In Her Womb

In her womb I take refuge

Where I found peace and protection

Where I could move freely and without hesitation

Because I am well protected by her love and affection

.

In her womb I found life

A life borrowed from above

Where food are provided

Where nutrients are given

.

In her womb I found love

A love without preservation

A love that will last for a lifetime

A love no one could ever imitate

.

In her womb I could feel her emotions

Whether she's sad or not I could sense it

When she's crying I want to whisper

"Mommy don't cry, It would be fine"

.

In her womb I found shelter

A shelter which I know is temporary

For there are arms waiting for me

Where I could find my permanent home

.

In her womb I am waiting

Waiting for the perfect time to see the world

To see my expectant parents

and to see my joyful friends

poem by: ricky pascual

My First Video

I just want to share this video, here you can see me moving and waving, thumb sucking and more. I see the joy in my parent's faces and tears in their eyes. There's a little contraction in my mom's womb but it is properly addressed by the OB-Gyne. My mom will take a medicine (Dovadilan) and the good news is my mom's urinalysis is okay.

Watch and enjoy...

P.S.

My heartbeat is audible now using Doppler but the sound is still too soft to record it, watch out next month.

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of this video may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above video were taken/edited by RickyPascual and remain the properties of the videographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

13th Week of My Development

This week is the beginning of the 2nd trimester of my mom's pregnancy

First things first, my heartbeat should be audible by now using a hand-held, ultrasound device called a Doppler. The much awaited recording of my heartbeat will happen this morning, watch out.

My eyes are moving closer together from their original wide-set position, and my intestines, which were originally formed outside my body, are now inside my abdomen. And although you won't feel my movements for a few weeks, I can feel you – if you rub your bump I'll sense and respond to your touch with a jerky, reflexive movement.

I am already getting ready for life in the big wide world, practising swallowing and sucking – the skills I'll need to feed. My veins and organs are clearly visible through my still-thin skin, and my body is starting to catch up with my head — which makes up just a third of my body size now. If I am a girl, I now have more than 2 million eggs in the ovaries. I am almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

Who's that singing? Lea Salonga? Could be me: My vocal cords and larynx are completed now. Though I won't be able to make any sound yet, however, because sound waves travel through air and I am submerged in fluid. I might inherit my parents talent since they were choir members and my dad is a songwriter/musician.

For the next few weeks I'll be busy gaining weight

Friends, see! you soon

P.S.

If my parents are really lucky, they might catch a glimpse of me thumb sucking on an ultrasound photo, It could be tomorrow, so my dad is preparing for the video and camera to catch this exciting show of me.

Image from:http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-13-weeks

1st Trimester Milestone

Here's the summary of the 1st trimester of my development:

Week 1: Getting Ready
Week 2: Fertilization
Week 3: Implantation
Week 4: The embryonic period begins
Week 5: My heart begins to beat
Week 6: My neural tube closes
Week 7: My umbilical cord appears
Week 8: My fingers and toes form
Week 9: Movement begins
Week 10: Neurons multiply
Week 11: My sex may be apparent
Week 12: My fingernails and toenails appear

2nd Trimester begins tommorrow, April 21, 2009

Friends, see you soon...

12th Week of My Development

How do I look now on the final week of the 1st trimester of my mom's pregnancy?

My face is changing, as facial features shift closer to their correct position. The placenta, my life-support system, is fully functional. It provides me nutrients and removes waste.

I will begin to take on more of a normal appearance as the eyes move closer together and the ears move closer to their final position. My intestines have grown so fast that they actually extend into the umbilical cord, but they will begin to move back into the abdomen. My kidneys can now secrete urine, and the nervous system is continuing to mature.

Even though my body is still growing quite rapidly, the overall super-speedy growth of my amazing brain continues to leave my head proportionately larger than my body— and is actually slightly more than one third of my total body mass. My head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest.

This week I weighs about 2/3 of an ounce (15 grams) and is about 3 inches (7 cm) long. I am completely engulfed in amniotic fluid at this point. This fluid is about 1.5 ounces in volume. I am also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare my lungs for future air respiration.

The big news: I am now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to my mom’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and I will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to my mom for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to me.

