Friday, January 23, 2009

26 weeks!

Another week has gone by already! Not much to report...just looking forward to my next appointment on Feb 3rd! Well I am not looking forward to the glucose tolerance test, but I suppose I'll just have to deal with it!

M&B sent me a zip file full of music that they will be playing for the girls as they grow, along with some files of them reading some classic childrens' stories. I made a playlist with a story. then 3-4 songs, a story, 3-4 songs, etc. So yesterday I started putting headphones on my belly so the girls can hear this music and the voices and they will be more familiar with them once they are born. Yesterday right after I put the headphones on my belly and hit play on my laptop, the girls started kicking like crazy. It was B's voice reading a story to them. I think it probably startled them but I thought it was cute. As I type this right now, I've got the playlist going. This was actually M&B's idea and I thought it was an awesome one! I've included a picture of me sitting in the recliner with headphones on my belly down with my belly pics. :)
Well here's the 26 week developmental update:
  • Your baby may weigh about two pounds now (average is 1.7 pound, 760gm) and is 14 inches (35.6cm) in length
  • To support the fetus's growing body, the spine is getting stronger and more supple.
  • Though no longer than the span of the average adult hand, it is now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings, and some 1,000 ligaments.
  • Air sacs in the lungs form now.
  • Lungs begin to secrete a greasy substance called surfactant. Without surfactant the fetal lungs would stick together and couldn't expand after the baby is born.
  • Although they've been sealed shut for the last few months, your baby's eyes are opening and beginning to blink this week. Depending on ethnicity, some babies will be born with blue or gray-blue eyes (which may change color in the first 6 months of life) and some will be born with brown or dark eyes.
  • Retinas begin to form.
  • Brain wave activity for hearing and sight begins to be detectable.
  • Fetal brain scans show response to touch.
  • If you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn her head, which according to researchers, means his optic nerve is working.

And here are my new belly pics:




1 comment:

Jamie Koluch said...

LOVE the picture of the headphones on your belly. hehe :)