This is the week! - 18 1/2 weeks

I'm 18 1/2 weeks, which means that on Friday I'll end the 19th week and begin the 20th week of pregnancy, according to our due date. On Friday we'll go into UCSF Hospital for the second trimester ultrasound. That means that if Baby cooperates and doesn't hide its bottom from the camera, we'll learn what sex it is! Which means that we can stop referring to it as "it"! Yay!!

Incidentally, the 20th week is the halfway point through a full-term pregnancy. Hurrah!

What's happening to Baby this week? According to the many baby development sites on the internet, a normal 19-week-old fetus weighs about half a pound and is about 6 inches long from head to bottom. Its arms and legs are finally proportionate, even though it's still skinny compared to a full-term baby, and soon it will be measured from head to toe. It can hear now, and it will soon be able to taste and smell as its brain develops the ability to process olfactory signals, and its eyes will be able to open. It's already able to make breathing movements, swallow and suck, and of course kick, bounce, roll, and punch. I've been feeling it move for several weeks now, and it's getting stronger and more active each day.

I'll probably post about the ultrasound Friday evening when we get home. See you then!

19 Weeks Pregnant