27 weeks

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I have posted! Time is absolutely flying by, as I am super busy pretty much every second of each day it seems. A week and a day after my last post I woke up at about 6am feeling awful. I got out of bed and went straight into the bathroom to throw up. I was confused at first, wondering why morning sickness would randomly be flaring up, but then I realized I had come down with the flu. It was really awful, I haven't had the flu in years and years, and pregnancy definitely isn't the time to be so sick. I went to my doctor who prescribed some anti-nausea medication, but it didn't really help. All I could stomach was toast, and it was even hard to drink water. I sucked on ice cubes of water and pedialyte as much as I could stand to try to stay hydrated. I was supposed to work that Friday and Saturday, but obviously couldn't. I was feeling better by Sunday, but still weak, especially since I still couldn't eat or hardly drink. I had to go to work that day, and towards the end of my shift I threw up again and was feeling progressively worse. I had to stay at work another hour before I could come home, and by the time I got home I was absolutely miserable. I was doubled over with incredible pain, I was so scared that I was in labor. I had never felt such pain before or since labor with Aila. I called my OB/GYN office and talked to the doctor on-call who told me to go to the Labor and Delivery Triage at the hospital. I was so scared, I really thought I was going into labor, the awful cramps kept coming in waves and I honestly couldn't tell if it was my uterus or my stomach/bowels cramping. At the hospital I was immediately hooked up to the monitors and saw Elle's strong heartbeat, and that it was not contractions, thank goodness. They said that I was dehydrated and that it was probably just the last of the flu virus working its way out of my system. I received several IV bags of fluid, as well as some anti-nausea medication that really helped. They did some blood work and found that I had critically low potassium levels so I had to stay to get an IV bag of potassium as well. I ended up being there for about 5 hours, and I felt much better by the time I left. I was just so relieved that Elle was okay, that is all that really mattered. The next day, Monday, I luckily had the day off, and Aila had been taken by Ross over to the Meyer's when I went to the hospital, so I ended up sleeping literally all day, I didn't even finally get out of bed until close to 3pm! I was so worn out from being sick, it was so nice to finally get some restful sleep.

Anyway, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Let's start with 24 weeks...

At 24 weeks, she had gained about 4 ounces from the previous week, putting her just over a pound and over a foot in length. Her brain was continuing to grow quickly and the taste buds were continuing to develop. The lungs started developing branches and the cells that produce surfactant.

Here's the 6 month mark belly shot, still pretty small!

25 weeks

This week she was about 1.5 lbs and 13.5 inches long. The baby fat began developing this week, which smooths out the thin, wrinkly skin. At this point hair texture and color was discernable.

26 weeks

As the network of nerves in the ears continued to develop, this week marked the point when she may have began hearing voices outside of the womb, so not only my voice, but possibly Ross' as well. She continued to inhale and exhale small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is critical for lung development. These breathing movements are also good practice for when she finally takes her first breath of air. The fat continus accumulation under the skin, and weight was a pound and two thirds, while her length was about 14 inches.

27 weeks

This week she is nearing 2 pounds and is about 14.5 inches long from head to toe. She is sleeping and waking at regular intervals (which I can't tell, because it seems she moves constantly.) She is now opening and closing her eyes, and even sucking on her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, her brain is now very active.

In the past week my stomach has really popped. I've been measuring normally at each doctor's visit, but I have felt really small. People were always commenting on how they couldn't believe I was 6 months along because my belly was so little, but that quickly changed overnight it seemed! I am still pretty comfortable, but all I can say is I "feel pregnant." I am much more aware of the growing bump and its weight. I'm getting to the point where it's getting more and more difficult to get comfortable at night and get to sleep. I absolutely can't lay on my back, it's not comfortable at all, and even rolling over from side-to-side is harder. I still have a ways to go though, and I am definitely still enjoying my fair amount of mobility. I can still shave my legs, reach my feet and bend over fairly easily, so I'm happy. Elle moves so much, and I absolutely love it. She is always adjusting and doing who knows what in there. It's really obvious when she changes position now, as she's getting bigger and bigger. My belly flattens out and gets so much smaller when her back is against mine. Then when she has her back to one side, you can see the uneven bulge. If her back is against my stomach, I am really sticking out then! I just really notice how much I change shape, sometimes I have a tiny little ball, other times i have a big torpedo belly. From time-to-time I am experiencing heartburn, which is not fun. Colostrum has started developing in the past couple of weeks, but it's not bothersome. I must say, I definitely enjoyed my break, but I will definitely breastfeed again. 89 days to go...I can't believe it. So far so good, just normal, healthy and uneventful, just the way we want it. I can't wait to meet Miss Elle, every day I am getting more and more excited for that day in September. We have so much to do before then! I've really had to fight off some of those nesting instincts, because we're just not at a point where we can really concentrate on a new nursery just yet. Soon enough though, it's flying by so fast!!!!