Pregnancy Photos

16 Weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, baby will double his/her weight and add inches to his/her length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His/her legs are much more developed, his/her head is more erect than it has been, and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of his/her head. His/her ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his/her scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He/she's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his/her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as baby continues to develop.

17 Weeks

Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his/her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he/she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He/she can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop.

18 Weeks

Head to rump, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he/she weighs almost 7 ounces. It's busy flexing his/her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His/her blood vessels are visible through his/her thin skin, and his/her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his/her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he/she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

19 Weeks

Baby's sensory development is exploding! His/her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his/her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

21 Weeks

Baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he/she's practicing martial arts as his/her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his/her activity as you get to know him/her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Fourth of July - 21 weeks & 5 days

22 Weeks & 5 Days

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His/her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he/she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his/her gums. His/her eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his/her body and the deep wrinkles on his/her skin, which it'll sport until he/she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his/her belly, his/her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Took a little day trip along the coast to Gloucester, MA on my birthday, while vacationing in Boston.

24 Weeks & 3 Days

Baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him/her at just over a pound. Since he/she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he/she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his/her body is filling out proportionally and it'll soon start to plump up. His/her brain is also growing quickly now, and his/her taste buds are continuing to develop. His/her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his/her air sacs inflate once he/she hits the outside world. His/her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Sunny Mexico morning on the beach!

28 Weeks

By this week, baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his/her head to his/her heels. She can blink his/her eyes, which now sport lashes. With his/her eyesight developing, he/she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He/she's also developing billions of neurons in his/her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I love my bump.

Here's what's happening at 30 weeks:

Baby is about 15.7 inches long now, and it weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds it, but that volume will decrease as he/she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His/her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he/she's born, it'll keep its eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he/she does open them, it'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he/she can only make out objects a few inches from his/her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Made it 30 weeks - God is great!