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My Diary: The Making of Me
By Julie B. Carr
It’s really quite complex, this making of me. So many parts to make, so many pieces to fit together. It’s a miracle I could keep it all straight! Let me tell you how it all happened.
I started as a single cell who happened to run into a little guy looking for a date. Almost instantly, I knew whether I would be a boy or a girl, what color my hair and eyes would be and many other characteristics. It took me three days to journey to my final destination – your uterus – but it was just the perfect spot for the next 9 months and was worth the effort of getting there. My cells began to divide over and over again and after only a few weeks I had several thousand of them. All of these cells were unique, and knew exactly what their job was and what they needed to do. Some became my heart, some my skin, some my brain – they all had their assignments and got right to making whatever it is they needed to make. By week 5 my ‘house’ or amniotic sac as your doctor may call it, was about the size of a grape. By day 36, my heart began to beat and pump blood – hurray! This was my first organ to function. Day 37 you could see the beginning of my brain and backbone. Don’t laugh, but I also had a little tail. Still feeling a little queasy, Mom? I could certainly make you notice me for one so small – I was only about ¼ inch tall.
By day 42, my legs were beginning to form – they were a few days behind my arms, but quickly caught up. I just began growing by leaps and bounds and doubled my size in one week Although I was only a whopping ½ inch, I still only weighed about as much as your eyelash. By day 64, all of my design work was complete: all of my organs had already formed – and all that was left was to work on the details. You couldn’t feel me for a while, but as early as 10 weeks I was constantly moving around. Ah yes, those were the days when I had plenty of room to stretch out! By 13 weeks, I could curl my toes, bend my arms, and form a tight fist.
I still only weighed about as much as a slice of cheese as we entered into our second trimester. Now you really began to see some action – I could smile, frown, and suck my thumb, drank about a pint of amniotic fluid a day, had the hiccups, and even did somersaults. By week 16, I was about as long as a dollar bill (6 inches) and weighed around 3 ounces. I began to concentrate on the little details--such as my fingerprints-- and by week 19 you could begin to see my fingernails and toenails. My foot was about an inch long! By week 22, I was almost 11 inches, but I was still a pretty skinny kid – barely a pound. I really appreciated all the music and talking and singing you did for me - I could hear everything that was going on. By 27 weeks, I was ready to pack on the weight and gained about a pound that month. By 28 weeks, I was able to open my eyes and look around. I didn’t see much, but I could definitely make out shadows and light spots. My brain was in full swing developing hundreds of billions of nerve cells. I’ll need these if I’m ever going to get into Harvard!
By the third trimester, my body began to become more self-sufficient and I relied less and less on the placenta. About this time, it became more and more cramped, and I had to push your organs out of the way to accommodate my growing body. I got a kick out of you and Dad playing ‘name that bump’ and trying to figure out where my arms, legs, and head were positioned – you even guessed correctly a few times! Sometime around 30 weeks, I was approximately 15 inches tall and weighed 2 ½ to 3 pounds. Just a mere 3 weeks later, I was up to about 4 pounds. Boy, they *do* add up quickly, don’t they! My skin became less wrinkled, and I was getting downright chubby! That was pretty much all I did at this point – put on more weight and got bigger. By 35 weeks, I was 18 inches long and almost 5 pounds. Finally, at 38 weeks, my lungs were mature (I’ll be demon-strating their capacity soon – WAH!!)
And now, it’s the magical moment we’ve both been waiting for. I began working on this master plan of mine 40 weeks ago. If all goes according to my plan, I should be about 21 inches long and weigh about 7 ½ pounds – but I could be quite bigger or smaller too – you’ll find out real soon. It took a mere 280 days (give or take a few), but any moment now you’ll be holding your very own miracle. It may have been complicated, but I was born to do this! Thanks for your help, Mom and Dad. I can’t wait to meet you!!!
*Days are calculated starting from the first day of your LMP.
© 1999 Julie Carr. All rights reserved. Article used by permission.
Based on the pregnancy book, “Countdown to a Miracle: The Making of Me” by Julie B. Carr (Motherly Way Enterprises, Inc., copyright 1999, www.motherlyway.com $12.95)
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