Warning: Family Friday posts are an open and honest update of our pregnancy. There will be references to lady parts, internal organs, and bodily functions. There will also be photos of baby bumps and ultrasounds. If any of this bothers you, please stop reading now.
21 Weeks
THE BABY:
– is about 10.5 inches long from head to heel
– should weigh about 11 ounces
– should weigh about 11 ounces
– is now moving and kicking with force and coordination
– is “tasting” things, as the amniotic fluid changes daily based on what I eat
– is beginning to form regular wake and sleep cycles
WEIGHT: +9 pounds total. Another 1.5 pound gain this week… maybe it’s muscle gain from all the weight lifting workouts I’ve been doing lately?
BODY: My waist is now at +3 inches, my lower belly is now at +3.5 inches, and my hips are now are +1.5 inches. I’ve never posted my thigh measurement before but they’ve actually only increased .25 of an inch so far which makes me feel better about the hip size increase.
THE GOOD: 1) Movement. Baby G wiggles around every day. He/she moves most while I’m exercising, when Dulce curls up on my lap, and if I lay on my back. We can now actually see my belly move on the outside when Baby G is moving! 2) Energy. I’m thankful that I still feel great during the day and that I’m sleeping good at night.
THE BAD: 1) Movement. As much as I love that Baby G is moving around, I don’t love when he/she decides that my bladder is a comfy thing to rest upon or kick. Sometimes Baby G can get uncomfortably low. 2) Hip Size. I know that they are supposed to spread to make room for baby and make childbirth easier but that little 1.5 inch increase means that I am two to three sizes bigger in regular pants and shorts now. None of my old bottoms fit anymore.
FOOD: My favorite foods are currently pickled beets, anything spicy/hot, and Cheerios. Not all at once though 😉
EXERCISE: I have found my go-to class at the fitness center: Power Pump. I go to this class two times a week and I love it! We use weighted bars and hand weights to work all of the major muscle groups in our body. I can feel myself getting stronger and rebuilding some muscle in my thighs, arms, and back.
OTHER NOTES: We had our big ultrasound today! This was an anatomy scan to check Baby G’s growth and development. Everything looked like it was supposed to. Baby G looked healthy and was moving around. We even saw Baby G sucking his/her thumb… aawwwww! We saw all the parts of Baby G’s body: a perfect oval-shaped head, the brain, face, a round little stomach, heart, kidneys, bladder, bones, hands, feet, 10 fingers, 10 toes, two arms, and two long, muscular-looking legs that have been kicking me for the past couple weeks. At this point, Baby G should weigh about 11 ounces but the ultrasound technician estimated that he/she is about 15 ounces! No wonder I’ve been feeling such strong movements!
We did find out Baby G’s gender but we aren’t telling yet! On Sunday we are having a little “gender reveal party” with our families. Johnnie’s family is here visiting and we will be Skyping my family who will all be gathered at my parent’s house. I’ve got an amazing baker who is making a pink or blue cake for us which will reveal the gender to our families. Everyone has an idea of what Baby G’s gender is so it will be tons of fun to see everyone’s reactions!!
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“Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here
in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be.”
~Carrie Fisher