Half Way! 20 WEEKS!

Wow! Today is the big day! My half way point! It's hard to believe it's finally here. I'm feeling great at 20 weeks, well, except for that whole water retention thing. I never knew how much I loved my ankle bone until it was gone. That is not so bad until the end of the day when I've been walking around a lot. Then my knees are swollen and achy and my legs are throbbing.

This morning I woke up and looked at my ankles to see if laying down for 8 hours helped. There was still no bone exposure down there but they felt better! I'm hoping at my appointment next Thursday the doctor will give me some ideas on what to do about it. Hopefully it's not "Drink more water". I hear that all the time and I'm drinking butt loads of water. I'm up over 80 oz of water a day now. I'm starting to think I'm giving birth to a gold fish or a flounder . In the end I'm sure the doctor will say, "It's your hormones. It will go away after you give birth." Ya thanks. Along with mood swings, acne, sleepiness, stupidity, heartburn, gas and chub rub.

Moving on....

From www.babycenter.com

My comments are in Orange today.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. Well, we know that the baby is bigger than that because on Monday he/she weighed about 13oz. So scratch that part! He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. Mom and I saw baby's mouth moving on Tuesday! Maybe he/she was swallowing? He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). Meconium = fetal baby poo.


How your life's changing:

Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. Thank you Thank you. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button Yes, and my belly button ring. Mom and Eric are both ready for that to come out. Me? I'm going to let it ride. I'm going to see just how far I can stretch the life of my belly ring. =), and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. 10 lbs..Huh..... Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. (If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less.) Make sure you're getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry I hate chicken right now!(especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

If you haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one, especially if you're a first-timer. We start in June! A structured class will help prepare you and your partner for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, one-day session. Many communities have independent instructors as well. Ask your friends, family members, or caregiver for recommendations.