Week 27

We have reached week 27 today, which is the final week in the second trimester. I wish I could say that it will be all down hill from here, but I have a sneaky suspicion (fueled by my swelling ankles) that I'm in for a challenge this summer!

The swelling, that seems to only happen on work days (too bad there are five out of seven of those each week!) is called edema. I guess that it happens because fluids build up in the body tissues due to increased blood flow and pressure on the vena cava (huge vein in charge of the lower body).

The way that the doctor or growth charts measure the baby changes this week too. Instead of the crown-to-rump measurement it switches over to a head-to-toe measurement. This week the baby should be around 15 inches long and just over two pounds.

The baby has been able to hear for the last couple of weeks from inside the womb, but reports say that at this point the baby can often differentiate and recognize the mother's voice (does that mean that I talk too much)!