Well folks the big day is almost upon us. If all goes according to plan the c-section should be on Monday morning. I can’t believe all of our planning and prepping has come down to this. I can’t believe we are so close to welcoming our son into the world. I can’t believe so many things right now. Just keep us in your hearts and prayers as we move on to this next phase of our life. It will be challenging and it will be fun. I honestly can’t wait to get started on it.
Here are some pictures of the nursery and all the stuff we have received. A special thank you goes out to all those who have helped us along the way, either through gifts, support or both. It is appreciated.
By the way. I put together a lot of stuff and this turned out to be the hardest piece of all. I can’t believe what it took to get it assembled.
+++
Your Baby (replace the she for he)
One uncomfortable complaint of late pregnancy is frequent hiccups. No, not you, your baby. Because there is no air around your baby, when she practices breathing, it can cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe, resulting in those regularly spaced thumps that make you think you’re carrying a jumping bean in your belly. Other news this week:
The lanugo (an exotic word for soft, downy hair) that used to cover your baby’s body has mostly disappeared, but you may find a bit leftover on the shoulders, forehead and neck. Don’t freak and think you’ve given birth to a monkey: It’ll fall out soon.
The color of baby’s skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color (even in babes with dark skin). These changes are due to the amount of fat your little pudger is putting on. The circumference of your baby’s head and abdomen are about the same size now (though you may not be able to tell if your baby’s born with the common cone-shaped head!).
The placenta is lending your Mini antibodies that’ll keep him strong and healthy after birth. That said, it’s still a good idea to invest in that mega-size bottle of hand sanitizer.
At this point your little critter is about 19 to 20 inches long and weights about 7 pounds. That’s just around the size of a large rabbit. What’s up Doc?
Well today (Saturday) we have the fourth and last baby shower before the baby is born. We have been talking about a possible C-Section and yesterday (Friday) we found out that it was necessary. The baby is measuring very large and he is currently sideways so that made our decision with getting the C-Section a lot easier. We really had no choice. It wasn’t a want to or not want to, but a have to. We scheduled it for Monday the 17th of September.
Keep mom to be and baby to be in your hearts and prayers as we move on to this very important date – which I know is one of the biggest of my lifetime and mom to be’s lifetime.
That’s it for the week.
Your Baby
Your baby’s intestines have accumulated a considerable amount of meconium (the code name for black, tar-like baby poop), which is usually eliminated shortly after birth and gives you your first experience with the 100-wipe diaper change. Here’s what else is up:
Your baby might just scratch herself in the womb as the fingernails have grown over the fingertips now. Resist painting them hot pink when she arrives.
Baby’s lungs continue to mature and her brain and nerve function are working better every day. The latter two will continue to mature until Junior is a teenager, at which point she’ll know it all (or at least she’ll think she does).
Your baby weighs about 6½ pounds and is around 19 or 20 inches long—as long as a duffle bag (in case you needed an excuse to go shopping for a new bag for your labor gear).
The weeks keep rolling on towards the birth and it seems like each week is starting to get tougher. We were cruising right along until about Week 34 to Week 35 and then it all just seemed to change overnight.
This week we went to the doctor twice – once for another growth ultra sound and then just a routine check up. Both turned out great – baby to be and mom to be are both healthy.
Mom to be is now working from home and keeping her feet up while she battles swelling. Epsom salt baths, elevation, and walking to get out the stiffness seem to be helping. I don’t think there is much that can be done about the swelling. It is a part of it.
Any mothers reading this that can offer help or advice – please leave us some information on what helped you get through your later stages of pregnancy.
On another side of things – not baby related, but happening this week. We decided to do some remodeling on our kitchen, purely by accident.
We’ve had a leaky faucet for a while and the only way to fix the leak was to turn the handle to the left. This was eventually going to catch up with us and on Wednesday it did. The handle broke on the faucet and we were forced to use pliers to turn the water on and off. I went out and bought a new faucet that evening and then waited till Thursday to install it. I called in my father in law who is really good at installing this stuff. I’m not a great handy man, but I am getting better at it.
