End of Week 14
As of this week, Baby Minton can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His/her kidneys are producing urine, which he/she releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he’ll/she’ll keep up until birth. He/she can grasp, too.
In other news: Baby Minton is also stretching out. From head to bottom, he/she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he/she weighs 1 1/2 ounces.
Week 15 starts on Monday and here’s what we can expect:
Baby Minton will measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). He/she’s busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. His/her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and he/she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although his/her eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, he/she’s likely to move away from the beam. There’s not much for your baby to taste at this point, but he/she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby’s a boy or a girl!
I won’t be having another ultrasound until week 20 (as far as I know!) but my co-worker Terri and I tried the string test yesterday at work. Here’s what the test told us to do:
Take a pin, needle, or wedding ring and attach it to a thread or strand of hair. Hold the dangling item over mom to be’s belly while she is lying down. If the needle or wedding ring swings in a strong circular motion, you will be having a girl. If it moves in a to and fro motion like a pendulum, you will be having a boy.
We used a pink piece of thread and my wedding ring and the it swung back and forth…so I guess that means we’re having a boy!
Another friend on Facebook asked me if I checked the Chinese Pregnancy Calendar. I hadn’t heard of it, but here’s what it said:
The Chinese Pregnancy Calendar is based on legend, and has been used to predict whether an unborn child will be a boy or a girl. According to legend, the Chinese pregnancy calendar was buried in a royal tomb almost 900 years ago and was just recently discovered.
I took my age at conception and the month I conceived and it says we’re having a girl!
So…I guess we’ll have to wait until week 20 to find out if it’s a BOY or a GIRL.