my pregnancy: week 14

It’s Wednesday, hooray! On most Wednesdays I share my weekly pregnancy update. Today is no different.

We’ve graduated to a new citrus fruit this week – the bright lemon!

How’s baby growing?

This week’s big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he’ll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you’re having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby’s stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body’s growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that’s in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He’s starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby’s liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it’s doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can’t feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist’s hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active. — from babycenter

While I haven’t started to feel the baby move yet, it’s crazy to think that in a few short weeks I may begin to feel some flutters. From the aerobatics we saw during our first ultrasound, this baby will probably be squirming and kicking like crazy soon. I can’t wait 🙂

How I’m feeling

The great feeling of no nausea + my old energy continues on. Although now I’ve added a new annoyance in it’s place — headaches.

Ever since thanksgiving I’ve been headachy all day. First I thought it was all the sweets, but then the thanksgiving weekend was over and I still had them. Then I thought a little coffee could help them go away… ya know, once they leave they won’t come back… that was my hope. So Sunday I had about 1/4 cup of coffee mixed with 3/4 cup soymilk… pure deliciousness. It may have helped during the day but they came back.

Now I think I know what it really is – sleep, or lack there of. During the 4 day weekend I stayed up much later than normal (10:30pm!), and now that’s how late my body wants to stay up. Couple that with getting up to pee 4-5 times a night and I’m not getting enough sleep. That’s definitely what it is… at least I hope I figured it out.

I was refusing to take any tylenol for it. If it really is just because I need more sleep then I’m sure the headaches will just come back after the meds wear off. Well, yesterday I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was holding the tears back all day working through the throbbing pain, so I took a tylenol when I got home. It worked along with a cool wash cloth on my forehead. I fell asleep a bit past nine, then woke up with the headache in the middle of the night. It came back. :(. This morning I tried coffee and took a tylenol… hoping it beings to work soon.

Maybe it’s a muscle thing? I’m hoping for a neck massage from Jacob tonight, if he feels us for it (poor guy has been sick the past few days). We’ll see.

What’s my body doing?

Growing? I think so! After I eat a meal the bump really looks a lot bigger. What’s kind of funny to me is that now that my belly has grown and shifted up a bit, my pants are actually fitting better. The waist is below the belly instead of tight on my skin when I was feeling bloated. I’m excited to hear if they tell me my belly growth is on track Friday.

Another great change? A little boob growth. I’m sure this you can’t tell, but I can definitely notice a slight change. I’m excited for that one!

While earlier in my first trimester I had annoying back + shoulder ache, that’s starting to clear up. Thank goodness! Also, I read that during your second trimester your libido comes back… I can happily report it has. 🙂

What am I eating?

Aside from a lot of thanksgiving food for 2 days, still my normal eats, but at different intervals now. I am starving all morning up until lunch, then not very hungry in the evenings. I eat dinner, then feel satisfied with no need to snack. It’s kinda nice actually.

That coffee I mentioned above? It was really really good. Like so good I’ve been having my tiny 1/4 cup each morning. Ultimately I blame it on Jacob. He asked me to make him coffee on Sunday and it just smelled sooooo good I couldn’t resist – and the headache thing. I’m easily addicted to it. 🙂

Eggs, fruits, salads, whole wheat pasta, nut butters, sour dough bread and cucumbers have all been staples. Plus a few of mama pea’s pumpkin molasses dough balls (although my sunk down more like cookies).

My want to cook and bake has really come back these past few weeks so I’ve got a lot of meals I’m excited to share with you all. I guess feeling energized is an important thing in finding motivation to cook!

Random bits

• Friday is our next midwife appointment! Just 2 days away 🙂
• How far along: 14 weeks, 7 days
• How many more days to go: 176
• Total weight gained: 8.5-9 lb
• Number of fruits I eat each day: 4-5
• Next dentist appointment: tomorrow… let’s hope my Dentist Parker doesn’t find any cavities!!

Heather