18 WEEKS PREGGERS! BELLY PIC!

Progress!Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces! She's busy flexing her arms and legs, movements that I'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. I have already felt the occasional flutter her and there! Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they still stand out a bit from her head. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after her birth.

My cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes now, and during this trimester my blood pressure will probably be lower than usual (although I have always have relatively low blood pressure). I have read to be careful not to spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or I might feel a little dizzy. From now on, when I do lie down, its important that I lie on my side, preferably to the left as when you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart. Thank goodness for my Boppy Total Body pillow!

 I have already gotten used to sleeping on my left side, with the support of this awesome pillow since early in my pregnancy. Whoa boy! Major indigestion this week! And those pesky pregnancy hormones causing mucous membranes in my body to swell result in bleeding gums when I brush my teeth and constant congestion (and the occasional light nose bleed from dried sinus cavities). But other than those three reoccurring symptoms, I feel pretty good!