Grapefruits - 23 Weeks

We have hit the five month mark! I had an OB appointment today where they did an ultrasound to check the heartbeats which were 148(her) and 129(him). To me this seemed like quite a big difference, since they have been so similar each visit and the doctor said they were both good heartbeats. They like see them between 110 and 160.
I asked about the scan we had done at 20 weeks and what follow up was needed and was surprised when she said I would need to return to The UVM Medical Center to follow up on the nose/lips and umbilical cord. The doctor said she they do not do anatomy ultrasounds in the office anymore. Also I would need to start coming in every two weeks starting around 25 weeks instead of every 4 weeks so they can monitor growth.
I scheduled the next check up at 26 weeks for a growth check and another at 28 weeks for a growth check and the second glucose test.
The ultrasound today was quick, she said she was really just looking at the heartbeats to make sure they sounded good. It seems as though the little girl has moved down bit and her brother is hanging out just above her. They were playing around the whole time and the doctor could see them moving all around. I took a couple of videos, which Stelio's may be able to better understand after paying such close attention to the last scan, but it just looked like a bunch of fuzzy images to me! ( I will send the videos in an email later tonight).

All in all everyone is doing great!


Weight:167, the doctor seemed perfectly content with the slower weight gain at this point since the babies seem to be doing fine. She said weight gain will probably pick up in the third trimester since the babies will be growing faster at that point.

Feeling: Out of breath! Most of the time, but I have found a few positions to help take a deeper breath. Energy is still pretty good throughout the day if I conserve it. No swelling or additional pains other than a sore back, so we are doing great so far.

Babies: Your babies are about 11.4 inches long and weigh in at about 1.1 pounds.

Blood vessels in their lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your babies increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now – such as the dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner – probably won't faze them when she hears them outside the womb.

This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your babies should double their weight over the next four weeks alone. Their skin is a bit saggy since it grows a lot faster than fat — but soon they’ll start to fit their frames as fat deposits fill things out. By the time your babies are born, they will be pleasantly plump and filled out, from chubby cheeks to chubby toes. And although at 23 weeks pregnant, your baby's organs and bones are visible through their skin (which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath), they'll become less transparent once those fat deposits settle in.

Billions of brain cells will develop in your babies brains over the next couple of weeks. These will control all of your baby's movements and sensory, and basic life functions like breathing. Also around this time, some major changes are happening with your babies lungs. Surfactant is being produced, a substance that enables the air sacs to inflate and the lungs to fully expand. Right now they are still breathing amniotic fluid, but when they are born they'll be ready for air.