What a gorgeous baby you have! This week, some of his most notable developments are cosmetic: His eyebrows and eyelashes are thick and lush now, and the hair on his head has grown longer and denser. By this time, all the parts of your baby's eyes are in place, and he's getting ready to open them in just a couple of weeks! Your baby's lungs continue to grow stronger, readying him for life outside the womb -- although it's about 10 more weeks until they'll be fully mature. To support his growing body, your baby's spine is becoming stronger and more flexible. It's about the same length as the palm of your hand, but it contains a whopping 150 joints and some 1,000 ligaments.
My Life
By now, you've probably gained around 15 pounds -- and possibly even more, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight. And we know what you're thinking: So what's the deal? Will I really ever get my old body back after the baby's born? And the answer is, well, sort of. First of all, a bunch of your weight comes off soon after delivery -- the weight of the baby, obviously, but also a lot of water weight/swelling, boosted blood volume, your placenta, etc. In fact, according to one recent study from the University of Texas at Austin, new moms hold on to just seven to 15 pounds of their total preggo weight gain at six weeks postpartum (which means that if you continued to shed a half-pound to a pound a week or so, you'd be back to your pre-pregnancy weight in about six months).
But even if you manage to drop every last pound, some parts of your body may still look a little different. Your breasts may be a bit less perky, for instance -- but hey, a sexy new push-up bra can take care of that. Or your stomach probably won't quite return to its pre-pregnancy pancake -- okay, short-stack -- flat state. But honestly, as sensitive to these possible differences as you may be now, take heart -- you're liable to care a lot less about any minor imperfections once your baby arrives. As one Parents.com reader put it, "After watching my body gestate, deliver, and nurse a baby, I felt like it deserved an Academy Award! I may not look exactly the same as I did before, but I finally love what I see in the mirror." And if it makes you feel any better, just know that every other new mom out there is experiencing the same exact changes. Even though Us Weekly-cover-worthy Hollywood moms may lose their baby weight in a crazy short amount of time, we're betting many still have to contend with stretch marks and such.
I can't believe it's already week 26! I'm so excited! Thus far, I've really enjoyed being pregnant, for the most part. I could do without the back aches and the leg cramps, but overall, it's really kind of a neat experience, especially when I can feel the baby moving around inside. Of course, I'm not to the point of being "really pregnant" and the baby doesn't hurt me when he or she does gymnastics before bed.
Anyway, that's all for now... Still looking for suggestions for my Halloween costume!
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