Baby is about 14 in long and weighs about 2 pounds. He's soaking up antibodies, getting his immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and he'll soon be practicing the blink... perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air.
Sunday, March 6, 2011 ~ I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my last post but at my last appointment on Thursday, I was still measuring 3 weeks ahead. The doctor said the amniotic fluid felt normal to him and the ultrasound a couple weeks ago reported it normal so he's not concerned about the large external measurement. He also mentioned that I gained a little less weight than normal last month but nothing off-the-charts low.
This afternoon I'm not feeling very wonderful and the Braxton-Hicks contractions are making me uncomfortable. I think that what I eat is really having an effect on how I feel: when I don't eat very healthy I get pretty queasy and when I overeat even the slightest bit I can feel my ribs pushing out and sometimes have the most uncomfortable BH.
The baby has been moving around more than ever for the last few days. Previously, I felt kicks in relatively the same area all of the time. Now I think the baby is changing position because I'm feeling kicks in different spots on different days. I read that the baby will be the most active between now and about 36 weeks. Christina saw the baby move at my birthday "happy hour" on Friday and I look forward to more people feeling and seeing him move. I doubt that it's as fun for other people as it is for me but I still want people to experience it. Who would have guessed that being pregnant would teach me more about portion control than I ever expected?
Time seems like it's going by so slowly. I keep thinking that I'm further along than I actually am. This week I kept thinking that I was going on 27 weeks because it seems like it's been forever since I took my 24 week picture. I can't wait to meet this little person and I'm ready for him to join the world now! I'm sure things will pick up over the next several weeks because we will be a little busier. Our Hoag labor classes start on Wednesday and run for three weeks, then we have a week off before we start five weeks of natural labor classes start.
Thursday, March 10, 2011 ~ I am SLOW today, both mentally and physically. By sixth period my students were telling me I was off my game because I couldn't do simple things like add a whole number and a fraction. And when I went for a walk I did alright for the first few miles but was up to about a 16 min mile for the last 2-3. I am just tired. I'm not sure if it's because I've had a pretty busy 7-8 days in a row or what. I may be anemic. It's pretty common in this stage of pregnancy and my doctor has me on an iron supplement but I've only been taking it every other day. I'm going to bump it up to every day and see if that helps. It might just be that my second trimester energy is ending.
Yesterday we had our first labor class at Hoag. It was really good! The nurse talked about the stages of labor and what physically happens to a woman's body, which I have already read about, but it was good for Dan to hear. We also learned some breathing exercises. The thing that eased my mind the most was that the nurse continued to say that they will support whatever decision we make when it comes to pain management and that there's almost no such thing as "too late" for an epidural; the baby has to be crowning for it to be too late and I figure if I get that far, I'm sure I won't even want an epidural so close to the end. I also feel that they won't try to push medical interventions unless it really is in the best interest of myself or the baby. I have read many things online that make hospitals sound terrible, pushing epidurals and medical interventions when they aren't necessary, so I was very relieved after this first class. We have two more classes at Hoag and will start a natural childbirth series of classes taught by a doula in April.
Up until about a week ago I have been feeling baby's kicks pretty much in the same area all of the time but now the baby must be moving around a lot more. I'll feel kicks all over the place these days. I'm also feeling swiping motions, like the babys head or foot is rubbing against my insides, and sometimes I'll feel something sticking out a bit. It's still so cool! Baby has become a bit more distracting, making big kicks or digging a knee into my side while I'm teaching, but my students are getting a "kick" out of it. Haha, pun intended. Wow, I really am tired!
Waiting for more blogging!
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