25 Weeks

I am 25 weeks today! Benton is the size of an eggplant and unfortunately my uterus is the size of a soccer ball. Thank goodness I receive different emails that notify me of these changes every week. Not only is my uterus the size of soccer ball, but my body is starting to get “plumper” everyday…one email actually said that!! As if I needed someone to tell me that. It was bad enough when I was lying in bed one night this past week and my husband rubs my belly and says, “You’re definitely showing now!” I know he didn’t mean anything by it, but I could have done without his comment and I could live without the overtly honest emails updating me on every negative possibility that might happen to my body. What pregnant woman wants to be told their body is getting plumper…everyday?! 

Other possible changes or issues that the emails have notified me of are, heartburn or indigestion, snoring, hemorrhoids, tingling hands, varicose veins, restless legs syndrome,skin, nail, and hair changes. I’ve had heartburn since day one and according to my husband, I’ve always snored, so nothing new there. Luckily these are the only things I am experiencing, well, aside from the constant nausea, fatigue, sleeplessness, and feeling all around uncomfortable. I would love to experience the changes in my hair! Supposedly my hair should feel thicker and more lustrous than ever before…that’s a change I will take, but of course I am not that fortunate.

Ok, one last little complaint and then I will have it out of my system. I started experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions this past week. For those of you who have not been privileged enough to experience these glorious pings of pain, let me describe them for you. They’re referred to as “practice contractions”. The muscles of the uterus tighten for approximately 30 to 60 seconds and sometimes as long as two minutes. They’re irregular in intensity, infrequent and unpredictable, which is really great when you are out in public. I was lucky enough to experience a series of Braxton Hicks AFTER leaving Sam’s work function Friday night. Thank goodness I didn’t have them right in front of 20 people that I just met for the first time!

So, I am done with the complaining. Now I will tell you about Benton. Like I said, he is the size of an eggplant, about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. He is growing by leaps and bounds! His lungs are developing and getting ready for his first breath. He is enjoying a new sense of equilibrium - he now knows which way is up and which is down. He's growing more fat and more hair too! He moves around like crazy! Devyn even got to feel him kick for the first time this weekend. He said he can't wait for Benton to come. Connor keeps asking, "When is Benton going to be here?" Hopefully they will still be excited when he is here and crying at 3 am.

For now we are ALL excited for Benton's arrival!