Days 56, 57, 58, 59 & 60

Whew! Where have I been?!  Working and sleeping, that's where!  Lets try a quick catch-up  here.  

Day 56

The critical period for the baby's leg development has ended.  This means that the legs are now at their proper location and proportional size for this stage in development.  The shoulders are present and have rotated out to place the arms at the sides of the body, with the elbows pointing down toward the hips.  The legs have rotated in and are squarely in line with the trunk; the knees point up to the face.  The fingers and toes are separated, and the soles of the feet are visible.  By today, the thin layer of ectoderm that has covered the baby has been replaced by a layer of rather flattened cells, which will become the surface layer of the baby's skin.  The intestines have begun their migration into the body cavity, but are still primarily located in the umbilical cord.  The baby's genitals are beginning to form but don't distinctly look male or female.  The baby measures about 1 1/16 of an inch in length and can easily be held in the bowl of a tablespoon.  

Day 57

This is the first day of my 3rd lunar month.  The pregnancy journal that I'm using counts from the day of conception and in 28 day increments.  Yea for week 9!  

Over the next four days, fingernails, toenails, and hair follicles will appear and the baby will assume a more upright posture.  The joints began to develop during week 6 now resemble adult joints.  Week 9 is  a period of rapid growth.  The first several weeks have been a time of exceeding growth but the baby will begin to grow even more rapidly from this point.

Did you know...The baby's growth period as an embryo has just ended.  From now until birth, the baby is technically a fetus.  The word fetus comes from the Latin meaning "offspring".

Day 58

The baby's head now makes up more than half of its length.  For the time being, the face is broad, the eyes widely separated, the lids are closing and the ears are low-set.  By the end of this week, the baby will measure nearly 2 inches in length.  He or she stands about as tall as the short side of a credit card.

Day 59

The baby's body continues to straighten; its torso lengthens and its posture becomes more upright.  Even though baby's legs are short and the thighs are relatively small, the lower limbs are now completely vascularized.  My uterus is now about the size of a small grapefruit.  By the end of this week, about 3 tablespoons of amniotic fluid baths the baby.  This fluid is renewed every 3 hours.

Day 60

Over the next four days, the baby's skin will thicken and become less transparent.  It will take another week or so for the intestines to complete their migration.  I need to do everything I can to avoid environmental tobacco smoke and exposure to other pollutants.  Smoke and other pollutants are absorbed through the lungs and carried through the bloodstream along with the oxygen.  They are easily transferred to baby's system in the oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange.

This has been another installment of "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Thankfully have my full appetite back with a complete lack of nausea.  I have been enjoying my pregnancy and the many cravings to the fullest!  I have given up some of my favorite foods for the need of better nutrition but we're both better for it (me and baby, Nic has always had a great diet).  Sadly, I've given up all fried foods...french fries being my favorite.  Nic has been a wonderful supporter making it a point to tell me he's proud of me when I ask for a side salad instead of my standard fries.  (Sounds simple but I'm not a fan of leafy stuff)  He helps me watch my sugar and sodium intake and is more than willing to blend up a smoothie for me when I'm craving a dessert.  I find that I want water.  A lot of water!  Some of it may be keeping me up at night too.  Normally I'm a pretty heavy sleeper.  I don't wake till morning once I go to sleep at night.  It's become a pretty regular occurrence that I get up between 4 and 5 to go potty.  I've tried to hold it a few times only to have it wake me up over and over...fine...I'm getting up!  I guess this is something I'll have to deal with for quite some time.  I woke up this morning leisurely and spent my first hour awake lying in bed reading my book.  I've been somewhat of a bookworm lately.  Anything I can get my hands on, I'm reading.  That might be another reason why I'm so behind on my blogging.  Chat with you soon!

Well, it's off to stick my nose in a book.  :-)