Week 26

Baby Girl's Development this week: She weighs about 1-2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. Her weight will more than triple between now and birth as she rapidly puts on baby fat. She'll need that fat to help adjust to colder temperatures outside the womb and as a source of energy and calories in the first days of life. It's not uncommon for newborns who are breastfed to lose weight (sometimes as much as 10 percent of their birth weight) in the first week after birth. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air.

This has been a HUGE week for growth -- and when I say that I mean it! I measured my abdomen on Sunday morning and it was 34"....you read that right. It's an entire inch bigger than just one week ago! Amazing! I know that baby girl is in a growth spurt right now, which means that so is my belly.

I also felt hiccups for the first time this past week :-) It was just about 5 of them, but I knew they were hiccups because they were right where her head is and very rhythmic. I haven't felt them since then, but I know they'll be back.