Week 21

Well we move on to week 21 but the party has not stopped. Its a Girl is still a phrase to bring a smile to our faces when we have a bad day. Seems to lift moral instantly.

This week in "Growth of a Baby"...

Now that you are 21 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs about 13 ounces (360 grams). She is still able to move about inside the amniotic fluid, and will only quiet down towards the end of this trimester, where she will turn and settle into a head-down position.

Growth starts to slow down a bit now and the heart beat gets stronger. Baby's legs will also reach their relative proportion.

The amniotic fluid that has cushioned and supported your baby in the uterus now has another purpose; the intestines have developed enough so that small amounts of sugars can be absorbed from the amniotic fluid the baby swallows. This sugar is then passed through the digestive system to the large bowel. However, most of your baby's nourishment still comes from you via the placenta.

Up until now, baby's liver and spleen have been responsible for the production of blood cells - in fact, the fetal liver will produce blood cells until the time of birth. Now, the bone marrow spaces are developed enough so that they can also contribute to blood cell formation.

As you might guess I still weigh more than the baby. And as I type this I realize there is a strong chance I always will. That's depressing. Poor fat me :(

Charissa is experiencing some body discomforts now. Back and shoulder tightness. She is a solider through it all but now and then needs a back rub to help out. Over all she is doing great. And why: Because its a girl !