Week 23

Got my first (and hopefully only) KILLER leg cramp last night. It was in my left soleus. Woke me up, I tried to stretch it and work it out. Had to wake up the Hubs. My calf is still sore this morning. What an ordeal. Guess I'll stop sleeping on my back, and may start eating a banana with dinner.

Other than that, everything's been great - Bubba moves around tons. I've gotten more used to it, where I almost tune it out - until he throws a big kick to make sure I'm paying attention. I like to play with him as he punches and kicks and I push back - Hubs thinks he's going to come out with flat spots. Babies are pliable, he'll be fine.

Gave myself a weigh-in (have my 6 month checkup early next week) to make sure I won't get shocked at the office. 8 pounds! After not finding weight for so long, I feel like I'm catching up. But I'm in the midst of the pound-a-week stage and still at the low end of normal weight gain. Bubba gains almost 1/2 pound a week.

• Your baby weighs slightly more than a pound now, and she's about the length of an ear of corn.
• Your baby's lungs develop rapidly this week as they prepare for birth.
  • Her lungs are producing a substance called surfactant that allows the lungs to inflate and deflate without collapsing or sticking together.
  • Blood vessels in your baby's lungs also are growing and developing in preparation for breathing.
• Your baby is making breathing-like movements for practice, moving amniotic fluid in and out of her lungs.
• Although your baby is getting all of the oxygen she needs from your placenta, this practice is important for developing her diaphragm muscles.
• By your 23rd week of pregnancy, your baby actually looks like a baby. She still has little body fat and still is trying to fill out her wrinkly skin.