the grandest week ever

I may or may not be starting my 6th month today. I'm going with the May 23rd due date, which makes Fridays my new weekly update now but some books/websites have 23 weeks as the beginning of the 6th month and some have 24 weeks. I don't know.

Little boy is very very active these days - bumping, kicking and dancing all the time it seems. Still doesn't wake me up at night and it scares me a lot less than it did when he first started. Still a bit bizarre (he's just started shifting around right this second after a while of peace & quiet, which makes me think he knows I'm talking about him - creeeeepy). I woke his ass up at 3.30am to watch the inauguration live with me, even took the blanket off of me on the couch so he had a better chance of hearing what a great speech sounds like. Congratulations by the way, America - you done good!! WE done good!!

AND you would think that being the political lover that I am, my week could not get more exciting than such a fantastic historical day but you would be wrong, bozo. Lost is back this week too!!! AND it's a long weekend for us for Australia Day!!! So I'm feeling smug now that the world respects us again and I'm getting my Lost on tonight and I can sleep in for 3 days and have some yummy BBQ food on Monday.

But back to pregnancy, my only current complaints besides feeling like Jabba the Hut from time to time are the sciatica (currently shooting down the right side of my tailbone every step I take) and my stretching stomach ligaments (intense pain when I'm standing and then my tummy is magically bigger the next morning) but none of my symptoms seems to last more than a few days, then I'm fine for a few days then I get something new & random. Very strange this pregnancy nonsense.

Anyhoo, here's my update:

Fetal development - 23 weeks pregnant
Your baby now weighs a little over 500 grams and measures about 29 centimetres from crown to heel. Her hearing is well established and she can make out a distorted version of your voice, the beating of your heart and your stomach rumblings. Loud noises often heard in utero, such as the barking of a dog next door or the roar of a vacuum cleaner, probably won't bother your child when she hears them outside the womb. Numerous studies seem to indicate that the unborn prefer classical music, especially Vivaldi. Play The Four Seasons for your child and pay attention to her movements. Does she quieten down during adagio sections and speed up for the allegro portions? You may have a budding conductor in your womb. In addition to advances in your baby's hearing, her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. She's swallowing but she normally won't pass her first stool (called meconium) until after birth.

If your baby were to be born now, she would have a small chance of survival (about 16 per cent) with the right care. Every day in the womb makes a difference at this stage. If she was born at 24 weeks her chance of survival would rise to 44 per cent.