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Monday, November 15, 2010

Baby Stockton #2 Countdown - Week 19, 21 to Go!

Only 1 more week to the halfway point. That's 4-1/2 months to go if this baby comes on time. It never ceases to amaze me I'll be holding my second little one and falling in love all over again in just a matter of months. :)

And as of week 19, here is the update:

Our first ultrasound is scheduled for December 2nd. My husband and mother-in-law will be there with me. I'd love to take my daughter too, but it's right in the middle of her naptime. (sigh) She'll just have to be happy with feeling the baby kick and seeing Mommy's tummy get bigger and bigger.

I started feeling movement about a month ago and have been feeling flutters or bubbles every day since. I've noticed this one doesn't like it when I lean forward or when my daughter sits on my belly. Can't imagine why! :) Doc said I should definitely experience my first real kick about mid-December.

Belly hasn't gotten much larger, and I'm glad! I haven plenty of room in there. This tyke is swimming happy and probably doing the backstroke, reveling in all the freedom to move. Better enjoy it now, as it won't last long.

My amazing little baby is now around 10 inches in length! If this seems a bit shocking, it's actually because his/her little legs are now straight enough to be measured. This is when doctors begin measuring fetal growth from head to toe, (no longer “crown to rump” or CR). Lanugo (little hairs) covers my little one's whole body now, trapping that charming cheese-like vernix caseosa (see week 18) to the surface to the skin.

This week my baby will start on an appetizing diet of amniotic fluid which he/she is now capable of swallowing, digesting, and passing the fluid as far as their tiny “large” intestines. Fortunately for me, this nice little lump of baby-poop won’t be coming out while the baby is still in my womb. Some time shortly after birth, though, this fun lump will become the first in a long line of baby poops. Oh yay, that black, sticky stuff again. *winks* At least we're given advance warning about what it will look like and how to get it off.

That's it for now. Next week, we'll be back East visiting family for Thanksgiving. So, the next 2 weeks will be "on location" out there. Tune in each week for the latest. And if you want to receive an email each time I post an update, subscribe using the form over there at the top right.

Thanks for coming along this journey with me...some of you for the second time.

2 comments:

Martha A. said...

that black sticky stuff is so fun to deal with! One tip that i often give as a doula to new moms that many people don't know. When the baby is first born, and every diaper change for the first few days, coat them with some Vaseline, it will wipe off super easy then!

Casey said...

I didn't know you were pregnant! Congratulations!! I am so happy for you. :D