Anyway. Thursday arrived and me and my father in law went to work on the faucet. We did all we were supposed to do in order for it to lift right off so we could install the new one. For some reason it was hung up. After some careful searching we found the culprit.
There was a nut holding the faucet to the sink that was impossible to get to because it looked like this nut was screwed in before the sink was installed. So we undid the bolts holding the sink in place and pulled the whole sink out of the counter. We unscrewed the nut, replaced the faucet, and put the sink back in its hole. Done, easy enough – right!
Wrong.
We decided to go ahead and put in a new sink because this one we currently had was old and well used and we wanted a deeper sink for the kitchen. My father in law ran down to Lowe’s to find us a new sink.
Okay, so new sink, put the faucet on, fix everything in place – done, right? Wrong again.
From this point forward it just went downhill. The pipes didn’t fit back in place because the drainage areas on the sink were further back than they were in the old sink. The sink was also deeper so that caused issues. The water lines were to short to reach the new sink. The list just went on.
When Thursday ended we had our sink in, but nothing was hooked up. We got water from the bathroom and drank bottled water until Friday.
On Friday my father in law came back and he took out all the old plumbing under the sink and re built it himself so it would fit the new sink. New water lines were put in place which were longer and we now have everything back to the way it was. I want to give a special thinks to my father in law for taking the time to do this. He really impressed me with all he knows about home repair. I would have been lost without him.
It is funny that this year it seems like I have gotten a crash course in what it takes to be a parent and a dad from both sets of parents – mine and my wife’s. Knowledge that will help me become a well-rounded father.
Here’s a video to give you an idea of what our house looked like before and after the kitchen sink remodel.
Okay, Week 37.
Your Baby
Huge news this week: You’re carrying a full-term baby! If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can’t wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven. Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:
Baby’s growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he’s born. More great news for your birth canal.
So if he’s all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He’s busy practicing for “life on the outside,” working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can’t practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he’s hungry—but he’ll do plenty of that in a few weeks.
At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds. About the size of an average largemouth bass caught in Minnesota by your cousin Earl.
Your baby continues to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help your baby regulate his body temperature after leaving your climate-controlled womb. In fact, your baby will be 15 percent fat at birth (and you … well that’s another story). Even in the womb, your baby can listen, feel, touch and see. The only thing separating him from living in the outside world is a little thing called the birth canal. Other highlights this week:
His gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though his actual pearly whites won’t start breaking through until he’s between three months and a year old.
Your baby has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Your baby will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would—except when you put on that Celine Dion CD. Then the baby puts his hands up, turns away and gurgles, “Oh no you didn’t!”
Your baby is now around 18½ inches long and nearly 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!
We’ve learned of a new glucose test this week, the two-hour one. Mom to be has had the one hour test, the three-hour test, and now the two-hour test. What is the two-hour test you may ask? Basically mom to be fasts from midnight until her appointment. Then she goes to the lab and has her blood drawn. We then go home and mom to be has what she normally has for breakfast. When she takes that last bite of breakfast the clock starts ticking. Two hours from the last bite we must be back at the lab in order for mom to be to get more blood drawn (no results as of today – Thursday). So mom to be has now been through all three glucose tests and handled them like a star. I am proud of her.
Mom to be is experiencing swelling in her legs so any mothers out there who have advice on how to correct it, we would be more than happy to listen to it. Epsom Salt baths and cucumber water has helped so far, but nothing beats staying home and resting. When mom to be has the time to just rest with her feet elevated her legs seem to respond well to that.
Long week – two words put together never meant so much.
First off. We started off the week one car short. I had to take mom to be to work each morning while we waited to get her car fixed. By Friday the car should be fixed (I am writing this as of Thursday).
