Sixty-six

16 weeks 0 days

Well, here we go. We're getting into the "meat" of this pregnancy. This week starts my weekly cervical checks and progesterone shots. Eight weeks until viability.

 

Emotionally, I'm still in that slump from a few days ago. The headaches have gone away, thankfully. I was beginning to worry that my blood pressure was up. The past couple of days, I think bean has been playing on my cervix (because it's fun to make me freak the eff out). I will get random stabbing pains low down if I'm standing up too long (in the shower or trying to do the dishes, for example). It's only every so often, and I remember having this with the twins for a while before there were any problems. I'm just glad I have a scheduled ultrasound this week and if there are any changes happening I will be getting a cerclage. Of course, if these pains become persistent, I will go to the hospital to get checked out before then. I am not messing around.

And on a completely unrelated note, what is up with Target? The baby sale usually isn't until later in the year, and I was planning on saving up for it so we could do some major shopping (because it would be happening after we reached viability and I'd be feeling a lot better about buying everything we need). Instead, it's this week and we have absolutely NO money to spare or any room on our credit cards, thanks to getting hit with another random big bill. Arg. On top of that, we were planning on doing our registry there on Wednesday after our ultrasound, but now it's going to be pointless because I'm sure it will either be busy or picked over. Double arg. Stupid Target. I guess we'll do a Babies R Us registry this week instead. Boo. (Though I could rant about them, too. They've had some good stuff on sale this past week and this weekend that I would have loved to have been able to buy.)

Anyway, here's the weekly update:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

See you after my ultrasound.