12 weeks!!!!

Today marks 12 weeks for baby Clough!  Today was also the day that Chris and I went into Boston to start the Serial/Sequential Testing for Down Syndrome and to meet with a geneticist.  The ultrasound was the coolest part of the day!  The baby looked so big compared to the little blob we saw at 8 weeks.  We couldn't believe how much he/she has grown.  They counted two eye sockets, two legs, two arms, a brain, and a heart!  Baby was on his/her belly so the ultrasound technician played the drums on my abdomen to try and get him/her to flip over.  She was unsuccessful so we had to go with the internal ultrasound (not as much fun!!!!!!!!!!!! FYI).  The doctor came in and said there is almost no thickness on the baby's neck which is a positive sign.  He did say that baby's nasal bone has not calcified or is missing, which is sometimes seen in children who have Downs, but also in typical children as well.  After all that we got to leave with some awesome pictures!

Chris swears it's a girl...but I have a strong feeling it is a boy...

Next, we headed down the street to get blood work, which was pretty uneventful.  Usually they can never find a vein, but this time they got it on the first try!  yay!

Then on to the geneticist, who had a lot to say....but pretty much that there is a very low risk of our baby having any genetic diseases.  Good news!

Fetal Development This Week

Week 12 of Pregnancy: Fetal Organs and Systems

Most of your baby's systems are fully formed, and if you haven't already, it's likely that you'll finally hear your baby's heartbeat at this month's checkup! Your developing fetus now has a crown-to-rump length of about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum).

This week marks a turning point for your baby. At 12 weeks pregnant, the herculean task of developing new bodily structures is nearing an end as most of your baby's systems are fully formed. Now comes the maintenance phase, during which your fetus' systems continue to mature for the next 28 weeks and the organs get to work.



Your little fetus weighs as much as half an ounce now, and the crown-to-rump length is about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum — busily working his or her way through the whole produce department). It's hard to believe (especially from the outside, since you're probably barely showing at this point), but your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks. And that's just on the outside — there's plenty going on inside too. The fetal digestive system is beginning to flex its digestive muscle — literally — as it starts practicing contraction movements, a skill your baby will need after birth to push food through the digestive tract. The pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones. And the bone marrow is making white blood cells, which will one day help your baby fight infection (including all those germs passed around the snot-nosed playgroup).



If you haven't already had the pleasure, it's likely that at this month's checkup you'll finally hear your baby's fetal heartbeat — a sound that will make your heart race with joy!

1 week until I am in my second trimester!!!!