Then when we went to the doctor for mom to be’s checkup we were told on Tuesday that we needed to come back by Thursday in order to get a growth ultra-sound. Mom to be was retaining a lot of water so they wanted to make sure baby to be was okay. So from Tuesday till Thursday we were in a holding pattern and waiting to see why she was retaining so much water. The mid-wife also put mom to be on bed rest for a couple of days to see if that would help. It did and after our second checkup we learned that everything was pretty much okay, for now. Baby to be is a big one – they weighed him at about seven and a half pounds (of course ultra-sounds are not always accurate, he could be this weight or smaller). That’s at 35 weeks which I am finding out (being a man we don’t know these things) is big for a baby at this stage in the pregnancy. Another check up next week, and another day of bed rest for mom to be on Friday.
Tonight (Thursday) we are scheduled for a tour of the hospital so we can get a feel for everything we may need the day of the birth. That should help a lot.
Then on Saturday and Sunday we have what they are calling intensive child-birth classes. Saturday goes from 9-4 and Sunday 9-1.
That’s it so far. We are hoping and praying all goes well for the rest of the pregnancy.
As of writing the information above I have since been to the Birthing Center and the first day of the intensive child-birth classes.
First off, the birthing center is super nice. The rooms are almost like hotel rooms with beds that can be contorted to fit any kind of pregnancy position, just so mom to be can deliver as comfortable as possible. They have all the amenities there as well, including a birthing ball, birthing tub, a refrigerator in the room for cold snacks, and various other things that will help with the before and after birthing process.
The first day of intensive child-birth classes went off exceptionally well with a lot of useful information for dad and mom to be. We thought we were well versed, but we learned even more stuff on Saturday. On Sunday we will be there for a shorter period. So the day won’t be so tough. Mom to be is currently resting as I write this after Saturday’s session.
I’ve included two things this week from the 3D pregnancy website. The first is what mom to be’s body is going through – Your Body and the second is all about baby to be – Your Baby. I thought this might give you a little more insight into what is going on with mom and baby to be.
Your Body
As Patrick Swayze put it, “Nobody puts baby in a corner!” Doubly true for your little tenant. Your baby has pretty much taken over your entire torso by now. Over the past few months, he’s squished and mushed all of your organs out of the way. Any day now, he’ll make a final move and shove your heart up and to the left to make more room for himself. (See, he’s got your heart in his hands already.)
Before all this pregnancy stuff, your uterus was a small ball the size of your fist and was tucked neatly away behind your pelvis. Today your uterus is the size of a small watermelon and reaches all the way up to your ribs.
At this point in your pregnancy all the blood has gone to your belly … literally. Nearly 1/6 of your body’s total blood volume is chugging around in the vessels in your uterus. So that’s why you feel so lightheaded all the time!
Starting this week you’ll visit your OB or midwife weekly. Every time you go you’ll probably beg her to tell you when she thinks your babe is coming. Unfortunately, her guess is about as good as yours. Even if you’re dilated, there’s no telling exactly when baby will make his appearance (unless you have a scheduled C-section, of course.)
Your Baby
This week the final touches are being added to your mini-masterpiece and most of his development is going to packing on the pounds. While baby’s movements may be becoming less jerky, he may do his final somersault in the womb soon—to put himself into the head-down position for birth. Other fascinating facts:
Your little Karate Kid can’t quite pack the punch he used to due to the limited space inside the womb these days. You’re likely to feel more wiggles, stretches and rolls than kicks and jabs. The extra layer of fat your baby is adding will create those cute dimples on your baby’s elbows and knees. His liver has begun processing his waste products, so you know which organ to thank when he has his first blowout up the back of his onesie.
Baby’s nails are growing so long they may curl over the tips of his tiny fingers and toes before he sees a pair of clippers. He’ll be in serious need of a mani-pedi once he’s born (as will you).
Your baby is now about 5½ pounds and over 18 inches long—about the size of one of those price-club sheet cakes.
It has been nice getting away for a few days. We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to have not only one, but two Babymoons this year.
