Week 18

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along? 18 weeks

Size of the Baby? Mango

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes

Gender? pink

Movement? Not feeling anything major yet and rarely feeling the flutters... i was getting worried but the more i read the more i realize i shouldn't worry yet. some people don't feel anything at all until as far as 26 weeks and regular movement isn't supposed to be kept track of until week 28-29

Sleep? It feels SO great not to be dependent on sleep meds anymore. for the past 3 years i've taken ambient and then at the beginning of pregnancy i switched to unisom. When i stopped having morning sickness I took a scary risk and nixed the sleep meds all together one night. and have been smooth sailing ever since. i usually have no problem FALLING asleep but wake up pretty frequently throughout the night trying to get comfortable. :)

Cravings? those seasonal cookies from bi-lo with the icing on top. i ate a whole thing of orange fall ones this week. sheesh

Symptoms? this week I've been getting these really weird twinges of pain in my lower back and front abdomen. I'm pretty sure they are round ligament pain. YOWZA does it hurt. takes my breath away for a few seconds and makes me feel like I'm going to throw up. didn't have any headaches this week. tailbone hurts if I sit down after I've been on my feet all day (i.e.- cheer competitions and football games)

What I miss? not getting out of breath so easily. good grief! i get SO winded i feel like a smoker trying to run a marathon after going up my stairs.

Milestones? no big ones this week

Weight Gain? 3 lbs people!!

What I’m nervous about? the dogs adjusting to baby girl

What I’m excited about? next Wednesday we go for the anatomy scan at the doctor. where we get to check out her organs, brain, heart, fingers, possibly six little toes, etc etc :)

Baby Center Update for Week 18: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.