18 Weeks

Today I am 18 weeks and super excited to be moving along! Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this pregnancy and the little miracle inside me, but I am also looking forward to all the fun to come.

This last weekend we had fun celebrating Meredith and Mike's engagement at Russian River Brewery. I ran into a few friends (and one blast from the past) and it was really fun being "obviously" pregnant. I know, I know...there is still so much more "obvious" belly to grow, but I already feel like I look so different. In my classroom I have noticed a few students staring at my belly at times. I wonder what they are thinking... I am sure as I get bigger they will be more vocal about it, but for now I just see them staring at the belly-it's super cute! :)

I have been working slowly on a registry and researching different baby items. My friend Melissa, due in early January, is great at this. She puts a lot of time and effort into research and I value her opinion. I don't have the patience she does for the amount of research it takes to look into all the safety features, etc. of different items, but I am workin' on it. :)

What are you doing next Monday?

I couldn't be more thrilled at where we will be...

Justin and I have our 20 week ultrasound next week. We have not had an ultrasound since around 9/10 weeks. I am thrilled beyond words to see our little sweat pea and get a check-up of our baby's growth, health, organs, etc. At this appointment we are also hoping to find out the gender of Baby Langlois. We were looking in a name book the other night and became very excited over a boy name (for those of you who know me well,

you know that all I can think of are girl names).

Alrighty, I have been rambling plenty so here ya go folks, below is the WebMD information for this week of development (be advised...it gets a little graphic, actually, very graphic). Have a great week and we'll be in touch soon with ultrasound pictures :)

Your baby measures about 5.2 to 6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces. The baby's skin is developing and is transparent, appearing red because of the visible blood vessels. A creamy white protective coating, called vernix, is also developing. As your baby continues to grow, you may be feeling some mid-pregnancy aches and pains. These are very common symptoms, however if you have a high risk pregnancy you need to discuss these symptoms with your health care provider. Individuals who have a history of mid-trimester pregnancy loss should be followed very closely with ultrasound. Most women have a vaginal discharge either a white or creamy type of discharge. If you notice an increase in this discharge, a change in discharge to a clear discharge or if you notice a loss in your mucous plug (it looks like the substance when you blow your nose) then notify your doctor.

You may also have mild lower abdominal achiness, dizziness, heartburn, constipation, leg cramps, mild swelling of ankles and feet, and a backache. All of these symptoms may be normal. Mild lower abdominal discomfort may be related to the changes of pregnancy. The hormone relaxin causes ligaments to be more lax and may lead to you having more back pain. Heartburn may be caused by the hormone progesterone. It relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (a muscle between the feeding tube and the stomach). Constipation may also be related to progesterone as well. It helps relax the muscle of the bowel. It leads to a longer amount of time for the stool to pass. This can help lead to a higher risk of constipation. You need to make sure you drink plenty of fluids as well as eat enough fruits and vegetables. Dilated blood vessels develop because of the hormone estrogen. This causes tiny, temporary red marks (called spider nevi) on your face, shoulders, chest and arms.

This is the best week to perform the level II ultrasound exam. Sometimes at 18 weeks the fetus is just too small to see well and many women do not want to wait till 20 weeks to have the ultrasound exam. Most of the fetus can be seen at this point in time.