The first one was at the beach and though it was relaxing, it wasn’t anything compared to what we have been experiencing in the mountains this week – colder weather or cooler weather I should say. We haven’t had the air conditioning on at all since we got here. The windows stay open all the time. I can even sit on the deck in the afternoon and not die of a heat stroke. Right now (Wednesday morning) I am sitting out on the deck in long pants, socks, and a tee-shirt. Folks, I might just need to go grab a long sleeve until the sun comes up. With the breeze it is down right chilly – fall like.
How has the trip been? Mom to be has done a lot of relaxing, including a pedicure. I am so happy to see that. She needs it. Baby to be seems to be enjoying the weather as well. He’s been very active this week. Two more full days left after today and then back to the heat of home. Maybe the hot spell will have broken just a bit before we get back.
We didn’t go to the West Virginia mountains, just the Carolina ones. This song seemed to fit the moment though.
+++
(replace the she for he) Your baby kind of looks like she’s coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she’s born you’ll probably see some vernix lingering in her “hard-to-reach” places like under her arms, behind her ears and around her va-jay-jay, if she’s a she.. Other news from the womb this week:
The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby’s body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone. Your baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.
This week, your baby measures about 17¾ inches, as almost as long as an American Girl Doll (!) and weighs almost 5 pounds, as heavy as a bag of sugar, minus the cup you put in your decaf this morning.
There is a trend that I am starting to notice when my wife (who is now 8 months pregnant) is out in public. People always stop and comment on her belly. Complete strangers just walk up and start talking to her about it. I understand the curiosity factor, but people need to lay off. I don’t mind family or friends saying things – don’t get me wrong there. They are close to us and they know us, so we know how we are with each other.
I just can’t believe how rude complete strangers can be to her. I don’t think they mean to, but would you walk up to an obese person and comment on their belly? Of course not. So why is it okay to comment on my wife’s belly? I just don’t get it.
I don’t mind if someone comes up and asks if it is a boy or a girl, when is he due, etc. Just don’t talk about how big she is or how big your daughter wasn’t when she was 8 months along or how huge she is for 8 months. Use common sense and be courteous to her.
Recently, some random stranger just walked up and asked about her belly. He didn’t say hello, didn’t say congratulations first. He just went into some diatribe about how big she is and how she must be due soon. It made her very uncomfortable. I know he meant well and that his heart was in the right place, but take a clue. Just leave her alone.
I guess the human animal has a certain curiosity about pregnant bellies. I see people all the time looking at her with a little half-smile and I wonder what they are thinking.
We did have a cute moment in the park a few days ago. A little girl walked by and pointed at my wife’s belly. Her mom was embarrassed and explained to her that it is rude to point, and then told her to ask if there is a baby in my wife’s belly. The little girl asked very sweetly, my wife invited her to touch her belly, and the mom was very thankful and apologetic. Then the mom explained to the little girl something about a baby inside my wife and they moved on.
See, that’s the way you do it. I wish more people would learn the proper etiquette when it comes to approaching a pregnant woman.
The big news this week is lung development—baby’s respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are he’d be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from his friends (aka, the NICU). Some of the specifics are:
Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once he’s born and up all night screaming). His pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, “Cut it out, Ma. You’re soooo annoying.”
The bones in your baby’s skull are soft and are not yet fused together. In other words, now is not the time to teach him how to do a headspin while breakdancing. This pliability allows the bones to overlap; making that trip down the tight birth canal possible (and resulting in that surprising cone head look your baby will sport for the first few days post-birth. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal and that’s what hats are for.)
Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.
Your baby weighs about 4½ pounds, as much as a grownup duck, and is approximately 17.5 inches long, about the same as a collarbone-length pearl necklace. (Did somebody say push present?)
Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth. Other fascinating facts:
Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You’ll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He’ll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.
Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He’s busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he’ll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.
Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If she’s a baldy, don’t worry. You can always buy a Baby Toupee or some adhesive barrettes.
