Welcome McKenzie Ann Clough

She's Here!!!!

On Tuesday November 16th at 3AM I was awoken with weird back pains.  By 4 AM they were bad enough to keep me awake.  At 5 AM I experienced my bloody show and was pretty sure labor was imminent!  The whole day is kind of a blur, but I remember timing the pain a lot, googling back pains, and walking to try and get thing moving.  By mid-day, I the pain was increasing and coming at regular intervals.  I was not convinced this was labor though, because I had yet to feel any contractions in my abdomen.  Finally at 4PM, 13 hours after the pain begun I called my doctor to state I may be in labor.  At this point the pains were coming about every 5-10 minutes for 40-70 seconds long.  The midwife at the hospital called me back and truly believed I was in labor, but did not want me to come in yet.  She said to call back if they became 4-5 minutes apart for 1 minute long for 1 hour.  Well by 7:30 PM I had about had it and called Diane back.  She told me I could make my way to the hospital if I'd like.

At 8PM, Bidde (the midwife who came on after Diane) checked me and I was 100% effaced, 3 cm dilated, and -2 station.  Baby was not turned the "right" way so that is why all my labor was back labor.  Bidde said we needed to get baby to turn before she could come out.  She was very understanding and said after 17 hours of labor I could try getting in the tub, but then I could get an epidural!

8:30 PM - I got in the tub and tried to work through the contractions until about 9:15 and then I was ready for the epi!!!!!!!

At 9:30 PM The anaesthesiologist came in to do my epidural.  She tried various times, but I guess something wasn't working and she said she was going to try one more time.  I prayed that this was going to work.  It did!  Although I still felt a lot of pressure it was a whole lot better and manageable now.  After I got the epidural the nurse said lights out to Chris and I!  She wanted us to rest.  Well....as Chris was snoring away, I couldn't sleep!  My blood pressure was dropping...although the only way I knew it was because the machine kept beeping and I felt the pressure was too much, so the anaesthesiologist came and gave me a little something extra!  By this time it was November 17th...and we knew this would be our baby's birthday.

After 25 hours or so of back labor it was time to push around 4:30am.  This was the scariest part for me...mainly because I didn't think I could do it!  Chris stayed up by my head and Bidde and the nurse held my legs up.  I could still feel pressure so I knew when to push.  Bidde let me push for as long as I wanted.  I did sets of 3 pushes then would rest.

After 45 minutes of pushing at 5:09AM on November 17, 2010 McKenzie Ann Clough entered the world!  She was screaming before she was even all the way out!  She was put on my chest right away and stay there through all her tests and clean up!  She only left to get weighed...she was a healthy 9 pounds 3 ounces!  I was astonished that I just delivered a 9 lb baby!!!!!!!!!!  and even more that I only needed 2 stitches!

McKenzie Ann Clough is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birh story, pictures, and more...coming soon!

38/39 Week Appointment

Today I had my 38/39 Week Appointment.  Although it started off scary, it ended well.  When I got in they took my blood pressure and said it was 140/98....wayyyyyyy high!  Last Wednesday it was 120/80.  They took it a billion more times with same result.  So the nurse said she'd let me sit and said she'd take it again after I met with the midwife.  Well the midwife came in and all I could think about was the BP issue!  I knew if I had developed Pre-Eclampsia that I would need to be induced...maybe even that night!  As usual...the midwife was cool as a cucumber and did all the regular stuff.  She took my fundal height which was 38 inches (38 weeks), my weight...which is officially up to 14 pounds, the heartbeart (130 bpm), and felt her position which is still head down and pretty low she says!  Then she herself took my blood pressure 3 times and got 118/78 three times.  She said there wasn't any protein in my urine either, which accompanies high blood pressure when you have pre-e. 

My next appointment is a week from today (Monday!)

