Week 25

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

So the saga still continues with my breast cyst.  I have to say this pregnancy is flying by because all my attention has been on my son and my breast. I went in and they cleaned it out and put a wick in it so it drains. I have to change it every morning. I saw another doctor on Friday because I couldn't take the wick out to change it. They told me to come in to the breast center.  The doctor that was there said she wouldn't remove it until after I was done with the pregnancy and breastfeeding. I think that is what I am going to do. When I told my OB that my doctor wanted to remove it and put me under to do so he was like UMM lets take one step at a time.   I could tell he was not happy with that.
So I am just taking one day at a time with it. Hopefully it heals quick and closes and I can concentrate on the pregnancy.

My son is an absolute doll with me being pregnant. Every night we sit in the glider and sing songs after we read. He has to see my belly and kisses and hugs it. The other night he asked if he could hold the baby.  "Luca hold the baby?". 15 more weeks to go!  I can't believe I will be a mom of two kids! I cant wait!

Week 24

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. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Week 23- Preparing for Christmas

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

We are preparing for the Christmas. Luca is so fun this year.  He is really into Rudolph, Frosty, Caillou Christmas and Christmas lights.  Every day I just feel more blessed that he is in our lives.  He amazes me everyday with what he says and just what he does.
I feel blessed this Christmas and soon another blessing will be in our lives too.  17 more weeks!

22 weeks

At 11 inches, the length of a spaghetti squash and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.
 
If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I am still dealing with this breast abscess.  I actually got referred to go to the breast center. I spent Thursday there all day.  Its an infected sebaceous cyst that is there.  I am on more antibiotics and have to go back next week. My main concern is breastfeeding when the baby comes. I really want this all taking care of before then. They said they have to remove it but they wont until the infection is gone.  From what I heard they do it surgically.  Not sure how that is possible with me being pregnant.  What is a sebaceous cyst?

Sebaceous Cysts of the breast

Sebaceous cyst are caused by a blockage of the sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands secrete 'sebum', which lubricates the hair and skin. There are sebaceous glands in many areas of the body, but they are most abundant on the face and scalp. A sebaceous breast cyst is a type of epidermal cyst, which forms as a collection of keratin-like material. Normally, a sebaceous breast cysts will have a small opening to the skin, but which may not be easily visible. Sebaceous cysts are most common on the face, back of the ears, and back, but also occur on the breast. Sebaceous breast cysts often appear as small bumps or lumps just beneath the skin. You can think of them as small, closed 'sacs', that contain keratin, which is a foul smelling 'pasty' buildup of protein.

 

 

Mammography and ultrasound show a round, well-circumscribed shape

On a mammogram a sebaceous breast cyst will likely appear as a well-circumscribed, round lesion close to the skin's surface. Usually a suspected breast cyst will be followed-up with ultrasound as this is one of the best ways to distinguish a liquid lesion from solid. (cysts are fluid-filled, cancers are solid). On ultrasound a sebaceous breast cyst appears as a small and hypoechoic round or oval shape, close to the surface of the skin. It is usually dark because it is fluid-filled allowing through-transmission of the ultrasound waves, and will show no evidence of vascular flow.

 

Treatment of breast sebaceous cysts

Sebaceous breast cysts do not have to removed unless they are undesirable cosmetically, or, if they are infected. When a sebaceous breast cyst is infected it will look swollen and red, and be quite painful. Sebaceous cysts are usually first treated with antibiotics to bring the inflammation down, and then surgically excised. When removed surgically, it is important to remove all of the cyst wall, or there is a high likelihood of recurrence. And of course, sebaceous cysts on the breast have nothing to do with breast cancer and do not increase the risk of breast cancer in any way.

21 weeks

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long, a length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.