Hello 2nd Trimester!

Punkin is now quite active & his/her muscle responses have been changed from mechanical & puppetlike to smooth & fluid, like a newborn's. Punkin is now approx 3" in length.

Much progress has taken place in the development of Punkin's mouth. The bony palate, or roof of the mouth, has been complete for some weeks, the sucking muscles are filling out the cheeks, the tooth buds are under the gums, and the esophagus, windpipe, & larynx are present. Punkin's vocal cords have now formed in the larynx. Punkin's salivary glands have begun to function. Punkin has started to make breathing, sucking & swallowing motions!

Punkin's neck is now well defined. The head now rests on the neck instead of the shoulders.

Punkin's arms have almost reached their final proportions relative to body size, but the legs are still quite short. Punkin's hand is becoming more & more functional. He/She is beginning to move his/her thumb in opposition to the other fingers.

Punkin's liver is now secreting bile & the pancreas is now producing insulin. Punkin's spleen is has assumed functions supervised by the liver: the removal of old red blood cells & the production of antibodies.

The intestines have formed into folds & are lined w/nutrient-extracting villi.

Amy has lost a couple pounds (now weighing 2 lbs less than when she got pregnant), but the doctor doesn't seem to be concerned about it at this point. She's been less emotional (though it still happens from time to time), has started to get through most days without a nap, is less nauseous & her appetite is good! Hello 2nd trimester!!!

Our last appt showed growth & a strong heartbeat still, so things are looking great!

Almost 13 weeks

Our baby's brain now has the same structure that it will at birth - just smaller.

The mechanism that enables Punkin's sense of smell is developing.

By today, all of Punkin's 20 baby teeth & their sockets have formed in the gums.

Over the next 2 days, the vocal cords will form in Punkin's voice box. Punkin will not be able to make sounds, however, or cry out loud until the amniotic fluid is replaced by air after birth.

The hard, bony part of the palate has completely formed. This bony palate divides the mouth from the nose & makes it possible to eat & breathe at the same time.

The muscles in the walls of Punkin's digestive tract have become functional in order to begin practicing the movements required to push food from 1 portion of the tract to another. Some intestinal coils may remain in the umbilical cord, but most are repositioned in the abdomen. Over the next 3 days, the intestines will form into folds & become lined with small, fingerlike projections in the lining of the intestines that absorb certain nutrients.

Punkin's fingernails have begun to grow from the nail beds.

The thyroid, pancreas, and gall bladder have completed their development. The pancreas has begun to secrete insulin.

Sometime in the next week or so, the urine that is formed by Punkin's kidneys will be excreted into the amniotic fluid. Each kidney contains about 800,000 delicate waste-screening cells.

Punkin's skin is sensitive all over - any type of touch causes him/her to move. But a new reflex is also present: Now when Punkin's face is touched, he/she will open his/her mouth. This is called the rooting reflex and helps babies find the food source.

Punkin's growth rate has slowed somewhat. He/She has doubled his/her weigh in the last week to almost 1/2 oz; his/her length has increased to about 2.5".

The placenta grows w/Punkin, but not as fast. At this point in development, it weighs around 1 oz; at the time of birth, it will weigh between 1-2 lbs.

Amy has been getting more and more headaches. Generally this is caused by hormonal changes. She's still been moody/emotional & her energy still isn't back to normal. She gets occasionally nauseous (possibly from her prenatal vitamins), but is feeling pretty good, for the most part. Newest weird craving: tator tots!

Amy's progesterone has been in the high range the last few blood draws, but they still have her doing the shots 2 times a week. She was told today that it will probably continue until about week 16. She's not too thrilled about that. Her CRP level is back up to over 20 again. Doctor's are still saying to just check it every 2 weeks. Keep that in your prayers, please. Lastly, her iron was on the low-end of normal, so the fertility Dr, OBGYN & Naturopathic Dr are all trying to determine what should be done, if anything, about that.