38 Weeks!!!!!!!

38 Weeks Pregnant!

Only two more weeks (or plus two more, max) before your baby makes his or her appearance. And what an adorable appearance that will be! Your little one isn't so little anymore — weighing in at close to seven pounds and hitting the height charts at the 21-inch mark (or less).

As you prepare (best you can) for baby's ETA, he or she is also getting ready, big time. Vernix and lanugo continue to shed from your baby's body into the amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows that amniotic fluid (yum yum?) and some of it winds up in his or her intestines where it — along with other shed cells, bile, and other waste products (triple yum) — will turn into your baby's first bowel movement (meconium) and perhaps your first diaper change.



Your baby's lungs continue to mature as more and more surfactant is secreted (remember — it helps prevent the lungs from sticking to each other when your baby begins to breathe…definitely a good thing). At 38 weeks pregnant, all systems, almost go!

Only a couple more weeks to go!!

38 week OB appointment

Here are the highlights from today's OB appointment.  It was very quick!

• I've gained one pound since last week, bringing the pregnancy total to 12 pounds.
• My BP was 120/82
• Fundal Height was 38 cm (38 weeks)
• Baby's head is pretty low and the midwife believes she is belly up.
• Because Baby's back was aligned with mine so it made it difficult to find the heartbeat.  It was a little nerve racking, and what seemed like 20 minutes was probably only 1.  She did find the heartbeat and it was 130 bpm!!
• I've been having a lot of pressure and braxton hicks and a little pain today.  Midwife says my body is gearing up!

Back on Monday!  Stay tuned!!

FULL TERM!!

I'm officially considered "full term" today as I have reached 37 weeks pregnant!  I'm not really sure the significance of the word "full term" other than that it means baby will be here soon!

37 Weeks Pregnant

With just three more weeks to go and at about six and a half pounds (though weight and height vary from fetus to fetus), your baby is doing just fine. You can expect weight gain to be about half an ounce per day. (Boys, though, are likely to be heavier at birth than girls. And here's a bit of boy baby trivia to back that one up: Moms carrying boys tend to eat more than moms carrying girls — a foreshadowing of teenage refrigerator raids to come.) Since your little one is considered full-term at 37 weeks pregnant, if your baby was to leave the wet nest this week, he or she would likely thrive. That's because Mother Nature and you have done such a fine job.

So what's keeping your little one busy while waiting it out until D-day? Practice, practice, practice. Your baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his or her thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side (one day you feel the tushy on the left side, another day it has swung around to the right side). All these are skills needed for his or her next gig — starring as newborn.



Here's an interesting fact: Your baby's head (which, by the way, is still growing) will, at birth, be the same size circumference as his or her hips, abdomen, and shoulders. And guess what's making an impression (literally) these days on those shoulders and hips: fat — causing little dimples in those cute elbows and knees, shoulders and hip, and creases and folds in the neck and wrists

Only a few more weeks until we meet baby!!!!!!!!

37 Week OB Appointment

Today I had an OB appointment with the midwife.  Here are the highlights:

• My blood pressure:  114/80
• I've gained 1 pound since my last appointment..bringing the total for the pregnancy up to 11 pounds.
• My Group B Test was negative!!
• Baby's heartrate was 130 bpm
• My fundal height was 37 cm (37 weeks)
• Baby is still head down
• The midwife believes baby has indeed dropped.

My next appointment i a week from today....stay tuned!

In honor of election day...

When do you think McKenzie will be born?

• Between November 1st-5th
• Between November 6th-10th
• Between November 11th- 15th
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• Between December 6th-10th

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36 Weeks 3 days

9 MONTHS

Wow.  I can't believe I'm posting that I am 9 months pregnant.  I remember the day that Chris started this blog and how excited we were.  I also remember thinking how far away November felt.  Welp, Monday is November 1st and our first baby is almost here.  We want to thank everyone who has used this blog to keep up with the health and wellbeing of our baby and us and hope you continue to read it as the "big day" approaches.  I'm also toying with the idea of continuing this blog once McKenzie is born.  I think it would be cool to show her where she started (Literally!  When she was the size of a poppy seed in my belly).  So stay tuned!

