34 Weeks Pregnant

Wow, he's getting so big, I can't believe how quickly he's growing and how soon he'll be with us! =)

 

Fetal Development This Week

Gender Differences

Your baby could be as tall as 20 inches  right now and about five pounds. Need a visual? Hold a five-pound bag of flour in your arms and imagine it's your soon-to-be-born baby (cradle it, and you'll only get strange looks in the baking aisle). Then stack three such bags one on top of the other (and get ready for some more strange looks, maybe from the same clerks who saw you grinning and holding that one-pound box of sugar a few weeks ago). That's how tall your baby is at 34 weeks pregnant. (Now go bake some oatmeal raisin cookies with all that flour!)
 
If your little doughboy is, well, a boy, then you'll be pleased to know that this week his testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to his scrotum. (Some baby boys — three to four percent — are born with undescended testicles, but they usually make the trip down sometime before the first birthday.)
 
Your baby's fingernails now reach the end of the fingertips and may even curl over the tip, making a manicure one of the first things you'll need to do for your little bundle.

Baby Shower!

This past Sunday was my baby shower and it went great! Laura, my Mom and my Mother-in-law, Roxanne did such a wonderful job. I had a great time, the games and opening the gifts was a lot of fun. It seemed others had a good time as well, which really makes me happy. Luckily my good friend didn't mind taking a lot of photos for me. Here are a few photos I'd like to share...

33 Weeks Pregnant

What a busy week! Had baby classes and my baby shower and so much more has kept both Aaron and I constantly on the move. Photos from the shower to come!

 

Fetal Development This Week

Fetal Immune System

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby  could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side.  Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.
 
The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)
 
If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).
And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.





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32 Weeks Pregnant

Wow, only two months to go - more or less!!! Can't believe he's almost here! I'm also really looking forward to the baby shower. I'd love the chance to get to see a lot of family and friends I don't see that often. Just hoping the weather holds out!!!

Fetal Development This Week

Fetal Postion

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that's a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). At 32 weeks pregnant, you're likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby's signature rocking and rolling. That's because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in prepartion for birth. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don't worry if your baby hasn't assumed the head-down position yet. There's still a good chance he or she will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.
 
While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before you'll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas).  In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby's digestive system is all set and ready to go.
 
And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his or her skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over.  Though weeks away from D-day, your baby's looking more and more like a newborn. 
 
And speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you're likely feeling these days).






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Birthing Class

Yesterday Aaron and I had our birthing class at the hospital. I thought the class was good. I really understand now what exactly happens to the body and the process of labor, which I hope will help with getting through the labor. We practiced breathing techniques and meditation, which I like to think might help me through the pain. I plan to try this techniques, though some people think it won't help in any way with all the pain I'll experience. Regardless, I plan to keep positive and do whatever I can to get through it all. Some suggestions that we saw in the videos are it helps to move positions a lot. I plan to try that and rest a lot before the big day, which may help with going into labor sooner and also, being fully rested will help with getting through the marathon of pushing (as the instructor compared it to). We also got a tour of the maternity ward of where I'll be delivering, recovering and staying. I think after this class I'm feeling much more ready for Nathan's arrival. Just need to finally get the nursery ready and I think we'll be ready, as ready as we'll ever be at least!



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31 Weeks Pregnant

Can't believe my little guy is almost completely developed and ready for birth. What an amazing day it will be! =)

 

Fetal Development This Week

Activity in the Womb

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. At 31 weeks pregnant, you can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet.
 
Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever.   Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).





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