25 Weeks

From Baby Center:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth. (From Jen- I have too much hair as it is and now it is just even more crazy! I am so ready to cut it, but am trying not to!)

You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your caregiver will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement.

Have you started thinking about baby names yet? Choosing a name is an important decision, but it should be a fun one, too. You may want to consider family history (Great Grandpa Zeb), favorite locations (Venice, where you honeymooned), or cherished literary or film characters (Greta, Meg, or Atticus, for example). Check out a couple of baby-name books to help you brainstorm, too.

Note from Jen:

On Friday I went in for what I thought was just a blood test for being RH Negative. When I arrived, they handed me this aweful sugary sweet glucose drink and told me I had 5 minutes to drink the whole thing and then I had to wait an hour before they would draw my blood. Bummer because I was hoping to get home early and hang out with Kenny who was off for the day. After about 40 minutes sitting there, I started to feel just terrible. I was jittery and felt really weird. It was a relief when it was over and I could go home and eat real food.

On Monday, the doctor called and told me that yes, I did indeed need to get the shot for being RH Negative. I went in that afternoon and had a not so pleasant surprise... the shot was not given to me in the arm (you can use your imagination to guess where I had to get it!) Why didn't you guys warn me?!?

Yesterday I received another call from the doctor who informed me that it looks like I am anemic so I need to take iron pills as well. My blood tests also showed that my glucose was high so I get to go in and take a 3 hour glucose tolerance screening next month. Fun. I am not looking forward to drinking that thick sugar water again, but hopefully it will all come back negative for gestational diabetes.

I am definitely getting bigger every day and everyone can now tell that I am pregnant. Overall I feel pretty good, but am having occasional pain/ swelling. Oh, and I get out of breath easier... even the stairs are becoming a workout!

We are still narrowing down names for our little guy. It is so hard to decide since he will be stuck with the name for the rest of his life. Too much pressure! I am determined to have a name settled on in the next month. We'll let you all know :)