Did you know that I already acquired more reflexes?: Such as touching my palms, makes my fingers close, touching the soles of my feet, makes the toes curl down and touching my eyelids makes my eye muscles clench. Amazing!!

Friends, see you soon!!

P.S.

I am essentially fully formed now, everything has appeared - right down to the tiny vocal cords!, All that remains to be done now is to grow and develop.

What to expect this week: Watch out for the recording of my heartbeat

"For behold, the instant the sound of your salutation reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." - Luke 1:44

Image from: http://ukfamily.co.uk/ages-stages/pregnancy-birth/your-pregnancy/whats-happening/week-12-baby.html

11th Week of My Development

It's my 11th week, what happens now?

My growth accelerates dramatically, I'll be more than doubling in size over the next month. My fingers and toes lose the webbing and are totally separated and my bones begin to harden as well.

My circulatory and urinary systems begin working and my organs start practising the functions they'll need to undertake later on. My liver starts producing bile, the pancreas starts producing insulin and muscles in my stomach start contracting to process food. I even start swallowing and sucking in readiness for my arrival into the world.

All my major body organs have formed and the most critical period in my development has passed. I can kick, punch and arch my body and even flex my fingers and form a fist. My forehead can make a wrinkle too.

I can now move freely around the fluid in my mom's womb. These movements will become more frequent as my body grows and becomes more developed and functional but my mom won't feel my acrobatics for another month or two — nor will she notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that my diaphragm is forming.

I now weighs 10 grams (1/2 oz) and 4.5 cm (1.7 in.) in length like the thickness of the Harry Potter Book 5.

Did you know that my external genitalia is now forming into a recognizable penis or clitoris and labia majora?. You may participate in a poll found in the right portion of my home page, What is my Gender?

Friends, see you soon!.

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things." - Ecclesiastes 11:5

Image from: http://ukfamily.co.uk/ages-stages/pregnancy-birth/your-pregnancy/whats-happening/week-11-baby.html

10th Week of My Development

I have been hard at work growing as fast as possible—almost doubling in size in the past three weeks! Amazingly, I'm in for a repeat size doubling performance within the next three weeks!

My major organ systems are developing, including a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through my bowels. My ears have formed, both inner and outer, and the lips are visible. My genitals continue to form, although at this stage they won't be picked up on an ultrasound scan since it is still small.

My neck is visible too, giving me a more human-like appearance. However, the bulging forehead, which houses my swiftly growing brain, makes me look a bit like an alien! Head growth slows now and during the coming months, body growth accelerates to give me a more balanced, human look. My nerves are sprouting from the spinal cord.

I still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of my development. Using Doppler technology, my mom's gynecologist can let my parents hear my tiny rapid fetal heartbeats. This will happen on my mom's next visit on April 25, 2009 although they are monitoring my development since week 6 so they've already seen my heart beating through the ultrasound.

What’s more, they’re getting ready to make my first baby poop!.

Did you know that I already developed defense mechanisms to protect me on reflex!? Amazing!!

Friends, see you soon

P.S.

I will be sharing with you the recording of my heartbeat...watch out!

"For behold, the instant the sound of your salutation reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." - Luke 1:44

Image from: http://ukfamily.co.uk/ages-stages/pregnancy-birth/your-pregnancy/whats-happening/week-10-baby.html

3rd Ultrasound

Last night my mom was so tired when she got home from work, experiencing pain in her lower back aside from colds. They decided to see the doctor to make sure that everything is okay and if nothing to worry about my mom's condition.

Here is the ultrasound result, everything is fine and I am developing normally. It was cool to show them how I'm doing inside my mom's womb. My parents are so happy to see my hands and feet moving. I was facing my parents during the ultrasound procedure, telling them "Hi! mom, hi dad!, I'm very much okay here".

The doctor assured them that everything is okay. To make sure that my mom doesn't have a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), the doctor advise her to have a urinalysis.

My heart rate is normal at 158 Bpm, I am now 2.25 cm and my yolk sac is about 0.35 cm, it also grows to meet my needs.

Friends, see you soon

"For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb." - Psalm 139:13

Wow! I Am Now in the Fetus Stage

Wow!, this is my 9th week. I am now in the fetus stage, A new stage in my prenatal development. Basically, this means that I graduated from swimming embryo creature to a recognizable human being!.

