Before Kids I Slept

According to the doctor's measurement of the baby I am about 9 weeks along. But I am pretty sure I'm further along, more like 10-12 weeks. It may not seem like a difference but it sure as shit is.

That measurement they take is a weird thing. If you haven't had kids, here's what they do at the first doctor visit. They shove something up where the sun doesn't shine and then suddenly right there on the screen is a picture of a baby, which looks nothing like a baby and more like a little piece of dust. Then the doctor uses a mouse and clicks around, presses some buttons, and tries to measure the length of that piece of dust, oops, I mean, baby. It's tinier than half your pinky finger. The only way I believed it was real is because I saw and heard a heart beat. Oh yea, and I feel like I've been hungover for two+ months.

So I think the measurement can be off. When I was pregnant the first time the due date changed every time I went to the doctor and had the baby measured. However, I was so sure of the due date (I was right on with March 25) because I knew exactly when the first day of my last period was, and I knew exactly when conception occurred. It was very scientific.

This time around, I couldn't tell you when my last period was, let alone the first day of the last period. And I also don't know when conception occurred. But I do remember feeling horrific, unable to eat, and was overly tired, between my trip to Boston and my trip to Jackson, MS. The long and short of it is I think I got pregnant before I went to Boston, and if so, then the doctor is wrong about the due date.

The baby will be here sometime in January, but the exact date is up in the air as far as I'm concerned. Between now and then much will happen and I'm always fascinated with what is actually going on in there from week to week. It's amazing, really. Here is my Week 10 development taken from two different sources.

Week 10
Your astonishingly tiny baby has graduated from embryo to full blown fetus! And so it should be, as they've been hard at work growing as fast as possible—almost doubling in size in the past three weeks! Amazingly, you’re in for a repeat size doubling performance within the next three weeks! Your tiny champion still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of their development. Using Doppler technology, your doctor or gynecologist can let you hear their tiny rapid fetal heartbeats this week (145-165 beats per minute!). Chances for miscarriage are greatly reduced when the heartbeat can be detected, so take a sigh of relief if you’ve been needing one—it hasn’t been an easy ten weeks! What’s more, they’re getting ready to make their first baby poop! Your little one’s major organ systems are developing, including a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through their bowels. The final shiny gold star on their fetal behavior chart for the week: your little scrapper has already developed defense mechanisms to protect them on reflex!

Also, your baby will become much more active than before, but unfortunately, his movements are still too small for you to notice. He will be moving his arms and legs, which can be seen on an ultrasound. Your baby's joints are fully formed, as are his tiny hands, feet, fingers and toes. At this age, he would be able to grab an object, if it were placed in his hand, as he grows more and more sensitive to touch. Your baby's eyes are open most of the time but the eyelids are beginning to fuse – they will stay that way until you reach approximately 25 to 27 weeks. The external genitalia are beginning to be able to show your baby’s gender and both the external ears and upper lip are completely formed now. Your baby’s biggest accomplishment this week is the disappearance of the tail! Also, your baby is breathing. This breathing activity is noticeable as he “breathes” amniotic fluid.

It's no wonder I'm so tired - lots going on in there. Very exciting, very odd, strange, and weird, and funky, and it kind of makes my skin crawl.

I'm off to eat some more. I am gaining 1-2 pounds per week. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. The sacrifices are endless. And I cannot forget the joys of Fatherhood. If I were a single mother right now I would flip out. Thank you, thank you Mr. Grass for hanging in there and holding it together for us. Happy Father's Day. You are a good dad and a great husband!