15 Weeks Pregnant: Amniocentesis

At 15 weeks pregnant, if you’re over 35 (or under certain other circumstances), your health care provider may suggest you undergo amniocentesis to test for potential genetic abnormalities (okay, it might not be this week precisely, but it’s between weeks 15 and 18). You will have to wait 2-3 weeks to get the results from your amniocentesis. These will be a long 2 to 3 weeks. Some cramping is normal after this procedure and your health care provider may recommend you take a day of rest before returning to work and all the other things that stress you out. Here are some things that might stress you out which you should definitely avoid: dishes, dusting, changing other child’s diaper, preparing dinner, answering and/or returning mother-in-law’s phone calls, etc. Enlist hubby’s help and take a rest day, even if you feel fine. Milk it.

Rest is good, because your mini-me is more sensitive than ever before. She can hear noises like your stomach grumbling and your heart beat, and she can even hear your voice. Baby’s eyelids are still closed but she can already sense light, much like you can sense the arrival of that coworker who always brings in donuts before he even steps off the elevator. You might be tempted to shine a flashlight on your belly. You won’t feel it, but she’ll move away. Are you satisfied? Something happened. You probably won’t feel the need to shine a light on your belly more than once. Your baby is growing a fine, protective coating of hair called lanugo and growing some other, less creepy hair on her eyebrows and head. She weighs between 2 and 3 ounces and measures around 4 inches in length. That’s about the size of an apple. A furry little apple.

More Pregnancy Links:

• Join our Pregnant Moms Group
• Baby Girl Names
• Baby Boy Names
  

Our pregnancy calendar is researched & written by our Pregnancy Editor, Dara Duff-Bergeron. Although she rocks, she is not a health care professional. It's just for entertainment purposes and any recommendations or information provided should not be used as a substitute for the real deal - a trained medical professional.

About the Author
Dara is a women’s fitness expert and a pre and postnatal specialist. Visit Dara at Belly Bootcamp (www.bellybootcamp.ca)

About the Author Posted by EMVA in Pregnancy Calendar on March 23, 2010 More from this author  |