18 Weeks Pregnant

18 weeks today - can't believe it (corr I sound like a stuck record!)

We got the results of the triple test today - I have a 1 in 8600 risk of having a baby with downs syndrome or spinda bifida, so that's good news, and nice to have peace of mind knowing we have a low risk.

I've been getting really sore ribs since yesterday, and have to make big breaths while stretching to kind of 'click' my ribs back in to place - it's horrible, I hate the feeling. I think it might have something to do with the amount of sneezing I seem to be doing - as soon as I get into work I am like a machine, which has only come about since being pregnant!

We've also noticed one side of my belly button might have started popping out; I have a small little lump on one side of my belly button which feels all soft, and the inside of my belly button has gone kind of flat and smooth - my belly button just used to be a line, it's very strange!

No bump pics today because I'm having my hair cut tonight and not going home, so I will take some tomorrow instead.

Here's what babycentre.com says about week 18... "Things are really moving now. This week, your baby's eyes look forward instead of to the sides, her ears are almost in their final place, and the rubbery cartilage that will become her skeleton is about to start hardening into bone.

Your baby is now nearly 5.5 inches/ 14 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs approximately 7 ounces/ 200 grams. Her skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord.

With the help of a special stethoscope, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat. There's almost nothing more comforting or exciting than hearing your baby's heartbeat galloping along. On days when you're worried about how your pregnancy is progressing, hearing the heartbeat lets you know that your baby's developing and growing. For times when boredom strikes and you feel as if you'll be pregnant forever, it can be a pleasant reminder of what will come at the end of 40 weeks of waiting.

Your growing uterus has shifted your centre of gravity and you've probably been feeling a bit off-kilter. Be careful and wear low-heeled shoes. Finding it hard to settle when you go to bed? Check our tips for sleep in the second trimester.

If you haven't had an amniocentesis yet and plan to, this week is a good time. One perk: You'll get a long look at your baby through the ultrasound scan used during this procedure."