23 weeks

How far along? 23 weeks (and 2 days)       

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 9 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep, mostly everything except a few comfy pants, sweatshirts and longer shirts still work.

Stretch Marks? Nada...keep working for me, Bio Oil!

Sleep: I'm still waking up several times a night to change positions, and of course there are the 1-3 bathroom trips every night.  I guess I'll probably just never sleep the same.  Maybe this is getting me ready for how motherhood will be.

Best moment this week: Having my doctor's appointment and learning that nothing had changed with my cervix.

Movement: She's still quite the mover, but I think I'm getting more used to feeling her movements and therefore sometimes ignore them during the days when I'm busy at work.  Sometimes I leave work and feel like she hasn't moved as much that day, but then I get home and lay down and she's WILD.  Same on my days off.....W.I.L.D.

Food cravings: BLs (that would be a BLT minus the T)

Food aversions: CHICKEN!  (Will I ever look at you the same?)

  

Gender: Girl (at least I hope she still is or I'm gonna have to start returning some things) 

Labor Signs: Although I've been contracting for the last 2 weeks, my doctor checked my cervix on Monday and it was still very firm and long and closed, which was music to my ears.  She also did a fetal fibronectin test that predicts if you will spontaneously go into labor in the next 2 weeks and that came back negative.  Very reassuring news for a pregnant high risk OB nurse who wishes she knew less!  :)

Belly Button in or out? Innie, although it's getting a lot more shallow and I'm wondering if it will eventually get flat.

What I miss: Sleeping on my back without feeling a little paranoid and being able to shave my legs and tie my shoes comfortably.

What I am looking forward to: My prenatal massage next week.  Work has been hellish the last 2 weeks and a massage is MUCH NEEDED for this mama to unwind.

  

Milestones: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.