Week 23 brings a mini celebration!

I know it may seem odd to many but, this week is a mini celebration week for the shrimp. What are we celebrating? Survival!! Yay!

Ok, now I know that may sound morbid but, throughout my pregnancy I have set small mental goals for myself to look forward to. Week 23 was a goal that I set for myself to look forward to and wrote on my calender as "earliest survival week." Week 23 has been deemed by many as the earliest although, a few babies have survived earlier. (This of course being if you went into preterm labor and were unable to stop it. Other complications are a whole other thing.)

Some interesting facts that I have enjoyed today:

Every day a baby stays in the womb increases their survival rate by approximately 3 percent during weeks 23 to 26.

Generally after 26 weeks the survival rate jumps to 80-90 percent.


Here is a chart that I found showing general survival rates (although I am not sure of it's origin or accuracy).

Infant Survivability Rates
by gestational week
Up until 21 weeks: 0% survival rate

at 22 weeks: 0-10% survival rate

at 23 weeks: 10-35% survival rate

at 24 weeks: 40-70% survival rate

at 25 weeks: 50-80% survival rate

at 26 weeks: 80-90% survival rate

at 27 weeks: greater than 90% survival rate

I can understand if this may seem strange and worrisome to many people but, every week is just another milestone in development to me. It brings me encouragement. I find it the same as saying that the shrimp reached a pound, and approximately a foot in length this week (which is true). It makes me smile and know that if I, for some reason, went into premature labor today, the shrimp would have a chance. Even a slim one.

Now that the milestone has come, it is time for me to set another. The next one will be week 28. The beginning of the third trimester. I think I am going to fondly call it the elephant stage of pregnancy. :-) Wooo! I can't wait! Or can I.......hehehe.