13 Weeks: Peachy Keen!

Your fetus is about three inches long and the size of a peach at 13 weeks pregnant. But don't compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size.

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through his/her still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing. It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth (something else you'll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!).

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through your uterus (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) — those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

July 25th: 12.5 Week Picture

Baby E is starting to make his/her appearance... below is the beginning of our baby bump. Pardon the strange outfit, we were getting ready to go out on the lake.

12 Weeks: Precious 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.

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it.


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.

11 Weeks: Lively Lime

Slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce, your fetus is growing by leaps and bounds (and is now almost fully formed) when you are 11 weeks pregnant. And so is his or her head, which is equal in length to the rest of the body (don't worry — all fetuses are top-heavy).

On the crown of that large head (and over the rest of the body), hair follicles are forming. Fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and his/her hands will soon open and close into fists. Fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week and by next week, the nails themselves will start to grow (so don't forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list).

Your baby's body is straightening and his or her torso is lengthening (sounds like a yoga pose, doesn't it?). Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults, and forward rolls. Your baby is already busy kicking and stretching, and his/her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as the body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that the diaphragm is forming. And while you can't tell this baby's gender by its cover yet, testes are developing if it's a boy and ovaries if it's a girl.

Pics of Baby E at 11 wks (...almost)

I went in for a Doctor's appointment on Monday, July 13th. It was supposed to be just a normal check up to see how everything was going. The Doctor said that everything (meaning my blood pressure and weight) is looking good, so she wanted to check on the Baby's heart beat.

The Doctor pulled out a little hand-held device that would allow us to hear the heart beat on a speaker. She searched and searched for the heart beat for about 10 minutes but could not find it. She decided to send me in with the Sonogram Technician to make sure that everything was alright (at this point my heart was racing and I was just praying that everything was fine).

The Sonogram Technician was able to find the baby right away and started laughing a bit and then turned the screen so that I could see. It turns out that the baby was just moving (or "wiggling" as she put it) around too much to catch on the other device (and it did look like our baby was dancing around in there). At that point, I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer... I started giggling and then the tears (of joy) came. I was so relieved and in awe at that moment.

You can't really tell from the pictures below (the baby was moving a lot, so its kind of blurry), but I could see a lot on the screen. Our baby actually looks like a baby now instead of a blob. I could clearly see the head and some "wiggling" limbs on the screen. I was also able to hear the heart beat for the first time, which is undescribably wonderful. The technician said that the baby is a healthy size and has a nice strong heart beat, yay!


Our blurry baby :)


I tried to magnify the part where the baby is...

10 Weeks: Our little Persevering Prune.

Your baby's growth is fast and furious when you are 10 weeks pregnant. He or she is nearly an inch and a half long and the size of a prune, but not nearly as shriveled (even with all the time it spends in water). In fact, your baby is really taking a human shape now. Bones and cartilage are forming, and small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. The arms (complete with elbows) can flex already, but don't run to the store for a baseball bat just yet. Though your baby's arms are taking shape and getting stronger, each one is only about the size of this number 1.

The tooth bud fairy is making her appearance this week, heralding the arrival of your baby's little choppers, which are forming under the gums. (Those pearly whites won't break through the gums until your baby is close to six months old). Other systems are go, too. Your baby's stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and, if your baby's a boy, he's already producing testosterone (yikes!).

9 Weeks: Olive

Sunrise, sunset: Would you believe your baby is having his or her first graduation already? Yes, it's true: At 9 weeks pregnant, your scholar-to-be has ended his or her embryonic stage and is entering the fetal period now (good-bye embryo, hello fetus). Your fetus is now about one inch long, the size of a medium green olive (but no martinis, please). The head has straightened out and is more fully developed, the ears are much more prominent, and some new organs (the liver, spleen, and gallbladder) are forming. Your fetus is also making spontaneous movements of his or her arms and legs now that minuscule muscles are beginning to develop, though you won't feel your tiny dancer for at least another two months.

While it's way too early to feel anything, it's not too early to hear something (possibly). Your baby's heart is developed enough — and grown large enough — so that its beats can be heard with a Doppler, a handheld ultrasound device that amplifies the lub-dub sound the heart makes. But don't worry if your practitioner can't pick up the sound of your baby's heartbeat yet. It just means your shy guy or gal is hiding in the corner of your uterus, or has his or her back facing out, making it hard for the Doppler to find its target. In a few weeks (or at your next visit) the miraculous sound of your baby's heartbeat is certain to be audible for your listening pleasure.