25 weeks and going strong!

Can you believe we are only 15 weeks away from having a little angel in our home!! We visited the hospital for our tour on Wednesday and saw the "hotel" where Baby Chuck will be born! It is extremely nice and the rooms are huge! We will start our childbirth classes in late February. We will be taking them with a friend and her husband who are 6 weeks behind us. That will be nice just in case the hubbies are scheduled to work, we will at least have a friend there. Can you imagine me sitting through a childbirth class on my own? Yeah right!

How Big is the Baby at 25 Weeks Pregnant?
By pregnancy week 25 your baby is approximately 1.5 pounds and just under 13.7 inches long. From this point on however your baby's weight and length may vary somewhat. Every baby is different as you'll soon realize during your pregnancy week by week. Some babies will be born weighing 7 pounds and others 10.

Your Baby's Growth and Development
Your baby is continuing to mature during pregnancy week 25 and for the next several weeks. The structures that form the spine start to form around pregnancy at 25 weeks, and blood vessels in the lungs continue to develop this week. Other things that are shaping up during pregnancy at 25 weeks include our baby's nostrils, which may open up by the end of this week.

Your baby is starting to put on just a little meat, and will continue filling out as your pregnancy progresses.

Your Growth and Development
Your uterus is now about the size of a volleyball at 25 weeks pregnant. As your uterus continues to grow you'll notice it places some pressure on your back and pelvis. This can sometimes cause you to experience shooting pains either down your leg or in your lower back. For some women these pains get more and more severe during pregnancy.

Some women will experience a condition called sciatica during pregnancy. This often happens when the baby's head presses against the pelvic bones causing the nerves in your lower back and legs to be compressed. Severe pain often results and can occur in the lower back, leg or legs and even buttocks. Some women will also experience numbness or tingling in the legs. For some women the pain is so severe they aren't able to lift their leg or walk without excruciating pain. So what is a woman to do? Typically most women will realize a complete relief of symptoms once the baby is born.