• Approximate length 10 to 11 inches crown to rump, weight 15 ounces.
• Though the mother is aware of her baby’s movements, it may be a few weeks before someone else can feel these movements by putting a hand on the mother’s abdomen.
• The fetus is most active in the early mornings and after a nightly meal. The glucose content in some foods usually gets her moving!
• It’s growing steadily and will gain more than 6 ounces this week.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

Though it has no body fat at this point, it will gain more weight in the next few weeks, and by week 25, it will weigh almost twice as much.
The motions, or “quickening,” are increased leg and arm activity because of muscular development.
It’s respiratory system is still immature and requires much more development.
As it swallows amniotic fluid, it’s body will absorb the water from the fluid and the rest will go into it’s large bowel.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

It was a very exciting time for our last ultrasound visit. We were able to see the baby kicking around and see its heart, hands, feet, brain, and spine. We also saw the blood pumping through the baby’s body. It is an amazing experience. The doctor said that everything looked great and the baby is very healthy. It is in the 67th percentile for weight (50th is avg, 90th is too big) which is about 13oz (approx. 1 lb.) Just grab a can of pop - it’s about that heavy. It’s about 6-8 inches long and has a heartbeat of 136 beats/min. Please visit the album page to see more photos of the baby.

• Approximate length 10 inches, weight 12 ounces.
• The baby moves around a lot, but the mother just begins to feel faint movements called “quickening” and maybe some hiccups, small spasms, or twitching in the lower abdomen.
• The brain is beginning to grow rapidly during this week.
• If baby is a girl, her uterus has completely formed. If the baby is a boy, his testes will begin to descend.
• The hair on the baby’s head is starting to appear.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

We’ve gotten many hints that people want to see how far along Diane is looking. Well, here are a couple of shots taken yesterday. Diane finally felt comfortable letting me take her picture to post on this website. As most of you know, she is usually pretty shy and doesn’t like to show off.

So far, the friends we’ve met here in Seattle are somewhat disappointed that she isn’t incredibly huge by this point at almost 5 months. The doctor says that she is gaining the pregnancy weight at a good pace. So for you women who haven’t had babies yet, the doctor also said that you don’t have to think you are eating for two when you’re pregnant. Eating until you are satisfied is good enough. This type of eating habit will ensure that you don’t gain more than 20 extra pounds.

• The fetus begins secreting vernix, the waxy coating that protects the fetus’s skin from the amniotic fluid and cushions it against scratches from its own toes and fingers as it kicks and rolls. Newborns arrive coated in vernix, which is cleaned off immediately after delivery.
• The fetal circulatory system is fully functional, as the umbilical cord thickens to carry liters of blood and nourishment daily from the mother to the fetus.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

The fetus can indeed hear sounds from the womb now and can even be startled by loud noises. The din of everyday life is normally fine for developing fetuses, and helps to introduce them to the world in which they will live. If, however, you live or work in an environment where loud noises are extreme and consistently present, let your doctor know.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email