22nd or 23rd Week

I know, this would be a more effective blog if we really knew which week we were in :-)

Our baby is now in the 12 oz to 1 lb range and is nearing 8 inches in length.

One of the notes says "Morning sickness has probably passed and you're feeling pretty good", for this we are truly thankful.  Rebecca hasn't experienced ANY morning sickness!  She is still hungry at more times of the day than just "normal" meal times, but hasn't had any odd cravings either.  Maybe this is an odd pregnancy, maybe Rebecca just excels as a pregnant mom :-)

Our baby has well developed eyelids and eyebrows as well as having nails that cover the fingertips.  Jaundice is caused by the baby's liver not being able to process the amount of bilirubin in its system.  Bilirubin consists of broken down red blood cells.  The pancreas is also producing insulin.  The rest of the chapter spoke of TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome), so I skimmed it at best.

Dad Tip: Be helpful while driving.  Help your wife in and out of the car, adjust the seatbelt, seat positioning, and if you have more than 1 vehicle, let your wife use the one that is more comfortable for her to get in and out.  Symptoms for an expecting father include nausea, weight gain & food cravings.

Tip for the Week: Drink extra fluids throughout pregnancy to help your body keep up with the increase in your blood volume.  As the old saying goes "Drink until your pee is clear".  Consume less sodium, which will help with fluid retention.

Exercise for the week:  Lie on your left side on the sofa (if you have one), with your left knee bent.  Bend your left arm, and place your head on it.  Lower your right foot to the floor while keeping your leg straight.  Hold for 10 seconds, then lift to a 45 degree angle; hold for 5 seconds.  Do 5 reps and then repeat with the opposite side.  Helps ease sciatica; strengthens hips and upper buttock muscles.  Sit on the edge of a chair, raise your arms above your head and using only the thigh muscles, raise your foot off the floor about 10 inches, repeat with the opposite foot, holding for 5 second times.  Tightens thigh, hip and buttock muscles.

My wife, Rebecca, also has a glow to her!  Seriously!  I think she is more beautiful than she has ever been.

Love you honey, -me.

21st Week

Pretty certain we're in the 21st week.  So, here goes.

Our baby should be in the 10 1/2 oz range, 7 1/4 inches in length.  While the overall growth rate is slowing, most of the organs are maturing now.

Dad Tip: start thinking of baby names

Tip of the Week: A good way to add calcium to our the diet is to cook rice and oatmeal in milk instead of water

I tried this tip and the oatmeal was pretty good.

Exercise of the week: contract the abs

Sorry this is so short, but I gotta go!