NINE MONTHS PREGNANT!

Your baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his or her little body. Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey as your baby squeezes through the birth canal at delivery (and less prodding and poking for Mom along the way). At 36 weeks pregnant, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

So your little bruiser (who you've now learned won't be bruising you all that much with those soft bones) is now about six pounds in weight and measures slightly more than 20 inches in length. Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he or she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.



By now, many of your baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms — and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him or her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that? Inside his or her little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system — though developed — hasn't been operational. So your baby will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.



Less than a month until my due date!!!!!!

COUNTDOWN

ONE MONTH FROM TODAY IS MY DUE DATE!!!!  WE ARE VERY EXCITED!

BUT technically...she can arrive anytime between November 4th and December 9th.....

Pray that she comes sooner than later!!

35 Weeks!

35 Weeks Pregnant

Wow!  Ok...I think it's REALLY hit me, I'm going to have to deliver this baby soon!  We've attended childbirth class, had our shower, been to every OB visit, and more...I guess we are as ready as we'll ever be!

 

At about 20 inches and five and a half pounds (but with about five more weeks to grow), most of your baby's growth over the next month or so before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Accordingly, fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days (on baby, not just on your hips). Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now at 35 weeks pregnant, that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent (and will increase to 30 percent at term). Which means your baby's once skinny arms and legs are now quite plump…and irresistibly, squeezably soft.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is your baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain — the skull — remains soft. And for good reason: A soft skull will allow your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal. (Mother Nature was really thinking this one through — imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head…ouch!)



5 weeks until we meet our little one!

34 Weeks 4 Days

Today we had another OB appointment.  Here are the highlights:

• I've gained 10 pounds over the course of my pregnancy
• My blood pressure was 110/70
• Baby's heartrate was 140
• Baby is still head down!
• I had my Group B Strep Test
• I've got a little carpal tunnel (ouch!)
• My fundal height is 34 cm (34 weeks)
• I got my 34 week packet that tells about recognizing labor and when to call your provider! (ahhh!)

This weekend Chris and I will attend an Infant Care Class at NWH and in two weeks I will be considered FULL TERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

38 days until my due date!!!!!!!!

34 Weeks!!!!!!!!

At 34 weeks pregnant we are starting to get very anxious for the impending arrival of our first child!  This weekend we will attend our childbirth class, next weekend we have infant care and then in a few weeks I'll go to breastfeeding class!  We are ready to learn about how to navigate our new life ahead!



Your baby could be as tall as 20 inches right now and about five pounds. Need a visual? Hold a five-pound bag of flour in your arms and imagine it's your soon-to-be-born baby (cradle it, and you'll only get strange looks in the baking aisle). Then stack three such bags one on top of the other (and get ready for some more strange looks, maybe from the same clerks who saw you grinning and holding that one-pound box of sugar a few weeks ago). That's how tall your baby is at 34 weeks pregnant. (Now go bake some oatmeal raisin cookies with all that flour!)

If your little doughboy is, well, a boy, then you'll be pleased to know that this week his testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to his scrotum. (Some baby boys — three to four percent — are born with undescended testicles, but they usually make the trip down sometime before the first birthday.)



Your baby's fingernails now reach the end of the fingertips and may even curl over the tip, making a manicure one of the first things you'll need to do for your little bundle.

6 weeks until our daughter is here!

33 Weeks!

Today we had our 33 week OB appointment!  Highlights:

• Baby's heartrate was 130 bpm.
• Baby is still head down, but has not dropped.
• I am measuring right on target (33 weeks)
• My blood pressure was 122/78
• I've gained 7 pounds over the pregnancy
• I got my flu shot!
• Next appointment I'll be screened for Group B Strep

33 Weeks Pregnant!

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

7 weeks until we get to meet our little one!

