This week, your little one is developing one of the characteristics that will make her unique: fingerprints. Pads of fat accumulating on the fingertips and toes will turn into distinguishing swirling lines.
Prepping the plumbing
"What happens when this stuff goes down into my stomach?" The large intestine has been tacked down to the back of the abdominal wall, and many digestive glands are forming. This developing digestive system has been going through its paces for several weeks already: The fetus is swallowing amniotic fluid, which then makes its way through the stomach and intestines. Now, that fluid combines with dead cells and secretions in the intestines to form meconium. Meconium is the black, tarry substance that will eventually make up your baby's first messy diaper.
Measuring up
The fetus weighs up to 7 ounces and is about 6.5 to 7 inches, top to bottom.
What’s Happening to Mom:
Help for the lightheaded
Do you feel dizzy sometimes? It's no wonder: Your heart is working 40 to 50 percent harder than it did before you were pregnant. This industry, combined with the pressure of your growing uterus on blood vessels, can occasionally leave you feeling faint, particularly when you get up quickly. Be sure to rest frequently. Lie down on your left side for a few minutes several times a day to increase your circulation. Low blood sugar can also lead to wooziness. Eating a piece of fruit is a great way to keep you on your feet and stave off the munchies.
Mini moves
Are those gas bubbles or tiny feet kicking against your belly? Most women first feel the fetus's movements between 16 and 20 weeks. Because your little one is still so small, what you feel probably won't be a forceful kick but a gentle fluttering, as if you've got a case of the butterflies.
Dawn’s Notes:
I feel the baby move everyday now! It’s seems like he/she is most active in the morning, between the hours of 7:00am and noon.
