The Rhodys

Little Rhody also has fashion preferences. Mommy seems to like this pair of jeans far too much, but every time she wears them, little Rhody registers his/her displeasure by bumping into things... like mommy's bladder... with enough force that she has to go running off to the bathroom. Mommy's learning, though, that little Rhody prefers comfortable clothes with lots of room. He/she is truly his/her father's child!

Aside from these small personality quirks that we are just learning about our littlest family member, things have been quiet and moving along very smoothly. We were, of course, proud to hear that the baby is in the 97th percentile developmentally according to the ultrasound pictures you see below. At 20 weeks, the baby was already a pound, so it's difficult sometimes to look at "average" data and match little Rhody up to these kinds of measurements. Still, we thought you might be interested to hear that the average 24-week-old fetus is 11.81 inches (30 cm) long from crown to heel and weighs 1.32 pounds (600 grams). All of his/her organs are already formed and will continue to mature until delivery. Little Rhody has twice as many taste buds now as s/he will have when s/he is born, and now s/he has eyebrows, fingernails, and toenails.

During the sixth month, there are more changes taking place, but for the most part, the baby is primarily concentrating on forming new pathways in the brain, developing stronger and better lung function, and gaining weight. The new pathways are linked, as we have read, to little Rhody’s increased activity. The baby's motions begin forming neural pathways that the baby will continue to build upon after birth (a good thing that the baby's active!!!). In the meantime, little Rhody's lungs are filled with amniotic fluid (the stuff that fills the sac that encloses the baby... an amazing substance that replenishes itself every three hours). The baby will continue to practice breathing movements (including hiccups) until s/he is ready to make her first grand appearance in the world of air-breathing. Finally, between the rumblings of mommy's stomach and the beating of her really loud heart, little Rhody can hear the outside world.

Since the baby's hearing has improved, daddy started reading Winnie the Pooh each night before bed. Some research shows that babies respond more dramatically to stories and words they heard in-utero when they hear them again after birth. We don't know if that's entirely true... but in our effort to completely brainwash our child into a love of literature... we figured we'd start early!

So, at 24 weeks, that's really all there is to report. We'll keep updating you as we learn more each week. If you're interested, most of our information comes from four sources: What to Expect When You're Expecting third edition by Heidy Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway (a standard); The Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy and Baby's First Year; The Baby Center website; and The American Baby website. If you have other websites or books you think are especially helpful, let us know!