Pregnant & Beautiful

Here we are bloggies, we’re half way through at 20 weeks! I gotta tell yas, these days have been treating me well and I feel 10000% better than I did first trimester and I can’t stress that enough!  I’m enjoying every second of it and the weather lately is making that easy! Our baby is now roughly the length of a banana from head to toes!!

Here’s what Babycentre.com is saying about our baby at the half way point:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. 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. 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).

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. 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 (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. 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.

I can’t believe that we are half way there already! I felt him/her move for the first time earlier in the week.  It was so incredible!  It wasn’t the “fluttery” feeling that I was told to expect to feel, but rather it was more like a “thud” of being kicked on the inside of my abdomen.  It felt strange, but immediately amazing to know s/he is in there growing and getting stronger!  I have my big “anatomy” ultrasound next Thursday and we are soooo looking forward to it to see how much s/he has grown up from the last time we saw him/her 10 weeks prior.  I hope the little peanut is awake so that we can she him/her being as active as last time!

Operation Beautiful

As you know, the husband and I are going on a trip in April to Florida and so I’ve been doing my best to start making sure I have enough light and summery maternity clothing!  During my lunch hour I popped over the mall to Motherhood Maternity where I have found a few good maternity staple items of clothing already.

I figured this would be a wonderful opportunity to spread some of the Operation Beautiful love knowing how difficult it was in the beginning to embrace the changes that are happening to my body and decided I’d leave a note in the changing room:

I could have gotten some better shots, but the store wasn’t that busy and the lady was hovering outside of my changing room to check on me and I’m pretty sure she was wondering what the heck I was doing because you could hear my camera making mechanical noises! lol

 
Every woman needs to know that she is beautiful, especially when she is experiencing one of nature’s grandest miracles that life has to offer :-)