Happy mothers day to all momma's out there! There is a heated debate whether or not pregnant ladies should celebrate mother's day, and I am on the fence. Part of me says that I have been a mother since finding out I was preggers, since I have to take care of my child and make sure it is healthy and happy in my belly, but part of me says I am a mother the first time I hold my child in my arms....Not sure. Either way, Happy Mother's day to all!
We have reached week 25!! 15 left! We are soon coming to the end of the 6th month, as well as the end of the second trimester, 2 more weeks til we cross that point! Isabella is doing well, moving and kicking, all though not as often as I would like. Some days she is crazy active, and the next she barely moves. They say this is normal, but I would prefer her to be crazy all the time so I know everything is all good.
Isabella is supposedly the 2nd most common name in the country for girls right now, which sort of depresses me, but at the same time, neither Brian nor I know any, and if we continue to call her BellaReese, I am sure she will be the only one we ever meet who goes by that. I always wanted to have such a creative name for my daughter, like my name (how many Carmelle's do you know?!?!?), and BellaReese is our solution to normalcy.
This week, Brian and I are going to Chicago to visit aunt Randi, a professional photographer who also did our pre-ceremony wedding pics, to do some belly/pregnancy pictures! We are very excited! Usually you do them a little later, but Randi will soon be leaving for Germany for the rest of the summer and this was the only really good day that we could get together to do them. I will keep you posted on how those go; I am sure they will turn out amazing!
Ok, so here is what BellaReese will be doing this week:
You are 25 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 23 weeks)
Baby is around 13.5 inches in length and weighs 1 and half pounds (BellaReese is measuring a bit bigger, but that is according to measurements, not an actual scale), or the size of an English hothouse cucumber from head to heel or a liter of soda or about the length of a burp cloth (otherwise known as your primary wardrobe accessory for the next several months). .
Bones are becoming solid, hands are now fully developed.
The brain is growing rapidly, the brain cells are starting to mature.
The sexual organs are fully developed. Baby is now pretty well built portion wise even though it still has little body fat and its skin is thin. The structures of the spine begin to form -- All 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments. The tiny brain is growing rapidly, and the baby is starting to fill the space in your uterus. The uterus is now about the size of a soccer ball and mom looks pregnant (yea, slightly! I got some ice cream at work the other day for employee recognition day and the lady scooping it asked if I wanted a lot or a little, and being good I said a little only, so she scooped some out and said "this should still be enough for the two of you." She was the first stranger to comment on me being pregnant! I wanted to hug her! At least people can tell I am not just getting fat!!!) Your baby's hands are now fully developed, although some of the nerve connections to the hands have a long way to go. Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and clasp objects placed in palm. Exploring the structures inside your uterus may have become baby's prime entertainment. Fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus gives itself; it touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord.
Blood vessels of the lungs develop. Your baby's nostrils begin to open. The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. Their swallowing reflexes are developing. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. Air sacks are developing in your baby's lungs, which means it just might be possible for your baby to take a breath at the end of this week. The air sacks (technically called alveoli) will continue to grow for the next nine years. The membrane that keeps the alveoli separate from the blood vessels is now thin enough to allow for that oxygen–carbon dioxide exchange we call breathing.
Baby can hear sounds outside the womb and the brain cells are starting to mature also. Already it can learn and remember and can recognize its mother and fathers voice. Brainwaves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in baby's noggin this week. That means baby's brain is registering things like sound and light. She can't understand what any of it means yet, but she's on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time! . One hint that your karaoke rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not the best would be when the baby starts banging on your gut. Your bambino will also start to recognize your partner's voice. He may feel silly talking to your stomach, (Brian won't talk to her, he says he doesn't know what to say. It drives me crazy because I talk to her all the time, but he just has a mental block about it) but assure him that somebody other than you is definitely listening. Research has shown that newborns actually recognize familiar sounds after birth. Proof that your baby has been paying attention all along.
Other highlights this week: The retina completes the development of its normal layers this week—all the better to see you with. Well not you, per-se, because her eyes are still sealed shut and it's really dark in there, but your baby's eyes are now fully developed and she's continuing to put on baby fat.
Babies at 25 weeks of pregnancy stand a 50% chance of survival (that is up from 25 to 30% chance from last week already!).
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