Week 18

Dear Sweet Pea,

I am 17 weeks along today, and you are in the middle of a big growth spurt. This week you weigh about 150g and are around 5.5" long. You practice breathing by gulping down amniotic fluid, and you might even be sucking your thumb! You are becoming more sensitive and aware of the outside world. By now you can probably hear my heartbeat, and recognize my and Daddy's voices. You might be startled by loud noises, and would be able to see bright light, if only it was sunny outside these days!

By now my uterus is about the size of a cantaloupe, and you still have lots of room in there. I can easily feel the top of my uterus just below my navel. My belly seems to be getting bigger all the time, and I've now gained 5 or 6 pounds. I am still experiencing my fair share of insomnia, some fatigue, stuffy nose and lots of sneezing. And lets just say that my digestive system isn't working as efficiently as it once did, especially since my intestines are being compressed by the uterus. This makes it even harder for food to pass through all those twists and turns.

This morning we visited Beth, one of our midwives, and everything seems to be going well. They say all my symptoms are completely normal, and we got to hear your heartbeat again. It was about 150, so its gradually slowing down as expected.

Lastly, I finally got asked The Big Question yesterday: "are you pregnant?" It was a client of mine that I hadn't seen since February and yesterday was only the second time I've treated her. So its definitely becoming obvious now, but I still felt relieved (for her sake) that I am indeed expecting, and not just getting fat! I've also been told that I have the "pregnancy glow", which was nice to hear :)