Dr. Appointment Update ~

Today was our first non-stress test. I had to be hooked up to a fetal monitor to track the baby's heartbeats and to see if I was having any contractions. They said it could take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. I think ours took about a half hour. I had to talk to him and poke at him a little to get him to move. The test is just to make sure that the placenta is doing its job with the gestational diabetes. His heart rate should go up so much for so long when he moves. HE PASSED! We will do this weekly until he is born. I then met with the doctor and he measured me and told me that he wanted to do another ultrasound, so we will have that done next week. We are excited to see him again (and verify again that he is a boy). The ultrasound is so the doctor can make sure that he is not getting too big. I also got a flu shot to keep me from getting sick while I am still pregnant and to help him the first few months after he is born.

34 Weeks Today ~

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate him body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb till now (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals that your baby is most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out.

We had our second childbirth class this week. We learned about the different pain medications that will be available to us. It was nice to learn the different effects of the different medications. We haven't decided for sure what we want to do, but we know for sure we don't want the epidural. There are just to many side effects.

33 Weeks Today ~

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor?

Jared painted the nursery last weekend (he wouldn't let me help). It's Costa Rica Blue, it turned out very nice. We also had our first childbirth class this week. We mainly learned about breathing through contractions and a few different was to remain realaxed during labor. We have 3 more classes left.

Dr. Appointment Update ~

Things went well at the doctor today. His heartbeat was 136bpm. He wouldn't hold still very long for the nurse to check. The doctor said I was doing good with my diet and blood sugar and to keep up the good work. I am measuring about 1 1/2 cm larger, but the doctor is not worried. In two weeks we go back and I have to start doing non-stress tests. The doctor said they will check the baby's heartbeat along with his movements and as long as it all goes well he will let me stay pregnant another week. I will be going once a week after the next appointment. We will keep you posted.

32 Weeks Today ~

By now, your baby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in there. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.
In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your belly. For the Elton John lovers out there-- yes, baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor.

Let's see, Jared and his friend Bill moved the big stuff out of the nursery this week. Now the room is empty and ready for paint. It will be Costa Rica Blue. I have all of the clothes seperated into laundry piles. I also started reading to him this week. I went to the library today and got a few books. I have some from when I was little and there are some Disney books about the movies. He seemed to enjoy it. He was moving around while I was reading to him last night.

31 Weeks Today ~

(This is the best picture I have so far of my belly)

This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around! Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

I have been doing well with my blood sugars so far. There have been a few times where it has been over where it should be, but the doctor isn't concerned and said to keep up the good work! I am still working out what I can eat and making sure I get all of the carbs in where I am suppose to.

We got the replacement parts to his crib this week. Now we need to pick out paint this weekend or next and maybe look at carpet. Then we will be ready to put his bed together.

The girls from work threw me a very nice shower with lots of nice things. It was really nice because some past co-workers came too.

Dr. Appointment Update ~

We went to the doctor today and everything looked and sounded good. His heartbeat was at 150 bpm, he kicked the little microphone when the nurse was listening to it. The doctor said my blood sugars looked good and to keep up the good work. We now start going every two weeks to the doctor and in a month I have to have a non-stress test done.