Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.
It's after midnight so I am officially 19 weeks pregnant. It's really flying by, thanks life keeping me busy and stressed out! I feel good physically but definitely more pregnant. My diastasis recti makes my belly huge and my back hurt but my midwife gave me a pregnancy exercise book that has a section on this. Hopefully I can be diligent enough to help close the gap a bit.
I had my latest midwife appointment last week and I finally gained weight- 2 pounds. I'm not nervous at all that I won't gain enough weight since I gained 42 with Chloe and 31 with Auron. I do hope I can keep it under 30 this time. 25 would be ideal. She tried 3 different fetoscopes but it was too early still and the baby seemed to be nestled pretty deeply in there. My midwife impressed me when she felt around and said that the baby seemed to be in the head-down position. Baby's only like 6 inches long! I though, "You have highly skilled, magic hands!"
We talked about my high stress levels and asked me if it would hurt anything if I took a break from school... I want to do everything (perfectly) and so the idea of taking a break is painful for me to imagine. I may take time to speak to my advisor.
I'm going to use a pregnancy update list that I stole from my friend Marcie! (Thanks Marcie! :)
Pregnancy Update:
How far along?: 19 weeks.
Total weight gain: 2 pounds.
How big is baby?: About 6 inches and 8-9 ounces.
Stretch marks?: That was done and over with with Chloe. I got 3 or 4 small ones with Auron. I doubt any new ones will crop up this time. If they do, oh well! I won't be heartbroken!
Sleep?: Thanks to Pepsin supplements that are eliminating heartburn... incredible!!
Best moment this week?: The kids kissing the belly and talking to the baby. So sweet!
Movement?: Increasing more and more. I was kind of squishing the belly when I was getting Auron to bed and Baby must have gotten cramped and kicked several times.
Food cravings?: Fruit juices, giant veggie Subs, and hot puffed Cheetos!
Labor signs?: I haven't started braxton hicks yet but with this being my third, I'm expecting more than ever later on.
Belly button in or out?: I have a permanent outie.
What I miss: Emotional stability. ...Okay, just the amount of stability that I have when not pregnant. Doesn't mean it's a normal amount!
What I'm looking forward to: Hitting the 20 week mark; feeling more and stronger movements; our vacation in 3 weeks!
Milestone: Half-way point next week!
That's so cute that the kids talk to the baby! Hang in there with school. I'm in the same boat, taking a summer class online. Even though it's online, it's hard when you're pregnant! You can always take a semester off if it gets overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marcie! I'm starting to consider taking a bit of a break but I think I'm going to hold out until after next term to see if it's still stressing me out. 2/4 terms so far have been really easy so I might luck out and be okay. I will be taking a smaller course-load the term that I'm due so that will help.
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