Week 11: Drooling and Limes

Week 11: 

Most pregnancy books devote a line or two, at most, to one disturbing change I have come to recognize in my body this week.  "You may find you are producing excessive bodily fluids."  If by excessive, they mean that you wake up in the middle of the night with a pool on your pillow the size of the Dead Sea, then I get it.  Unfortunately, the adjective "excessive" doesn't really illustrate the incredible amount of drool I seem to be able to produce in seconds.

Think Zombie excessive.

CNP, 2014

Under normal circumstances, our bodies produce 1 1/2 quarts of saliva a day (which seems like a ridiculously large quantity already, doesn't it?).  During pregnancy, women experience ptyalism or sialorrhea, especially if they already have bouts of severe morning sickness.  Add the increased drooling to the nosebleeds some pregnant women get, and you have all the signs of a zombie apocalypse.

But even with all of these quirky changes, the fetus is still progressing through all of its development: it has an ENORMOUS head, but its skin is transparent and there isn't eye pigment yet.  It moves a lot (I could see it on the ultrasound), but its bones are just beginning to harden--both this and increased size will allow you to feel the bambino soon.

CNP, 2014

Until next week,
Cat