Our baby's heartbeat :)

[Corinna]

Congratulations !

[sirrahbed]

Well good morning! I had to listen to my grandbaby again! Actually I figured out how to save it to my hard drive. I am still just amazed that you were able to record, encode and post this!!! Now, to see the ultrasound. WW
That heart beat sounds so clear and strong. OH! BTW I timed it for six seconds and multiplied by ten and get between 150 and 160 - not very clinical but a nice hearty beat!! Try and see what you get.

I hope I am not boring anyone to tears but this is what I learned from a website I am signed into and read each week. It is called "Verybestbaby" and describes all the development each week:
Week 13
It's still fairly early in your pregnancy, but Baby is already capable of quite a lot! If you poke your stomach gently with your finger, she may begin to turn her head toward you; some experts think this may be the beginning of the rooting reflex (looking for a nipple). By now she can put a thumb in her mouth, although her sucking muscles aren't completely developed yet. And female infants have already accumulated about two million eggs in their ovaries, although this number will naturally drop to one million at birth.

Your baby's head growth has slowed down; this week, her head makes up about half her body length. By week 21, her head will be about a third the size of her body, and by birth it will only be about a fourth. The fetus, which is now about three inches long and a little more than an ounce in weight, would now fit into your cupped hands.

Here's what else you can expect this week:

• Tiny ribs will be developing.

• Vocal cords will begin forming.

• Baby's eyelids will fuse together to protect her delicate eyes.

• Tissues and organs will continue to mature.

• Bone marrow, liver and spleen will be able to produce blood cells now.

• Fingerprints are beginning to form.


Your Development

Welcome to the second trimester, when most women begin to feel much more comfortable than they did in their earlier stages of pregnancy. The side effects of early pregnancy (frequent urination, fatigue, nausea, dizziness) lessen during the second trimester. Your uterus is still small enough so that you can easily go about your daily activities.

At 13 weeks, the uterus starts growing upward into the abdomen, and you may feel some abdominal achiness as the ligaments supporting the uterus stretch. Up until now you may not have gained much weight, but as your baby starts growing rapidly, you’ll see your weight increase respectively.

Even though birth is still months away, your breasts may already have started to make colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that will feed Baby for the first few days after birth. As the breasts enlarge, you may notice veins appearing under the skin and the areola enlarging and turning brown. Experts think this darker color around the nipple may be a visual cue for the breastfeeding baby.

You may also start to see the first signs of stretch marks on your abdomen, breasts, hips, or buttocks. (Since stretch marks are partly genetic, you may be able to predict ahead of time whether you'll experience them or not.) By applying moisturizing creams, you can make your skin more elastic and can help reduce the itchiness that accompanies the development of stretch marks. Creams may also help reduce the severity of the marks, although it's difficult to prevent them from occurring entirely. The good news is that the marks will be less noticeable after pregnancy, when they'll probably fade to a more normal skin color.

[guster girl]

The pics and heartbeat are awesome and that bit of information about the development of the baby at thirteen weeks is really cool, too! Wow, fingerprints!

[Tina]

That is so wonderful! It is such a wonderful sound isn't it?

[chrangharris]

How exciting! Thanks for sharing! Mom gave me the update since you never write!

[ramanth]

Neat!! Glad all is well.

[Tonya]

How exciting! You look beautiful. You already have that glow about you.

By the way Missy, remember your thread about overalls and I said I'd never wear them again? Well, my Old Navy overalls are just about the only thing I fit in now. I guess I'll have to eat my words on that one!

[My Peanuts]

Wow, that is really amazing! Congrats & keep us updated on all the developments

[Kater]

My speakers are broken so I can't listen to your little miracle's heartbeat at the moment, but I wanted to say that I really enjoyed the pictures! You are definitely 'glowing' with the blessing of impending motherhood!
And as I said before....LOVE YOU IN PINK! (dark pink? red? whatever!)

[Sirrahsim]

Originally posted by Tonya
By the way Missy, remember your thread about overalls and I said I'd never wear them again? Well, my Old Navy overalls are just about the only thing I fit in now. I guess I'll have to eat my words on that one!

Hehehehehe there is no escaping the magical comfort of OVERALLS!! I wear mine all the time, they really are quite comfy since there is nothing squeezing right at the waist


Thanks for all of your nice comments I am so pleased to be able to share this with everyone here When I got home from my appointment I was nearly bouncing off of the walls with excitement and it is so much fun to "brag" about my little one