Life is Beautiful!

Baby's Development...
This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.
Did you know as early as pregnancy week 6 your baby's reflexes begin to develop and may even respond to touch? During this time the central nervous system in your baby is developing at a mind boggling pace, linking your baby's nerves and muscles to various body parts. Babies happily start swimming about and moving in fact very early on in pregnancy, though most first time moms will not recognize their baby's movements until roughly 20 weeks pregnant. Many second time moms however report feeling their baby's first fluttering as early as 13 weeks pregnant!

Mom's Development...
By six weeks pregnant you may have gained a pound or so. Most women will gain roughly 5 pounds during their first trimester of pregnancy, though some women will gain more and some women will gain less. Others gain no weight at all during their first trimester (largely due to terrible morning sickness) but make up for this much later in pregnancy. Don't fret if you do lose some weight during the first trimester. Chances are you and your baby will be just fine.
You may find yourself developing a bit of a split personality — feeling moody one day and joyful the next. Unsettling as this is (especially if you pride yourself on being in control), what you're going through is normal. Ricocheting emotions are caused partly by fluctuating hormones. But hormones aside, your life is about to change in a big way — and who wouldn't feel emotional about that?

Watch for week by week updates!

Posted in: on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at at 1:13 PM