The irises of my little eyes can now function, but frustratingly it remain fused shut for a while to protect it while it is still developing and it wont open up again until I'm about 27 weeks. My external ears are formed and my inner ears are now filled with fluid, so I am already developing my sense of balance. My legs are still relatively small, although other bodily developments are going forward at a nice pace. My kidney is actually functioning now, which means I've started urinating.

I am now trying out my newly formed joints by bending and flexing limbs, wriggling and shifting position. I can now make a grasping movements with my tiny fingers and exploring everything in range - particularly the umbilical cord.

I am now weighing 2 grams (0.07 oz.) and a size of a Brazil nut.

Did you know that I already have a finger prints? Amazing!!

God is so amazing!!

Friends, see you soon...

"Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were here an hour, I would die for you. This is the miracle of life" - Author Unknown

Image from: http://ukfamily.co.uk/ages-stages/pregnancy-birth/your-pregnancy/whats-happening/week-9-baby.html

8th Week of My Development

Today, I'm eight (8) weeks and two (2) days. I am nearly an each (25mm) tall and weighs one (1) gram (0.04 oz) . I could actually be seen without using a telescope! and I am finally starting to take on some very distinct human features. However, my head is disproportionate with the rest of my body.

The little tail (spinal cord) has disappeared completely. It’s nice to know that I am no longer an embryo and I become a fetus. Both of my toes and fingers are prominent with very little, if any, webbing. My upper and lower limbs all show recognizable joints (elbows and knees) and the lower limb bones are starting to form.

All of my vital organs are in place: heart, lungs, brain and intestines. However, they are all still immature and will develop further. The genitalia (which will determine my gender) begin to form but it is not yet visible in the ultrasound.

Till then...

P.S. 1 : I put a countdown of my birth at the lower left of my home page, thanks to Tita Maia for the link.

P.S. 2: My mom is not feeling well today, please pray for her.

P.S. 3: My dad, got home late from work because of a deadline. His wrist is very painful for a couple of weeks now and excessive use of computer aggravates the condition.

Image from: http://ukfamily.co.uk/ages-stages/pregnancy-birth/your-pregnancy/whats-happening/week-8-baby.html

2nd Ultrasound

Here's the result of my mom's 2nd ultrasound.

After 7 weeks and 4 days I am already visible on the screen (see lower middle portion of the photo on the left). My mom quickly saw my heartbeat on the monitor, she's so happy to see it, my dad was speechless.

I am now 1.30 cm (13 mm) in length, the size of a 25 centavo coin. My heart rate is 146 bpm (beat per minute), it is within the normal rate of 110-160 bpm.

The doctor advise my mom to continue taking Duphaston™, Folart (Folic Acid) as well as Neurobion® (Vitamin B) until the next visit on April 18, 2009. Likewise, she need to drink Anmum once a day which is high in calcium and iron to meet the extra requirements for these nutrients during my mom's pregnancy.

Thats it for now, the next test would be a blood chemistry (Blood Type & RH, CBC, HBsAG & GCT), Urinalysis and VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory). These are necessary test for pregnant woman. Please pray for us.

See you soon, My estimated date of birth would be on November 3, 2009 (or up to 3 weeks earlier).

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Friends Are Really Sweet

Last weekend (March 21-22, 2209), my parent attended the "Marriage Builder Retreat" in Tagaytay, it was a two or three hour drive from Manila and that is too long for my mom for her conditions.

You know what?, their friends made it sure that the travel will be comfortable as much as possible for my mom. They offered best seat in their car my mom don't even need to asked.

We were once again blessed by the Lord because of them.

Soon, they will also be blessed by the Lord with a baby (or babies) and soon their respective children will be my friends too. I'm sure, it won't be long.

Friends, I am protected by your love and prayers. Thanks a lot!.

See you soon...

P.S. 1 : Today will be our 2nd visit to the Doctor and I am so excited because the next ultrasound will show how I look after 7 weeks of gestation.

P.S. 2 : The retreat is the last trip for my mom outside Metro Manila (at least for this year)

P.S. 3 : Tomorrow I will be posting my 2nd photograph (ultrasound result)

"Good friends are good for your health." - Irwin Sarason