The name game continues

Lose a couple, but add some more...

Samuel
Owen
Paul
Mitchell
Zachary
Reed
Seth
Brett
Colin
Isaac
Cole
Casey
Lucas
Ty

Weeks 23-25

The end of week 23 was an important milestone: if born and given the appropriate care, he now has a good chance of survival--about 85 percent. About 50 percent of "early preemies" experience complications ranging from eye problems to intracranial hemorrhage (spontaneous bleeding in the brain); the rate drops steadily from the 24th week onward.

The baby is growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since a week. Currently, he is about a pound and a half. Since he now measures about 13 1/2 inches, that makes a pretty lean figure, but his body is filling out proportionally and he has begun to put on baby fat. As this continues, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled. Also, his brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds are developing.

His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree", as well as cells that produce surfactant, a fatty substance that that covers the inner lining of the air sacs and allows the lungs to expand normally so breathing can occur. Although it will be approximately 10 more weeks before the lungs are fully operational, the production of surfactant is an essential step in making the fetus viable outside the womb.

A critical component of the fetal support system is the umbilical cord, which forms a vital link between the fetus and the placenta. The cord contains two arteries and one large vein; by birth, it may measure up to four feet long. Every 30 seconds, nutrients and oxygen-rich blood are transported from the placenta to the fetus via the single vein, then back again to the placenta through the two arteries. This ingenious method ensures a constant supply of filtered air and nutrients, and keeps the mother's blood separate from the baby's.

Pregnant in Portland

22 weeks

He 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, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his head and body is now visible. His lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath his gum line. His eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and his pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Babies develops two kinds of hair in utero--the soft, downy body hair called lanugo, which generally falls off before or shortly after birth, and the hair on his head. Many parents are surprised (to say the least) to see their baby's hair at birth--blond couples often have black-haired offspring, dark ones are just as likely to deliver a little blond or redhead, and parents who have tight, wiry curls often produce babies with soft, loose ones. The bottom line seems to be that birth hair--or lack thereof--bears little resemblance to the child's "real" hair. The birth hair generally falls out by the time the baby is 6 months old, to be replaced by a more logical head of hair.

Near the end of this month, several changes take place in the baby's skin. It becomes covered with a fatty yellowish substance called vernix, which protects its skin from the constant exposure to amniotic fluid. Under the skin, particularly around the neck and back, a special tissue called brown fat is forming. Until it disappears a few weeks after birth, brown fat produces heat, which the baby needs after leaving the warmth of the womb.