17 Weeks

Today our baby is 17 weeks!! Only 3 more weeks until we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl!!!

I didn't post last week, because I was having a great time visiting with Mema. It was so nice to have her out here for the week! I'll post more about Mema's trip to Colorado and post some pictures tomorrow!

Here's the update on the baby at 16 and 17 weeks:


Week 16 - This week the baby is beginning to accumulate some fat cells under his skin. He is approximately 4.5 inches long and weighs in at 4.5 ounces, roughly the size of of an avocado! He'll experience quite a grown spurt in the coming weeks, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length! The heart is getting stronger and pumps about 6 gallons of blood per day. It beats about twice as fast as an adult heart. The baby now "breathes" amniotic fluid to practice for when he is born. The baby has probably discovered his first toy...his umbilical cord, but don't worry...he can't grasp it long enough to cause any harm. The urinary tract is fully functioning, and the baby is helping with the production of amniotic fluid.


Week 17 - This week the baby is approximately 5.5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces. He's about the size of a large onion. The skeleton, which has been made up of rubbery cartilage, is now beginning to harden. Joints and limbs are all moving very well. The eyes have taken their final place on the front of the head. His sense of hearing is developing and he will soon be able to hear sounds from outside of the womb! The umbilical cord is becoming thicker and stronger, providing oxygen and nutrients to the baby so it can grow. Meconium (from the swallowing of amniotic fluid) is beginning to form in the bowels and will eventually make up the baby's first poop (hopefully after delivery). The urinary tract, brain, muscles, nervous and circulatory systems are now all functioning!

It's amazing how far we've come! From a tiny zygote the size of a poppy seed (3&4 weeks) to an embryo the size of an apple seed (5 weeks) to a fetus the size of a raspberry (8 weeks) all the way to our 17 week little onion! We're almost to the half way point, and time seems to be flying by!