Week 34: What's happening this week

Our baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which he'll need to regulate her body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

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Week 33: My pregnancy this week

This week our baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. Little Campbell continues to kick and move a lot...although, with him getting bigger it mostly feels like he is stretching out...which I would be too if I was crammed inside like that for 9 months. We're looking forward to him joining us in about 7 weeks!

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Week 32: What's happening this week

By now, our baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. Supposedly I'll be gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb.

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Week 31: What's happening this week

This week, our baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's moving a lot, too, but so far, no trouble sleeping because of his kicks and somersaults. All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

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Week 30: What's happening this week

Our baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

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Week 29: What's happening this week

Our baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in his skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.

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Week 28: What's happening this week

By this week, our baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to her heels. He can open and close his eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before he's batting those beauties at us! Only 12 more weeks, we aer officially in our third trimester.

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Week 27: What's happening this week...

Our baby is really starting to get big. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He now sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on.

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Week 26: What's happening this week

Our baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. His weight will more than triple between now and birth as he rapidly puts on baby fat. He'll need that fat to help adjust to colder temperatures outside the womb and as a source of energy and calories in the first days of life. It's not uncommon for newborns, especially those who are breastfed , to lose weight (sometimes as much as 10 percent of their birth weight) in the first week after birth.

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Week 25: What's happening this week

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for a more rounded one. As he gains weight, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more like a mini newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now in color and texture, although both may change after he's born.

On a personal note, he continues to move and shake quite a bit. I think he especially enjoys poking my bladder just to see how many times he can make me go to the bathroom. Already he is just like his dad...

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Week 24: What's happening this week

Our baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week. Since he's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure (not that we would expect any different from our gene pool), but his body's filling out proportionally. Our baby's brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds may be working now. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. He can hear more now, and they say we may even notice him startle at loud, sudden noises. But he's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house.

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Week 23: What's happening this week

Our baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. He may be able to feel my movements now, so it is suggested I should on some tunes and dance around the house. He looks red now due to blood vessels showing through his transparent skin. His true skin tone will develop over the course of his first year. Blood vessels in our baby's lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months. The lungs are the last organ to fully develop.

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Week 22: What's happening this week

Our baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. His skin will continue to appear wrinkled until he gains enough weight to fill it out. His eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Our baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath his gum line. You won't actually see his first tooth until he's around 4 to 7 months old, unless he's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth.

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Week 21: What's happening this week...

Little Mc now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. Our baby is really on the move now. Fetal researchers say babies move about 50 times an hour even while sleeping. All that movement helps stimulate your baby's physical and mental development. You may not notice 50 kicks, punches, and twirls during the day, but as you're settling down at night, don't be surprised if your little guy seems ready to dance the night away.
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Week 20: What's happening this week

We're at the halfway mark! Little Mc weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's about 10 inches from head to heel. (The way our baby is measured now changes.) A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats his entire body to protect his skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. He's also producing meconium , a black, sticky substance made of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid, which will accumulate in his bowels and end up in his first diaper.

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Week 19: What's happening this week...

Our baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. The hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Our baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He may be able to hear us as we talk. Research shows that he's learning to distinguish our voice from others, and he'll soon show a preference for it. Let Mike is getting in on the act, too — as he talks to our baby. In fact, Mike encourages him whenever Little Mc gives me a little kick.

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Week 18: What's happening this week

Head to bottom, our baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato), and weighs almost 7 ounces. Little Mc's busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that I'll likely start noticing more and more. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If our baby is a boy , his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from us during an ultrasound .

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Week 17: What's happening this week

Our baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and is around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. The umbilical cord, the lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after Little Mc's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As our child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time our baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones.

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Week 16: What's happening this week

At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, Little Mc will go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling in weight and adding inches to length. The patterning of her scalp has begun, though hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, the baby's eyes are moving (slowly), and Little Mc's even started growing toenails. The fingernails and toenails will continue to grow, so don't be surprised if the baby needs them trimmed soon after birth.

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First Flutter

Mike and I were told that in the next few weeks there was a chance we would start feeling the baby move. Well, yesterday I felt the "flutter." To be honest, since it is the first pregnancy and first time I think I felt movement, maybe it makes more sense to say there is a 50/50 chance I felt the baby move. Either way, we are excited to be hitting this next phase of feeling the movement of our little one.

Week 15: What's happening this week

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, our baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. Little Mc's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help the air sacs in his lungs develop. Sweat glands are appearing, and although the eyelids are fused shut, Little Mc can sense light. If you were to shine a flashlight at your tummy, our baby would most likely move away from the beam. In about a month + we may be able to find out whether our baby's a boy or a girl !

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Week 14: What's happening this week

We made it to the second trimester! This is a big milestone because it marks the end of a critical development period. All the basic structures of our baby's body are formed now. Head to bottom, our baby is just 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Little Mc's starting to develop an ultrafine, downy covering of hair all over her body called lanugo . Thanks to brain impulses, the baby's little facial muscles are getting a workout as L.Mc squints, frowns, and grimaces. The baby can grasp now, too, and may be able to suck his/her thumb.

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Week 13: What's happening this week

My belly is starting to be noticeably bigger, but our baby is still tiny. Little Mc is about 3 inches long — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs about an ounce. The baby's tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. The kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and Little Mc's starting to excrete the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.
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Baby McFadden 7-24-07

The future little Mc had his/her first graduation today! Little Mc said goodbye to Doctor Anderson, their fabulous staff, and their first trimester restrictions. No more weekly visits with little Mc. We'll have to wait until 20 weeks now until our next ultrasound.

