20 Weeks - B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Who else wants to sing Hollaback girl from Gwen Stefani?

Baby Stribs - 20 Weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. (they weighed about 11 oz. each at my appt last week) 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, measurments 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. (the little girl had hiccups at the last u/s appointment) 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). EWWWWWW!!!! How am I going to do this???

How your life's changing: The top of your uterus is about halfway between your pubic bone and your navel, and the round ligaments that support it are thickening and stretching as it grows. (I actually have round ligament pain, and have had it now for several weeks. It feels swesom, like a hernia) You're probably feeling a whole lot better as you settle into pregnancy, too. Less nausea, fewer mood swings, and "glowing" skin contribute to an overall sense of well-being. (Do the radndom adolecent zits that pop up on bizarre places like my neck, ears and chest count as "glowing"?) Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (I have been feeling this alot now!!) (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently.