My Second Trimester

Week 22

Now fully swaddling your baby’s skin is lanugo which will help maintain the vernix caseosa to stay in place on baby’s skin. The beginnings of tiny eyebrows start to appear.

The once uniform exterior of your baby’s brain is changing. Folds are now present and will continue maturing until the 34^th week. At that time, the outside area of your baby’s brain will be adequate for a full allowance of brain cells.

The senses of taste and touch are increasing as your baby’s brain and nerve endings develop. Your baby is enjoying a new world with his or her newly perceived sense of touch. Your baby’s expanding sense of hearing will allow him or her to recognize your voice and other sounds outside your womb. This hearing will be naturally stifled due to the presence of amniotic fluid and a healthy sheath of vernix.

Twenty weeks after conception your baby is now 7½ inches long and weighs about one pound, the size of a ripe cantaloupe.

Cord Blood Stem Cells

Have you heard about Cord Blood Stem Cells? Stem cells are the building blocks of the body, and have the ability to create our organs, blood, tissue, and the immune system. Stem cells can be found in places like bone marrow and fat tissue, but the youngest, most flexible stem cells in the body come from the umbilical cord.

Cord blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells, so collecting, storing, and using them is not controversial. You have three options for your baby’s cord blood:

• Save it for your own family’s use (for a fee or for free in cases of medical need) in a private cord blood bank.
• Donate it for someone else’s family to use through the National Marrow Donor Program (no cost to donate).
• Allow it to be disposed as medical waste.

No matter what you decide, it’s important to make a decision about saving or donating your baby’s cord blood stem cells well before your due date. You only have one chance to collect and store your baby’s newborn stem cells and that is immediately after birth. Cord blood stem cells can be collected once the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. It’s a simple, safe and painless process following either a vaginal or caesarean birth.

To further your knowledge on all aspects of saving your baby’s cord blood stem cells and read reviews on the Top Cord Blood Banks to help you select the company that is best for you, please visit Consumer Affairs.

For more information on donating your baby’s cord blood stem cells, please visit the National Marrow Donor Program, NMDP.