Week 13

Baby is the size of a Peach this week!

Most of you who are reading this know that there has been a little bit of ‘stress’ in my life these past few months. Of course this inconveniently coincides with the very important 1^st trimester.  So being the curious type, I immediately consulted Mr. Google to see how harmful all this stress has/can be on a growing fetus....and well the results just stressed me more! Argh!!  Apparently, chronic stress leads to elevated epinephrine (fight or flight chemical) which can constrict vessels and reduce oxygenation. But MORE worrisome is that when a pregnant woman experiences stress (especially in the first trimester) the body produces a chemical that essentially “ages” the placenta prematurely....which leads to preterm birth.  And the WORST of all is that baby’s temperament and neurobehavioral development can be altered.  As one article states "Who you are and what you're like when you're pregnant will affect who that baby is." SO the take home message for me is…take a breath….sing a song….count my blessings….and RELAX! 

No peach so ornament instead.

On a happier note, I have definitely been feeling little June bug wiggling around.  I had forgotten how incredible that sensation is. It feels like a gentle rolling or tapping.  I looked back to Bryce’s blog and noted that “quickening” was documented around the same time. (14 weeks) I feel fortunate because many times, women don’t feel this movement until closer to 20 weeks especially in their first pregnancy.  Why do they call it quickening anyways!?  The word “quick” originally meant “alive”. Historically, quickening was considered to be the beginning of the possession of "individual life" by the fetus.

Bryce and I decided to attempt to reassemble his crib for the new baby.  I wanted to buy a new one by couldn't justify throwing it out when it's perfectly fine. (minus the teething marks)  So of course Bryce was eager to "help" with the screwdriver, placing random screws in random holes.  Come to find out we were missing many key components. I had a feeling that would be the case as Bryce had from time to time, removed the Ziploc baggie of parts to play "Mr. Fix It".  So after an hour, it was deemed to be a futile endeavour and I'm afraid it will be headed to the landfill.  If June Bug is a girl, I'd like a white crib anyways.  Just something about white for a little girls room.  And if we are blessed with another boy, I think I'll choose a nice espresso colour again.

What's going on with baby this week? "Buckle up folks, we're about to head into trimester two!  You little womb tenant is getting bigger and smarter every day! Their skin is paper thin and rather see through, showing off all their shiny new functioning and still developing organs.  Their sense of taste and smell are more developed and refined while their cozy amniotic sac continues to increase in size and mass and fill with more fluid.  As we embark on the second trimester, it's time for your manatee-to-alien-to-tiny-weird-human to evolve into a monkey baby!  Little hairs, known as lanugo, will start to cover your baby's body this week, which will eventually be shed some time after birth.  Of all the trimesters this one has been the most critical to ensuring your baby's development is on the right track.  If you've carefully adopted a healthy diet, continued to stay active, and made sure you're getting all the rest you need, you've got you little one set up for some spectacular growth and development in tri-two.  Way to go mama!"  (Active? when feeling insanely sick all day?  And getting rest? With a spirited 3 year old?  That must have been written for 1st time mom's! lol)

184 days to go...bet they'll fly by!!