17 WEEKS (TURNIP): Jul 24-30

17 Weeks (TURNIP):

All my other photos have been taken in the evening after dinner. These ones were taken in the afternoon on Sunday before dinner. Afterwards the bump is even bigger! I did, however eat a lot at brunch this day... David's mom made hash-brown casserole and I (over)indulged. 

• What does a turnip even look like anyway? Another website said baby is the size of a pear. I like that much better! They say baby is about 5- 5.5 inches long now (crown to rump, so that doesn't include the little legs kicking away). This is the first week that baby is bigger than the placenta! They compare it to the size of my open palm. That is so subjective I'm not sure how they can compare that. David's open palm, for example, has a good inch on mine!
• Baby is practising sucking and swallowing - just some of the reflexes he/she will need after birth!
• Baby weighs close to 5 oz. I don't think in oz, but it's like... around 150g of ham. Haha I think in deli meat apparently!
• A few weeks ago I read that baby was developing fingerprints, but this week they will become completely individualized for our baby. One of a kind fingerprints coming up!
• Baby's heartbeat is no longer sporadic and irregular. It is now regulated by the brain, and clocking in at 140-150 BPM!
• I am definitely starting to show now. I wake up in the morning with a bump! This is nice because I feel less "aware" of the fact that most of my bump is just bloat from my day now. Bump is also hardening up which I've been waiting for! Things are starting to feel a little more heavy down there! I notice it when I'm laying down on my side, it just feels like things are tugging/pulling a bit more than I'm used to. 
• My fundus is about 1-1.5" below my belly-button now. By the time I hit 20 weeks, it's expected to be at my belly-button. I feel like it creeps up every day. Does this mean I'm going to be huge? Does this mean I'm further along? Or does this mean I just have a short torso? Haha I don't know! **Fundus = top of uterus**
• Baby is getting bigger and hungrier. This in turn makes me bigger (soon) and hungrier (always!)
• I felt some heartburn the other day, but it was after eating a large helping of pasta with tomato sauce. I think I'll be taking it easy on the tomato-based meals for a bit! (5 more months...)
• I can become very dizzy with physical exercise (especially if it involves bending down and standing up like gardening). I am staying hydrated, and close to a chair! This could be aggravated by the hot weather we've been having! Speaking of hot weather, we're going to Osoyoos at the end of week 17, and it's supposed to be 36 degrees there and we're staying in a tent! Stay tuned to hear how that goes... :S
• It is increasingly amazing to me how much happens in there, and how the baby develops into a baby! David said to me the other day as we were eating blueberries, "HA! Remember how excited you were when the baby was the size of a blueberry?" Ya... and when it looked like a sea monkey? Haha. Now it at least looks like a baby! It is so amazing. All the things that have to go right. All the things that could go wrong. Absolute miracle.
• More frequent urination at night. Going into week 17, I have been up 2-3 times per night to pee. The weather has been hot, so this is likely partly due to keeping more hydrated during the day, however this is getting exhausting! And it's just the beginning! 
• **TMI MOMENT** - I occasionally get what they refer to as "lightning crotch" or "fanny daggers". It is caused (apparently) by pressure on the cervix (baby foot?) and stretching ligaments around that area. They haven't been frequent or super painful, but they occasionally catch me off guard if I'm walking or something and I have to stop for a quick second and take a breath. Yup... pregnancy is a super dignified thing! Occasionally as in maybe once or twice per week. 
• Had some more round ligament pain on one day in particular this week. Another reassuring sign that things are progressing! I also love feeling something and getting to poke my belly and feel that there is a belly there! I can't wait until I'm poking a foot, or a head, or an elbow!