Fifteen Weeks, Two Days - The Sixteenth Week

Internet's back up. We think it may be a router problem. We're getting RoadRunner (cable modem) on Saturday, so hopefully most of these Internet problems will disappear. Anyway, here's the development update.

My Symptoms
Not much new. I've been having more headaches. I notice that I get them when I get hungry, so I try to eat more often, but sometimes I just get them. Tylenol doesn't help much, but that's all I've got. I do miss my Imitrex. I'm still getting bigger. Last week I started gaining weight. It's ok though, because What to Expect says I can gain a pound a week. I don't think I've felt the baby yet. At least nothing I could be be remotely sure was the baby. Hopefully, soon. I'll give more of an update after Thursday's appointment.

The Baby
The crown-to-rump length of your baby by this week is 4.3 to 4.6 inches. Weight is about 2.8 ounces. Fine lanugo hair covers your baby's head. The umbilical cord is attached to the abdomen; this attachment has moved lower on teh body of the fetus. Fingernails are well formed. The legs are longer than the arms. Arms and legs are moving. You can see this movement during an ultrasound examination. You may also be able to feel your baby move at this point in your pregnancy. Many women describe feelings of movement as a "gas bubble" or "fluttering." Often, it's something you have noticed for a few days or more, but you didn't realize what you were feeling. Then it occurs to you: You're feeling the baby moving inside you!

The fetus is about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 ounces. It can swallow! It has preliminary toenails and can move its eyes (though there’s not a lot to see in there).

At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 1,900 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

Your baby's nails are well formed, and some babies are even in need of having their nails trimmed at birth. The ears have also moved from the neck to the head. Your baby is emptying his or her bladder every 40-45 minutes. The limb movements are becoming more coordinated. Your baby is about 3 ounces (85 grams) and 6.3 inches (16 cms). The gender may be detectable by ultrasound.

The Mom
As your baby grows, your uterus and placenta are also growing. Six weeks ago, your uterus weighed about 5 ounces. Today it weighs about 8.75 ounces. The amount of amniotic fluid around the baby is also increasing. There is now about 7.5 uonces of fluid. You can easily feel your uterus about 3 inches below your bellybutton.

"By doze is stuffed ub!" Stuffy nose is common in pregnancy, and so are nosebleeds. That nose of yours is going through a lot right now (as is the rest of you). Progesterone and estrogen are coursing through your body at high rates, softening and swelling mucus membranes including those in the nose and in (hooray!!!) the cervix! Avoid nasal sprays and medications -- sometimes a humidifier in the room where you sleep can help.

Have people been telling you how wonderful you look? The "glow of pregnancy" is real, thanks to increased blood flow to the skin. You may be enjoying yourself more, too, now that your hormones have stabilized and nausea has eased up. You're also probably less anxious about something happening to your baby (the risk of miscarriage drops dramatically after the 14th week) which likely adds to your overall sense of well-being. 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, most don't until about 18 weeks or more. If this is your first baby, don't be too anxious — 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 start to feel unmistakably like kicks.

You may begin to feel the baby move around this point. This is more likely to happen now if you are a multipara (someone who has had a previous child) or if you are very thin. Generally you will feel the baby move about one month earlier than you did in a previous pregnancy, mainly because you know what you are feeling. It is not uncommon for first time mothers to not recognize fetal movements until 22-24 weeks. These first movements are called "quickening." They can also be used in helping to determine your due date.