24 weeks pregnant

What’s happening with baby this week:

- Baby is gaining 6 ounces a week

- Tastebuds begin to form

- Sweat glands forming in the skin

- Has basic control of all senses – vision, smell, touch, hearing, and taste

- Can swallow

- Head is still large compared to body size

- Blood vessels in lungs are developing

- Eyelashes are fully developed (awwww!)

- Starting to produce white blood cells, which fight disease and infection

- Inner ear is now completely developed

- This week, the baby is officially considered viable

The baby is about 12 inches long and weighs about 1.4 pounds.

Symptoms to expect:

- Breasts are preparing to produce milk; areolas get larger, darker, breasts growing at a daily rate (My areolas look like giant bullseyes. Aren’t you glad you know that?)

- Leg cramps (no)

- Lower back pain (no)

- Difficulty getting comfortable when sleeping (YES)
- Heartburn (no)

- Top of uterus is now 1.5 – 2 inches above navel (yes)

- Fetal movements are now obvious (YES)

- Faint stretch marks may appear (not that I’ve noticed)

Additional Symptoms I'm Having:

- Incredible shortness of breath.

- Sinuses are OUT OF CONTROL. This means that my nose is runny all the time, and that I snore/have apnea when I sleep. FUN!

- My right hip hurts so much. All the time, but mostly when in bed and/or having sex. How unfair is that?

- Weird patches of acne and/or dry skin appearing on my shoulders and elbows.

- Odd anxiety / nesting instinct

“At 24 weeks pregnant, you're moving into your seventh month of pregnancy. Wow! You are two-thirds of the way there.” Sentences like that really blow my mind. Two-thirds? Seriously? Time is flying by! I’ve gotta get organized! Back to nesting!

And can you guys even BELIEVE that I threw up this week? The thing is though, I am not going back on the Diclectin. My reasoning? I threw up like that once or twice a week even when I was on Diclectin. But before I started taking it, I was nauseous and queasy ALL THE TIME, and when I would miss a day, it was absolutely dreadful. I'm not experiencing that now. So I feel pretty good about staying off it.

And then the midwife I saw this week told me that I would likely end up getting nauseous and vomity at the end of pregnancy as well. Joy!