Fetal development in pregnancy week 30

The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 29

If you’ve been feeling butterflies moving around in your belly, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety. No, it’s your amazing baby with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point resulting from practicing breathing for their big birthday. In addition, to getting a round of butterfly-like hiccups, your little swimmer has arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight. Yeah, compared to we adults, it’s not a lot, but when they’re little like that—it’s certainly a healthy (and warming) accomplishment in its way. Another fantastic accomplishment: your baby's spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis—the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components. Another fantastic-accomplishment: your little monkey has been peeing into their amniotic sac for a little while now (this is why potty training takes a while) and if you didn’t know, actually swallows it along with the rest of the amniotic fluid. Although the concept is nasty, their urine is sterile and as part of the amniotic fluid base, is replaced several times throughout the day. So if you didn’t know before, now you can tell people, that yes, you drank your own urine—you were still in the womb, but nonetheless, you’ve been there.

Test results

I got the results back from my one hour glucose test...my blood sugar was at 161 when it should have been around 135 or lower. So I have to go on Monday morning and have a fun filled 3 hour glucose test. The nurse didn't seem too worried about it, but I'm a worrier, so I'll stress a bit until the test is done and I have the results. My Mom is diabetic from her pancreatitis, so I've used her meter to check my blood sugar a couple of times, and it's been normal. Running around to get shots, have tests, and be poked and prodded sucks, but it's all worth it for this munchkin in my belly.

Clay and I are counting down the days until we leave for Michigan. One week from today and we will be married!! My handsome husband to be just gives me the shivers, I know I've said it before, but I'm a lucky woman.

To the doctor and back again!

I started seeing my new OB doctor, Dr. Mowere. He's a very nice man, listens to me, and is very helpful. I will now start going for checkups every 2 weeks! They should have a frequent doctor's miles program, I'd rack up quite the total. They gave me a one hour glucose test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes, I'll get those results today along with a shot of Rhogam since I'm RH-.

I spoke with the doctor about the traveling we'll be doing for our wedding and honeymoon, and he said it was just fine and gave me the all clear. I'm SO excited about the next few weeks, it's going to be a blast. I finally found my wedding outfit and some more maternity clothes for our trip. Now I can go relax and feel pretty. The website for the hotel in Amsterdam says there is a whirlpool tub in the room! I'm going to make a trip to LUSH and then float like a happy whale in the tub of my dreams.

It's so wild to think that in three months or less Pearl will be here, in our arms, making us fall in love with her even more. I love this little lump already, but I know it will just multiply by huge amounts when she makes her grand entrance.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 28

You know how you’ve been feeling a bit like a barn with legs some days? Well, that feeling won’t subside before… well, you know, when you finally give birth. For the time being, you’ve got yourself a baby in the business of collecting fat and lots of it! In spite of the dubious joys of being a barn, this baby fat business is very serious and you’ve got to put up with it, because it’s going to keep your little porker warm and healthy after birth. Other good stuff from inside: their eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now able to respond to light and dark. Also, their industrious little bone marrow is now a major construction site for developing red blood cells, while their super-cute adrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen—which will stimulate your hormones to begin milk production. Can you say, “Moo?”