20 Weeks

So the last few days have been great! To start off the week the Buckeyes beat that team up north :) 7 year winning streak is pretty fantastic. Joe and I drove back up to South Carolina after the game on Saturday. Long drive but at least our driving vacation is over!

On Monday Joe and I had our very first Birth Center appointment. Joe and I have chosen the birth center route for the birth of the baby (assuming everything stays low risk and normal of course). We are so excited about playing a more active role in the birth of our baby. We got to meet one of the 3 midwives; Nancy. She went through my medical records and paperwork and has deemed me a good patient for the Birth Center. I was so happy to hear that. I had been a little nervous leading up to this appointment because I didn’t want to be told I did not ‘qualify’. Now, not only do we have to focus on keeping me healthy and in good shape, but we need to surround ourselves with support and positive attitudes.

I can not believe that we are half way there! We are 20 weeks today. Time had flown by and you know December is going to pass quickly (as it always does!). The baby is the size of a cantaloupe this week… crazy I know… it’s inside my stomach and I can feel it!

Here is what is going on with the baby this week:

Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first soiled diaper.