The P-17 shots are shots of hydroxyprogesterone I'm getting to help prevent contractions and preterm labor. Most women have contractions of a minor sort prior to the main event pretty often - for women with a cerclage the contractions could cause the cerclage to rip our cervix, which would be bad.


The other appointment is my cervical length check and ultrasound - they will be doing the level 2 ultrasound at this time, checking the anatomy of the baby. With this they'll check Squishes heart out, look at all the chambers, they look for stuff that would be birth defects and stuff like that. They will also (if we ask, which we will) try (again) to see whether we will be getting pink or blue.


Squish stuff - I have learned I can "wake up" the baby. I hadn't felt much movement a few days ago and poked my tummy several times and was quickly rewarded with a bouncing baby. Nice to know I can play the wake baby up game. I figure since Squish has me up every 15 minutes to pee, and will be waking me up pretty often once outside of my uterus it's only fair. I've also found that Squish does not appreciate me drinking very cold water - I think that has the same affect as the poking.

Me stuff - I think I'm losing my belly button. I heard that's a common thing with pregnancy, innies become outies. My button is well on the way - I think. All I can say is that my belly button feels and looks different, I can't pinpoint how, it just is. My water-works problem is getting worse - not quite sure where in the yellow pages you would find plumbers for your eyes. I'm still getting upset over stupid things, and not so stupid things. It's sort of hard to get used to when I've never been the cry all the time type. It doesn't help that the mood swings are here as well. Add emotional freakouts to waterworks and poor Kelley is going to have served me with divorce papers, I'm pretty sure, before the pregnancy is over. What's funny when I look back on it - the getting upset over stupid things, then crying, then I get upset that I KNOW I'm crying over something stupid and that makes me mad, then sad and teary again at the fact that I'm seriously pathetic and can't help but cry.

I'm getting weekly updates from a place called "baby gaga" (www.baby-gaga.com) on how the baby is changing, and what's going on with my body as far as the pregnancy is concerned. I thought that some of you might want to know some of what's going on, so I figured I would share them with everyone here.


Baby Gaga Update:


Fetal development in pregnancy week 18:fetus in fifth month We have two more ounces! Your "getting bigger-n-better by the minute baby" is already up to 7 ounces and 6 inches! This is a big week for their baby skin. There are now two distinct layers—the epidermis (or the surface skin) and dermis. Currently, their skin is covered with a greasy, waxy, cheese-like substance, known as vernix caseosa. Sure, it sounds pretty nasty, but this mixture of fatty secretions covering your little swimmer from head to toe is the best way to protect their oh-so-thin skin from bruising and abrasions as well as chapping caused by amniotic fluid exposure (and your little one is swimming in that stuff!). Still don’t like the fact your little darling is currently slathered in fatty cream like a greased pig? Well, you know the birthing process? Where you have to push something the size of a watermelon out a hole the size of a grape? That adorable little greased piglet would have a lot harder time getting through the birth canal without the vernix caseosa. Fun fact for momma’s with baby girls: it’s a uterus within a uterus! Your little girl will have developed a uterus and vagina canal by the end of this week.



And how's mom doing? POP! If you haven’t yet, you will soon be seeing the last of your inn-y belly button—until after you’ve pushed your little monkey out. If it’s getting difficult to breathe, you can thank your not-so-small belly for squishing your lungs—which will be more and more cramped for space as the pregnancy Keep in mind that as you grow (and grow and grow) in size you produce more blood (for both of you), which lowers your blood pressure. So standing up quickly and/or occasional fast movements may cause slight dizziness or lightheadedness progresses. Not that this is surprising as everything else in your mid-section is getting properly squooshed as well. (What else is new?!!). Keep in mind that as you grow (and grow and grow) in size you produce more blood (for both of you), which lowers your blood pressure. So standing up quickly and/or occasional fast movements may cause slight dizziness or lightheadedness. This is totally normal, but means you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to your feet when your team scores a goal. It's better to just punch the air in excitement or clap gleefully. One more fun pregnancy symptom to add to the list: you are producing more melanin, which can cause dark patches of skin to occur on random parts of your body. Don’t worry—these dark spots (unlike your parent’s age spots) will retreat soon after birth