Maybe it's all the cookies I'm baking . . .

"Woohoo! 7 lbs.!

I just had my 24 week appointment and am glad to say the weight gain has begun! Now for those of you who think I'm crazy for cheering on my new poundage, I'm really not. It seems that in pregnancy I am a late weight gainer. This isn't bad, isn't good, it just is; some people gain early, some gain steadily throughout, I gain in the end. BUT when all is said and done, it is best to gain some weight because that means the baby is getting fatter and all is growing well with room and board.

The recommended weight gain (20-30 pounds, though some say 25-35) is as follows:

Baby: seven to eight pounds

Placenta: one to two pounds

Amniotic fluid: two pounds

Breast tissue: one to two pounds

Uterus: two pounds

Extra blood: three to four pounds

Increase in body fluids: three pounds

Maternal stores (i.e. fat as baby protection and momma energy): five to twelve pounds

Add it all up and the range is 14 to 35 pounds.

I gained 30 with Jackson . . . wonder what will happen this time around. Though, what I think is funny about my seven pounds is that it is EXACTLY how much I gained each month once I started gaining with Jackson!

Here is what Babycenter.com says about BITB at 24 weeks: 'Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up.' So that accounts for one of those seven pounds . . .

Also exciting at this appointment was that BITB had a very steady heart beat (156 bpm) that sounded so strong. Ahhhhh! It’s all so invigorating, this little life just thriving inside me . . ."

--Clare