Today I am 17 weeks & 2 days pregnant

Your Pregnancy: A Week-by-Week Guide

You are going on 18 Weeks Pregnant!

WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING WITH YOU THIS WEEK:

You may be waiting anxiously for your baby's first movement, known as "quickening." You want to know that your baby, who's been quietly maneuvering around since seven weeks, is big enough and strong enough to send you a message. Many women find this barometer of their baby's well-being very reassuring.

Typically, you will feel the first small rumblings of fetal movement between 18 and 22 weeks (or later, in some cases). If you have very strong abdominal muscles, you're very overweight or your fetus is "hiding," you may fall on the late end of the scale. If this is your first pregnancy, you may not feel fetal movement as early as you will in successive pregnancies. Most likely, though, junior will make his or her presence known within this next, exciting month. Early fetal movements may feel like soft tapping, or "butterflies," just above the pubic bone.

I definitely felt our little one kick Friday night! It was around 9 pm and I was lying in bed and all of a sudden got this light kick. It was unmistakable....I knew instantly what it was. Very cool! Can't wait to start feeling it more frequently.

WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY THIS WEEK:

Your baby has grown to 14 centimeters crown to rump. Adding two ounces in just one week, your baby tips the scales at seven ounces. Baby's limbs are lengthening, and at last, body length is catching up to head size. Bones are still malleable but are beginning to ossify.

I think at this point, most of the major development has already occurred. Now our little one is just growing bigger and stronger. Can't wait for that 22 week ultrasound!

EATING FOR TWO

· keep energy levels high during pregnancy, here are some suggestions:

· Cold leftover chicken with a few dried apricots

· Bowl of whole grain cereal with soy or regular skim milk

· Small bowl of low-fat granola topped with half a banana and a dollop of yogurt

· Open-faced, broiled, low-fat cheese on a whole-wheat bagel

· Oatmeal with raisins

· Cup of ginger tea and a small bran muffin

Too bad most of this sounds completely gross to me. Cold Chicken? Yuck!!!!!!

FACT OF THE WEEK

It used to be that one out of 100 women experienced multiple gestations. Today, it's one in 50, partly due to the increased use of fertility drugs such as Pergonal or Clomiphene, as well as in vitro fertilization. Another factor is that maternal age during pregnancy is increasing. Women over 35 may experience erratic ovulation, causing an extra egg to be released, resulting in multiple gestations. Also, teen mothers are more likely to conceive multiple fetuses.

There are risks to carrying twins, but it's important to note that more than 90 percent of twin pregnancies have no major complications. However, if you're carrying multiples, learn to recognize the signs of preterm labor. It is more common for twins to arrive a few weeks earlier than singletons, but seriously premature delivery poses extreme health risks to the newborn.

Well, we know for sure there's only one growing inside me....thank goodness!