So what do these three things have in common? They are this week's measurements (24 weeks)!- Baby W. is about the size of an ear of corn (12 inches long).
- He weighs about the same as a regular pack of chicken breasts (1.3 lbs)
- And my uterus is the size of a soccer ball!
HaHa! I don't know if I look quite big enough to have a soccer ball inside of me, but that certainly explains why I'm always short of breath, need to pee every 20 minutes and sleeping at night is more like a bunch of 30 minute naps in between flipping over trying to get comfortable! In fact, maybe Baby W. got the memo that he's inside a soccer ball and that would explain all his kicking! :)
The really exciting news is that 24 weeks is kind of a milestone week for babies. At this point, he would be able to survive outside of the womb, not without lots of intervention, but it's possible. Of course we are praying that he will just stay put, right where he is, all the way to full-term and will just continue to grow healthy and strong! But I must say, hitting the 24 week mark does let me take a little sigh of relief.
Fetal development in pregnancy week 26: This is your last week of the 2nd Trimester! Your little one is weighing in at almost 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches long. At long last, your little swimmer can see the womb! Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or watching Oprah or something). In addition to seeing their little studio in your belly, they’ve recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as they can now move their head back and forth. This is also the time where your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow! A cute little cowlick or two may be springing into position right now, getting ready for years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head. Also, their toenails have grown in and you little raisin continues to slowly pile up fat beneath their still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity and will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first seven to eight years of childhood!
