Pregnancy Photos of Aaron & I

Every month I've been having Aaron take a photo of my growing belly. One of these times Aaron mentioned to me when he would be in the photo too. So I figure when I got pretty big, I set the timer and try to get some pretty nice photos without having to pay someone professionally to do it. I'm feeling pretty darn big now and I thought it would be nice for the holidays to take the photos now. Here's what we got!

30 Weeks Pregnant!

Fetal Development This Week


Fetal Brain Development

Your baby's height and weight haven't changed much in the past week, but the big news is your baby's brain gain. Until now, the surface of your baby's brain was smooth. Now, your fetus's brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. The reason for this change in appearance? Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb, and the street smarts he or she will need.

Another big change at 30 weeks pregnant: Your baby's bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for your baby, because it means he or she is better able to thrive on his or her own once born (with a little TLC from you, of course).

So it's in with the new (brain cells, red blood cells) and out with the old (lanugo). Much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering your baby's body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat and the brain are regulating your baby's body temperature (so no need for that furry coat anymore). But you may see a few leftover strands of fur on your newborn's back and shoulders.



What is happenning now?

You are now 30 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 31.

Your baby has grown to be about 16.5 inches long from head to toe () and approximately 3lb 5oz in weight.

Your baby's brain is increasing in size and complexity and the pupils of their eyes can now respond to light, allowing your baby to focus more readily and see dim shapes. Your baby now has definite sleep and wake patterns, although they may sleep up to 95% of the time and have noticeable rapid eye movements (REM), which indicates they may be dreaming! Many women notice their baby tends to be more active when they are resting, perhaps because when you move your body naturally rocks your baby to sleep.

Did you know? Scientists have recorded the brain waves of unborn babies. At 7 weeks they are sporadic, but become noticeably more consistent by 10 weeks. Unborn babies have one continuous distinct brain wave pattern by 22 weeks and 2 distinct patterns (similar to adult brainwaves) by 30 weeks.



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29 Weeks Pregnant

Fetal Development This Week

Baby Fat

At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling —  by delivery time). WOW!!!! His or her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.
 
Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized!  <-- Nathan has been very energized!! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.
 
Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.
 
And back to those kicks, who's counting?  Actually, you should be.  Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on). <-- Luckily I'm always feeling him move, right now as a matter of fact, so no worries here! :)

28 Weeks Pregnant

Fetal Development This Week

Fetal Brain Activity

Are you dreaming about your baby? At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.

The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity  — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

LOL, terrible but true!

What is happening now?

You are now 28 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 29.

Your baby's bones are now mature enough to start producing their own blood supply from their bone marrow, taking over this task from their liver and spleen. Their liver starts to store iron supplied from your body. This is Nature's way of meeting a newborns iron requirements for the first 6 months after birth, until they start eating solids.

This week marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester (the final 12 weeks of pregnancy). Your baby is regarded as being born on time if they arrive between 37 and 42 weeks - only about 5% of babies are born on their actual due date! During these final weeks your baby's main task is to mature their body systems, grow stronger and put on weight. Premature babies born at this stage of pregnancy have a good chance of survival. However, the closer they are born to 37 weeks, the more likely they will be well and healthy and not require advanced medical treatments.

Physical changes

During the last few months, many women start feeling heavy and tired, as their baby increasingly takes up more space in their belly. This contributes to many physical signs of late pregnancy, such as heartburn, varicose veins, fluid retention and backache. By the time your baby is due, you may be feeling fed up with being pregnant and just want your baby to arrive!

I'm definitely feeling a lot more heavy and tired, especially since it's now harder to get around!

Glucose Test Results

Last week I posted that I was having a screening for my glucose levels. I am very happy to report everything came back very good. All my levels were in normal range including my iron. My blood glucose was 114, which is great, over 140 is abnormal. Very relieved that I don't have to worry about having gestational diabetes! The rest of the appointment also went very good. The doctor measured my belly and said it was right on. Heard the heartbeat again, which sounded very strong. Everything is going great and I am so grateful!! =)


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27 Weeks/6 Months Pregnant

Fetal Development This Week

Baby's Sense of Taste and Sound

Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.
 
Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices.  So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.
 
Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to. 



What is happenning now?

You are now 27 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 28.

Your baby is now developing their immune system with natural antibodies passing from your blood stream to them through the placenta. Your baby is now capable of coordinating a suck and swallow action, needed to drink milk after being born. However, this reflex does not fully mature until about 34 to 36 weeks. Your baby may look around and is capable of distinguishing light from dark and tracking movement.

Babies born at 28 weeks (or less) are regarded as extremely premature. However, only 9% of all premature babies are born this early. Babies born around 27 to 28 weeks gestation have about a 75 to 85% chance of survival, if they have access to specialised care and a fully equipped intensive care nursery.

Physical changes

Rib pain. Your uterus eventually starts encroaching on your ribcage, often causing pain and discomfort due to strain on the muscles between the ribs. Sitting more upright and giving your baby a gentle 'push down' with your hand may help take the pressure off.

Leg cramps. Nearly 50% of pregnant women experience leg cramps in their feet, calves or thighs, generally during the last few months of pregnancy. Leg cramps often occur at night, jolting you awake (and perhaps your startled partner), adding to insomnia and tiredness.



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6 MONTHS PREGNANT!!!

Wow, I am already entering into my third trimester -- boy has the time gone by pretty fast! Tomorrow I will officially be 6 months along. Everything has been going smoothly. Nathan is active as ever! And I now can see him moving around in my belly -- kicking, poking, tumbling- so amazing!!

On Tuesday is my Glucose Test, which determines if my blood glucose level is within healthy ranges; to screen for, diagnose, and monitor hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, diabetes, and pre-diabetes.  I have to admit, I'm a little nervous since I have such a big sweet tooth. Will post the results later this week!

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26 Weeks Pregnant

Fetal Development This Week

Baby's Eyes Open

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!").
 
The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.

Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity. And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.


What is happenning now?

You are now 26 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 27.

Your baby now recognises your voice and may be calmed by the sound of it (observed by their heart rate slowing). They may also recognise your partner's voice and different types of music. When observing unborn babies with ultrasound they can respond to relaxing music by turning towards it, and curl up and away from very loud rock, rap and pop type music. Studies have also shown that newborns may be soothed by particular sounds after birth (as long as the baby is not hungry). One soothing sound is 'white noise', a mixture of low, middle and high tones from the full spectrum of the human ear. White noise can be created by the sound of a vacuum cleaner or the inside of a car travelling.

Your newborn baby may quieten when listening to songs played regularly to them during the last three months of pregnancy. One study showed how a group of babies were calmed when they heard the theme song of the TV soap show "Neighbours", presumably because their mother watched it daily during pregnancy! 

Physical changes

Backache and sciatica. Many women find their posture noticeably changes to compensate for their increasing belly size. This can affect your centre of gravity and balance as well as possibly leading to back pain. Around 50 to 75% of pregnant women complain of backache at some stage during their pregnancy, with 33% finding it a problem, inhibiting their lifestyle. Pain may be felt in the upper or lower back (or both) and is sometimes complicated by sciatica (a shooting nerve paindown the buttock and back of one leg).

Tiredness and insomnia. The later months of pregnancy can bring tiredness and insomnia, perhaps with difficulty getting to sleep or waking frequently because of pregnancy discomforts or needing to urinate. Lack of sleep can be quite distressing for some women, although it is generally Mother Nature's way of preparing you for caring for your new baby! You can read more about tiredness and insomnia and how to manage it here.



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