Week 12: What's happening this week...

Our baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. The eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together. Our baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protruded into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity. Little Mc's kidneys are secreting urine into the bladder. Our baby may have acquired more reflexes, including sucking, and will even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though we still won't be able to feel the movement for several weeks.
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Week 11: What's happening this week...

Your fig-size baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing a quarter of an ounce. Little Mc's skin is still transparent, allowing his blood vessels to show through. Some of the bones are beginning to harden. The fingers and toes have separated, and Little Mc may soon be able to open and close his fists. The baby is busy kicking and stretching, but because he's still so small, I won't feel any of his aquatic workouts for another month or so. As your baby's diaphragm develops, Little Mc may also start getting the hiccups.

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Baby McFadden 7-16-07

You can't quite see it in the picture, but Little Mc was sprawled out as if laying on a hammock. Little Mc's left leg was stretched out and we could see the details of the toes. After the appointment I hopped on a plane to Texas...Dr. Anderson made me wear a lead blanket to protect the baby from radiation on the flight. A precaution sometimes taken for first trimester travel.

Baby McFadden 7-10-07

Here is little Mc at 10 weeks...things are moving along as they should be and Little Mc is 1.26 inches or 31.7mm big.

Week 10: What's happening this week

Our baby is no longer an embryo! Though Little Mc's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, he's completed the most critical portion of her development. Now is the beginning of the fetal period, when Litlle Mc's tissues and vital organs mature rapidly. The liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs are in place and starting to function, and they'll continue to develop throughout our pregnancy. During the next three weeks, Little Mc's baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches.

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Week 9: What's happening this week

Our baby is nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce, but is poised for rapid weight gain now that his basic physical structure is in place. Little Mc's embryonic tail is completely gone, and the development of his body parts — including organs, muscles, and nerves — is kicking into gear. His eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. Little Mc's upper lip is fully formed, and his mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. Your baby's sex organs are present now but won't be discernable as male or female for another few weeks.

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Baby McFadden 7/2/07

Well, even at 9 weeks, little Mc still looks like a little blob...and that's probably because little Mc is just under an inch! If you look closely, though, you can make out the start of the little arms. We actually got to see Little Mc wiggling around...doing his first jig. (The right edge is the head, and about at the mid point you can see the arm sticking out...)

Week 8: What's happening this week

Our baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. Little Mc is constantly moving and shifting, although I won't be able to feel these womb wiggles for several weeks. Still slightly webbed, little Mc's fingers and toes are growing longer. LMc's knee and elbow joints have formed, so she can now bend both. Breathing tubes extend from the baby's throat to the branches of her developing lungs. The nerve cells in her brain are also branching out, forming primitive neural pathways. The external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl .

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Baby McFadden 6-25-07

You can now start to see the head and other little body parts. The fun thing today was seeing the little one's heart beat flashing on the monitor!

Week 7: What's happening this week

Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — our baby has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of little Mc's brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers. His skin is paper-thin, and his veins are clearly visible. You can't feel his gyrations yet, but your little jumping bean is moving in fits and starts around his watery home.

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Baby McFadden 6-14-2007

This is Baby McFadden at 6 weeks...and the baby is doing exactly what the doctors want her to. Little Mc looks like a diamond ring. The diamond is the beginning of the fetus and the ring is the yolk sack.

Week 6: What's happening this week

Our baby's heart is growing, and dividing into the right and left chambers. But the most exciting part is that her tiny heart is now beating (at a speedy 100 to 130 beats a minute) and pumping blood throughout her body. The cells that will make up all of our baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across). She's starting to build muscle fibers, and halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs.

Week 5: What's happening this week

Our baby is about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. The big development this week: Our baby's brain is beginning to grow! It develops from the neural tube, a structure that will also spawn our baby's spinal cord, nerves, and backbone. Since folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, you can see why it's so important early in pregnancy. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

First Glance at Baby McFadden

This is the first picture of Baby McFadden. Mike and I were so excited to go to the doctors today and get to see the little one growing in us. Well, actually, all you are seeing is the sac our baby is in...I guess next week we will be able to see a little bit more. We continue to pray to meet this little one in nine months and that the Lord protects this little baby.

Letting the family know...

Week 4: Our baby this week

The most dramatic and vulnerable period in your baby's development begins this week and continues for the next six. During this time, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and function. While your baby is in this "embryonic period," she's particularly susceptible to anything that might interfere with her development. The primitive placenta is made up of two layers at this point. Also present now are the amniotic sac, which houses your baby, the amniotic fluid, which cushions her as she grows, and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells.

We're Pregnant!

On Tuesday May 29th we found out we are pregnant! We are so excited! For almost two years it has been our hope to have a baby. We know God's love abounds whether or not he chose to give us this gift, but we fo feel blessed to know that there is a little McFadden on the way. We are so appreciative to all who have walked on this journey with us. So many have prayed for

On the day we found out we are considered technically 4 weeks along. As I write this we are now in our fifth week and our first ultrasound will be this Thursday. All week I have been going in for appointments to watch the HCG levels and they have continued to rise exactly as it should. So this little one is starting out strong.

Our prayer now is that this baby will join us in February of 2008...of course, Mike believes the baby will arrive January 22, 2008. So we'll see how well he does on guessing dates.