17 Weeks

Tuesday 3.6.12

How your baby's growing:

-Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker.

-Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom.

-She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

How your life's changing:

-Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby.

-You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

Dreams During Pregnancy

-Many women report that their dream life shifts into high gear during pregnancy. Interestingly, during the second and third trimesters, you spend less sleep time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the cycle in which most dreams occur. Why, then, all those frequent and vivid dream memories?
It's probably at least in part because you may be interrupting a dream-filled cycle when you wake up to pee, cope with heartburn, leg cramps, restless legs, or a backache, or to shift to a more comfortable position. Waking up during REM sleep makes you more likely to remember your dreams.


* So another week is here and it's time for an update.  It has been a relatively slow week.  I got adjusted at the chiropractor Monday, after feeling very stiff and sore over the last few days.  I have been having troubles sleeping again and blame the howling winds outside for letting me sleep peacefully. And smells are starting to make me sick again.  Pat bought and onion this week that is VERY potent and I can't be around him when he is cutting it up (same goes for green peppers)  The other problem food I have had this week is eggs.  I made egg salad for dinner last night and mine was fine, but Pat adds mustard to his and that made me gag and get sick in the sink when I tried to wash the bowl. Strange!

*Baby M's sweat glads are starting to develop this week, and I sent a text to my hubby that hopefully the baby will inherit my sweating abilities over his. (Because if you know my husband, his brother or their mother..you know they sweat profusly from their heads!)

* I'm not feeling too off balance yet, but I did have one issue when I got up from my desk with my  prepped work and I tripped over my own feet and stumbled a bit. I didn't want my chair to roll away, or my batches to spill so I caught myself. Every once in awhile if I have been sitting for a long period of time, my hips ache and it takes a bit to get moving when I finally get up.

*My eyes come and go with being dry and itchy.  I didn't know if it was the hormones, medication I was taking for my cold, or the dry air.Glad to know it's normal, but I haven't had to use drops yet.

* My dreams have been very crazy! Very vivid and ones I have had before, involving high school friends and activities we did.