Every woman has secret symptoms of pregnancy. Everyone knows about morning sickness and cravings. But every woman has one or two symptoms that are either unique to her or just flying under the radar for the general public. They are her secret symptoms so that before she even has to take a pregnancy test, she knows she’s likely pregnant. Some people it’s that they are grouchy. Others notice their hair growing very fast. Others notice a change in their body smell.
My two are a stuffy nose and a complete loss of memory. I should be able to tell you the day I conceive because I immediately get a stuffy nose and then I forget my middle name. So I perpetually am sniffling and snorting, blowing my nose and wiping throughout the entire pregnancy. And then I forget …I’m sorry…what was I saying?
By this point (22 weeks), Brian is very used to me asking what Anne ate for lunch seven times before bed and telling the same story four times over. He remains abominably patient, explaining once again, that Anne had macaroni and cheese and then laughing at the same bit in the story over again.
So this weekend, I cut myself a few slices of mozzarella cheese. I cleaned everything up and then went on my merry way. An hour later, I wanted more cheese. But when I went back, it was gone. I turned the fridge inside out, looking for it. I figured I must have just finished it and forgotten that I’d finished it (i do this often). So I shrugged and said “Oops.” Then a bit later, Anne wanted some cheese. So I went back to the fridge. By now, it’s kind of bugging me that I’d forgotten that I’d finished the cheese. So I went to the trash to see if the cellophane that I’d wrapped it in was in the garbage. It wasn’t. So I emptied the fridge for the second time, looking for the stupid cheese. Still no cheese. So I gave up in disgust, finally deciding to cut up an apple for Anne. I open the silverware drawer and there is my mozzarella cheese, resting comfortably on the teaspoons. 
The baby now weighs almost one pound / 430 grams, measures nearly 11 inches/ just over 27 centimetres long from crown to heel, and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thinner version since her baby fat hasn’t yet developed. Although she’s getting heavier every day, her skin still appears wrinkled because she needs to gain more weight. The lips are distinct and the eyes are formed, though the iris (the coloured part of the eye) still lacks pigment. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily.
Even this early, the first signs of teeth appear in the form of tooth buds beneath the gum line. Before you know it, your baby will be born, and soon after, her first teeth will come through.
You’ve probably gained between 12 and 15 pounds / 5.4 and 6.8 kilograms. Starting now, you’ll begin to put on weight more steadily, averaging about half a pound / 225 grams per week. You may crave certain foods – a normal part of being pregnant.
