Week 25

Head to heels, Anna now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

We are so excited for Anna to arrive and be here with us. Laura and I are very excited to be parents. We know we will learn as we go, but we both have great families to learn from and we both have great parents who were awesome role models!!

Week 24

Anna’s crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and her weight is approximately 1.2 pounds. Although she weighs a little over a pound at this point, growing Anna is still tiny.

Anna's face is basically complete now. Her eyes are close together on the front of her face and they are still shut. Her ears have moved into their final position on the sides of her head. Where they are now is where they will be when she gets here in October  Hair will continue to grow on her scalp and her eyelashes are well developed. Most of her features look the same as they will at birth. Because she is growing and is getting plumper, she no longer has room to do cartwheels and somersaults.

Anna is practicing breathing by inhaling (up to a liter/day) amniotic fluid into developing lungs.

23 weeks

We had an appointment with the doctor yesterday and we had what will probably be the final ultrasound. Anna Hope thought it would be fun to hide from mommy, daddy, and the doctor when they were trying to get a look at her face. She just put her arm up over her face and head. I can explain how happy/excited I am feeling right now. Only 17 weeks left until our little blessing gets here. Well, here's what all is going on this week.
-Derrick


Anna’s length, from crown-to-rump, is approximately 8 inches this week! She has finally reached one pound (The doctor told us yesterday she is right at 1 pound). She is about the size of a small baby doll and looks very human. Her face and body look similar to that of a newborn at this time.

Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but Anna still looks red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. She looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form. They say that we should be feeling Anna move, kick, etc and trust me we have. She is not a big fan of her mother walking too much  We have been talking to her. I tell her how happy and excited we are that she is going to be here in a few months and that we can not wait to be her parents. And that we love her very much!!

She now can suck her thumb for real, where she was just sticking it in her mouth. She will continue to swallow amniotic fluid and recycle it as urine. The liquids and sugars that the baby retracts from the fluid is a supplement to the nutrients that the placenta delivers. Laura may be able to feel small `jumps` inside of her when Anna gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid. The pancreas is developing and it will responsible for insulin production, to help break down sugars.

As she continues to grow, she has less space to move around in the uterus. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily.

22 Weeks

Anna’ crown-to-rump length is approximately 7.6 inches and she weighs about 12.25 ounces now! She is about the size of a spaghetti squash.

Her body continues to grow and develop every day. The organ systems in her body are becoming specialized for their particular functions. The fetal liver produces different enzymes than it will produce after delivery. The liver is responsible for breaking down billirubin, which is produced by the breaking down of blood cells. Because the life span of a fetal red blood cell is shorter than that of an adult, a fetus produces more billirubin than adults do. Billirubin passes from fetal blood to the placenta and then into your blood. Your liver helps get rid of fetal billirubin. A newborn baby that has high levels of billirubin may show signs of jaundice. Jaundiced babies have a yellowish tint to their eyes and skin and are often treated with phototherapy.

Anna’s senses are developing daily. She now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and she may stroke her face or feel her arms and legs.

She now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth).

Week 21

Anna’s blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture her.

She will be getting much larger during the second half of the pregnancy. Her crown-to-rump length at this time is 7.2 inches and she weighs approximately 10.5 ounces. She is about the size of a large carrot.

Her different organs and systems are maturing. The fetal digestive system is functioning in a simple way and she can swallow amniotic fluid. After Anna swallows the amniotic fluid, she is able to absorb water and sugars from the fluid and then the waste is passed as far as the large bowel. She swallows the amniotic fluid in order to prepare herself for life outside of the womb. Some babies consume as much as 17 ounces of amniotic fluid in a 24-hour period. She already has a high number of red blood cells and the white blood cells are beginning to be produced. Taste buds are being formed on her tongue this week also.