By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We’re thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you’ve got a nursery to furnish!
Mom to be had to go down to Lab Corp on Thursday – July 26th, 2012 – in order to take a three-hour test that involved, fasting, not drinking water, and drawing blood four times.
The test runs three hours and mom to be has blood drawn when she gets there, waits an hour, draws more blood, waits another hour, draws even more blood, and then waits another hour before having the last bit of blood drawn.
4 times, that’s right. I can’t believe a pregnant woman has to go through such extremes in order to be tested for Gestational Diabetes. It’s crazy.
Mom to be did pretty well though, she’s tough, but it even got to her by the end of it. Funny thing was, most women give out in the first hour, mom to be made it all the way to the last hour before crashing out. Tough girl. I was proud of her.
Then we had a check up that afternoon. You know what happened there?
Yes, they clipped her finger in order to draw more blood. It was just a rough day for her, but she held up.
Other than all of that, it is same old same old around here. Baby to be is getting more responsive to both of us and he is moving like crazy.
The trailer isn’t R rated, but it is a sensitive subject.
I tell you what, when your wife is pregnant you learn so much about the ways and means of bringing a child into this world. This video is yet another example of what women are trying, in order to bring joy to the pain of child-birth.
I will admit that I had a lot of hesitation before watching it. It looked like some free love hippy kind of thing with people dropping babies somewhere in the deep dark woods. I will admit that I was wrong. This is a very informative documentary, that honestly, opened my eyes to the world of orgasmic births. It sounds bogus and hippy dippy, but it really isn’t.
The most amazing story to me was the couple at the start. Three hours before child-birth and she was outside with her husband. They were holding each other and kissing, getting a rhythm going. Then they went to the back deck and laid out an area (complete with all the necessary medical supplies) to give birth on. Then easily enough the baby slid right out in the midst of mother nature and the world at large. I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t the normal scene, woman strapped down, stuff being pumped into them, screaming their heads off. This actually looked like it caused this woman minimum pain. That was the kind of documentary this movie was.
I have found that by watching videos like this, that it really allows for options, which all women should have. It may not be for everyone, I get that, and some women just need to deliver the traditional way. I get that. Some women have complications and need medical help. I get that as well. I’m just saying that women should explore their options before just deciding to go to the hospital and be with a doctor.
This wasn’t as good as The Business of Being Born, but it was still a solid documentary. I would have lost the background music, annoying, but other than it was good to watch.
From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:
Due to increasing space constraints, your baby’s arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that’s where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so she’ll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as she mashes them into her hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.
By now, your baby’s lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we’re not saying that the rest of your baby’s systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that her lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world.
Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!).
Big news for baby’s brain this week: It’s starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius’s brain cells. Other highlights this week:
Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—causing his or her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.
Baby is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he’s chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn’t need to sport a fur coat 24/7.
“I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom’s uterus!” When your baby is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he’s whittling away the hours looking around, checking out his rather dark, limited environs.
Your baby hasn’t gained much weight or height this week, as most of his energy’s been channeled to the brain. He weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears’ Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!
There hasn’t been all that much happening this week. We are gearing up for some childbirth classes and other things like that. Mom to be is going through normal pregnancy symptoms (don’t need to go into detail) and the little one is kicking away. We are starting to feel body parts and see more of him moving around. It is pretty awesome to witness.
There was some good news this week from mom to be’s brother. He and his wife had their first – a healthy baby boy just over 9 pounds. Congratulations go out to them.
We have a doctor’s visit later on today – July 12th, and mom to be has the dreaded glucose test to take.
What is a glucose test?
It’s basically this, mom to be has to down this large sugary drink (fruit punch like) and be at the doctor right on time to get her blood drawn. This is a way for the doctor to test for a form of diabetes women get during pregnancy. It’s all normal stuff and part of the process, but as long as it keeps her safe we will do it.
Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here’s a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she’d have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:
Baby’s brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!