Coming Soon...

A new ultrasound video!  We went back to Goldenview ultrasound to see baby again at 31 weeks!  Chris will post the new video asap!

32 Weeks 5 days!

Nursery Tour

Here's an updated tour of the nursery with some of the new items from the baby shower...

8 Months!

8 MONTHS PREGNANT!

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that's a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). At 32 weeks pregnant, you're likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby's signature rocking and rolling. That's because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in prepartion for birth. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don't worry if your baby hasn't assumed the head-down position yet. There's still a good chance he or she will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.

While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before you'll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas). In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby's digestive system is all set and ready to go.

And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his or her skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over. Though weeks away from D-day, your baby's looking more and more like a newborn.

And speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you're likely feeling these days).

 

56 days until we get to meet McKenzie Ann Clough!

Baby Shower!!!!!!!!

Our baby shower was held on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at the Hopkinton Country Club.  The shower was so much fun and beautiful!  The decorations were so detailed and pretty!  The cake was delicious and the food was superb!  We got so many gifts, we can't believe it!!!!!!  The best part was spending a nice day with so many wonderful people!  McKenzie is a very lucky baby and we can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Check out the pictures from the shower!

31 weeks 1 day!

31 Weeks!

Week 31 of Pregnancy: Activity in the Womb

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. At 31 weeks pregnant, you can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet.


Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.


So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).


9 WEEKS UNTIL WE GET TO SEE OUR BABY!

30 Weeks 4 days

Today we had our first appointment with the midwife!  She was awesome!  She is one of 10, so the odds of getting her on "the big day" is slim to none, but it's nice to know how they operate as a group.

Well, it's happened...I've broke even from my prepregnancy weight.  Today I weighed in the same I did the day I found out I was pregnant!  I've officially gained 0 pounds overall.

Baby's heartrate was in the 130s again and she has moved head down!  We were pretty sure she was breech last appointment and maybe that's why I was measuring ahead.  Today I measured 31 weeks, which I will be on Thursday.

She also said that baby is pretty low in my pelvis and that's why I've had to pee so much more lately!!  Even though baby is low, the midwife said she hasn't dropped yet.

Good News!

I PASSED MY THREE HOUR GLUCOSE SCREENING!  NO GESTATIONAL DIABETES!  BRING ON THE ICE CREAM...ok not too much!

30 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!

TEN WEEKS LEFT!

Here we are at 30 weeks pregnant, with only 10 weeks left!



Week 30 of Pregnancy: Fetal Brain Development

Until now, the surface of your baby's brain was smooth. Now that little brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations, which allow for an increased amount of brain tissue as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb.

Your baby's height and weight haven't changed much in the past week, but the big news is your baby's brain gain. Until now, the surface of your baby's brain was smooth. Now, your fetus's brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. The reason for this change in appearance? Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb, and the street smarts he or she will need.



Another big change at 30 weeks pregnant: Your baby's bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for your baby, because it means he or she is better able to thrive on his or her own once born (with a little TLC from you, of course).



So it's in with the new (brain cells, red blood cells) and out with the old (lanugo). Much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering your baby's body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat and the brain are regulating your baby's body temperature (so no need for that furry coat anymore). But you may see a few leftover strands of fur on your newborn's back and shoulders.

70 DAYS UNTIL WE MEET OUR BABY!

29 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well here we are at 29 weeks pregnant! 

Unfortunately, I failed the glucose test, so I'm heading back to do the 3 hr glucose test on Thursday.  In 17 days we are heading back to Goldenview Ultrasound to see baby again! 

Week 29 of Pregnancy: Baby Fat

Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now, nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth. But that three-pound weight will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time.


At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His or her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.



Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.



Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.
And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).

29 Weeks Pregnant Pic

Test Results

Welp, I failed the glucose test by ONE point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So now I have to do the 3hr test (11 hours of fasting). Wicked bummer!