Your Mini’s skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She’s starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She’s now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she’ll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).
And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You’re sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you’re lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby’s movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.
This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.
There’s not a lot going on this week with mom and baby. We have crossed into the third trimester so all we need to do now is keep both of them healthy. This is really the growing and showing stage. Everything is supposed to increase over the weeks up until the birth.
I have started to learn a lot more about what goes into a delivery. It isn’t as simple as the movies and TV shows make it out to be. There are a lot of things to decide on, not only for the mother, but for the father as well.
We did get away for a small Babymoon this week to Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. It was a nice chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. A nice way for me and mom to be to have a few days just to reconnect. The trip was fun, a bit noisier than we would have liked, but overall it was nice to get back to the ocean. Technically this is our first of two Babymoons before the baby arrives. The second one will be a trip to the mountains in August.
Well folks. Welcome to July and the third trimester. That’s right. Mom to be is now into the last stage of her pregnancy. She’s gotten through two trimesters so far and that is so hard to believe. I said this last week about how it seems like time has flown so fast from the first time we learned she was pregnant. Now here we are, entering the dog days of summer, one of the hottest weekends of the year, and she is going into the home stretch. Two full months and then a couple of weeks until her due date.
There hasn’t been a lot going on this week. It is a lot of same old same old, which is good.
We did find a pediatrician. So that’s a plus. Mom to be and I attended a small class they had on Monday. It was very informative and we learned a lot of stuff we didn’t know.
As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she’s doing). Other highlights this week:
Your baby’s eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it’s fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as she has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We’ll be here all week.)
Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they’re light gray or blue. The eyes typically don’t settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they’ll most likely change soon. Sorry.
Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.
Well folks, one week away from the third trimester. Can you believe it has gotten down to that already? Almost two trimesters already in the books. I still can’t believe how far it has progressed from that first moment when we saw the stick say, she was pregnant.
There isn’t a lot going on, as usual for this part of it. Mom to be is now showing some symptoms that we knew would eventually happen. Such as, swollen hands and feet, sore hands with carpal tunnel syndrome like symptoms, and various other unpleasant things like that. It’s just part of the process.
That’s about it. Right now it’s just a lot of growing and showing.
Baby’s lungs and immune system are maturing this week as baby prepares for his grand entrance. If he were born today he would have an 85 percent chance of surviving as his lungs are capable of breathing air (with medical assistance, of course). Other exciting developments:
Baby’s done a lot of growing over the past few months. His length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that’s not the only thing growing—baby’s brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. His brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby. If baby is a he, his testes will have completely descended at this point.
Your baby now weighs in at approximately 14½ inches and just over 2 pounds, or about the size of that roast you made last time your in-laws were in town. (OK, the baby is the size of that roast you meant to cook before you decided that ordering Chinese was a much better idea.)
Not a lot of news to speak of concerning mom to be and baby to be. We are in the holding pattern right now and looking for the landing strip. Mom to be still has a few things that pop up from time to time such as headaches and backaches, but that’s to be expected. The night’s are getting a little more eventful with the baby starting to kick and move a lot more. He seems to wake her up off and on, but mostly its towards the earlier parts of the morning. All in all things are going okay for now.
Your Baby
Your baby isn’t just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he’s working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He’ll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:
Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn’t have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
Your baby’s ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. He’s getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he’d be right back with that double cheeseburger and he’s taking forever! He’ll even be able to hear your voice when your partner finally arrives and you ask him where the bleep he’s been! So talk nice!
Baby’s got a fully developed inner ear now. This means his sense of balance is working and he can tell whether he’s hanging upside down or right side up. He can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.
Your little Wiener schnitzel is about the length of a foot-long Chicago hot dog and weighs about 1 1/3 pounds.
This has been the baby’s most active week. Not only has mom to be been feeling a lot of movement, but I’ve been able to get in on the fun as well. I have felt him a couple of times myself as he seems to be doing some kind of aerobics inside of her belly. She’s even been able to see her stomach jump from time to time with his movement. Pretty neat stuff.
We found that not only do peanut related things and pizza cause him to move, but tonight (Thursday – 5/24/2012) we found that pancakes do the trick as well. It seems like carbs and sugar are the best thing to get him “Sweating to the amniotic fluid”. In case you are too young to remember it, Richard Simmons had a show back in the day called “Sweating to the Oldies” so it was a play on that.
All in all things are moving along quite well. Mom to be is having some minor back pain, but a lot of the other symptoms including the headaches have subsided. The back pain is to be expected so we just have to get her through it.
Your Baby (substitute the she for he in this article)
Your baby’s got a while to go before her lungs will be ready for air and is practicing her “breathing” on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of her lungs. Other highlights this week:
Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the baby, not you! Well, OK, maybe for the baby and you). Your baby will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! You’ll be happy to know the same won’t apply to you.
Your Mini is starting to look more like a newborn as her skin becomes less see-through. Her body is looking more proportional now, although her head is still kinda big compared to her cute little body.
Your baby is about 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound, or about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book.
We got the glider together which was a lot easier than I thought it would be.
The crib on the other hand. Here goes.
Do you see how the crib isn’t all together? That white piece leaning against the side of it had a flaw in it. It came down (I kid you not) to one last screw that didn’t want to connect because the hole was drilled wrong. That rail was all in place and ready to go – crib finished. When it happened. I couldn’t believe it. This close to the end and a problem came up. My father in law tried to help me get it together and he and I worked on it for a long time before we realized what was wrong. So frustrating.
I thought it might be an issue to get a replacement, but it wasn’t. One simple email and now a new piece is on its way. Once it gets here that will complete it. It will be nice to get it done.
Now we need to lay the new rug down, get some new blinds, and the nursery will be complete.
My review to this one is dropping in my http://atothewr.com/ site today. Swing on over if you want to check it out.
If you want a brief review on it. I would say this one is stuck between good and bad. It’s not the train wreck people are making it out be, but it isn’t great either. For expecting parents it can be a decent watch and maybe expectant grand parents as well, but I’m not sure about the average movie goer.
On Wednesday the 16th, mom to be had another doctor’s visit and it went all according plan. The baby’s heart beat was great and mom to be got a clean check up.
We found out at the office that the baby is now standing up and what mom to be is feeling is him kicking as he stands there. He’s been very active this week and he should continue to do so as the days move forward.
Found out the joys of Belly Butter this week. A necessary tool for the ever stretching stomach.
All in all things are going fine. The headaches are gone and a lot of those first trimester symptoms are behind mom to be. Here’s to growing and showing the rest of the way.
Your Baby (replace the she with he when you read this)
Your Mini’s hands have grown bigger and stronger and the nerve endings in her fingers have developed her sense of touch. She’s in there testing out her newfound abilities by touching her face and grabbing the umbilical cord. Other cool developments:
You’re already raising a little Einstein. Your baby’s brain is developing at a clip this week and will continue to do so until she’s five years old (so load up on the Omega 3)!
Baby’s hair is now a short, bright white crop (Billy Idol, eat your heart out!). No matter what color it will end up—red, blonde, black—all babies’ hair lacks pigment at this point.
Your baby has started growing taste buds and may be able to detect strong flavors in the amniotic fluid. If you could see inside, you might catch her sticking out her tongue for a taste and then grimacing, a sign that perhaps you should chill on the chili powder.
Your baby now weighs almost a pound and measures almost 11 inches from her head to her heel, which is how the Stretch Armstrong in your uterus will be measured from here on out. Up ’til now your baby’s legs were curled tight up against her torso, so she was measured from her head to her bottom (or crown to rump) and not head to toe. This week your mini is about as long as a package of Oreos and as heavy as a large bag of tortilla chips. Who’s hungry?
One Writer Ranting 
You must be logged in to post a comment.