Although I was borderline anemic...doctor says I don't need to take any addtional supplements. So that's good.

Today I started school and found out two kids have chicken pox in kindergarten!!  I haven't seen someone with chicken pox in years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I've never had chicken pox, so I'm trying to avoid getting it, although if I was exposed it's too late now!  Cross your fingers that I don't get chicken pox at 24 and pregnant!

Oh and that I don't end up having Gestational Diabetes!!

7 Month OB Appointment

Today we had our 7 month OB appointment.  Here are some highlights:

• I've gained 3 lbs since last month, but still 3 pounds away from breaking even at my prepregnancy weight.
• Blood Pressure was 112/70!
• My fundal height measured 30 cm, which shows I'm measuring slightly ahead.
• Baby's heartrate was 138 bpm
• I did the glucose test and will get the results on Tuesday.
• I also got my Rhogam Shot!
• Bad news is I have to wear a maternity support belt because of cramps I've been getting when walking.  I hope this will be the solution!

We got back in 2 weeks, so look for another update!

3rd Trimester!!!!!!!

WOW!  Today marks the start of my third and FINAL trimester.  I am also, now, officially 7 months pregnant!  I will update again tomorrow, as we have our OB appointment and Glucose test tomorrow morning.

28 Weeks Pregnant

Your developing baby, who this week weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking, coughing, and more intense sucking to his or her growing bag of tricks.

Are you dreaming about your baby? At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.
The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

12 weeks until we meet our little one!

27 1/2 weeks!

Baby Gifts

this past weekend we got another gift from my cousins Amy and her husband John. They got us the Graco Pack and Play. It took me probably an hour to figure it all out since it has a bunch of different things you can do with it.. We love it! cant wait for McKenzie to use it and the never ending process of keeping the cats out of it (as you can see in the picture)

in other news, i also felt her kick the other day for hte first time!! it's so crazy.. really makes it feel that much more real.. i look forward to starting birthing classes next week.. those should be fun..

Chris

27 Weeks!!!!!!

Wow!  We've reached 27 weeks and are looking forward to a busy and exciting time ahead of us.  This week marks the last one in my second trimester.  Next Thursday I will officially start my third and FINAL trimester!  It will also mark 7 months of pregnancy.  We will attend our 7 month OB appointment, this appointment will begin the biweekly trips to the doctor.  At this appointment I'll also get tested for Gestational Diabetes (yay) and get another Rhogam shot.  McKenzie and I will be heading back to school next week and in 2 weeks we start our weekly childbirth classes!

Week 27 of Pregnancy: Baby's Sense of Taste and Sound

Beginning at this stage of fetal development, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.
 
One week until my third trimester!!
 
90 days until we meet our little girl!

26 weeks!

Wow!  We can't believe we've reached 26 weeks already!  McKenzie is a kicking machine and gearing up to make her first appearance to the world in about 14 weeks!

Week 26 of Pregnancy: Baby's Eyes Open

Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months — are now beginning to open. Your baby's brain-wave activity is also kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them.

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!").

The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.


Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.


Can't wait to meet our little lady in 98 days!!

25 Weeks Pregnant Picture

Disney!

Yesterday we returned from our first anniversary trip to Disney World! It was a wonderful (hot and rainy) vacation and McKenzie was on her best behavior ;-)!  She kicked the whole way to and from Orlando, but otherwise was pretty calm!  Chris and I couldn't help but to buy her every cute baby thing we could find in the parks.  Check it out:

We got her a Winnie the Pooh and Nemo stuffed animal, plus "Baby's First Christmas" Mickey Mouse.  We had her name embroidered on a set of Infant Mickey ears.  We also got her a pink Minnie Mouse recieving blanket.  Finally, we got her 4 onsies and a Winnie the Pooh dress!

Chris and I updated our stockings and picked up one for McKenzie too!  We had them personalized with our names :-)