Baby is now about 15.75 inches long and weighs 2.4 pounds. His brain continues to develop and is now forming the folds and grooves of a fully developed brain. The amount of tissues within the brain also continues to increase in large amounts. The hair that covers his scalp is also getting longer. He can now open and close his eyes, which have eyelashes. The third trimester has officially started! I will start having biweekly appointments with the doctor soon, according to most websites. I'll find out at my next appointment at the end of the month.
Sunday, March 20, 2011 ~ My most comfortable sleeping position is starting to cause a bit of back pain. I knew it would happen sooner or later and I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Prepregnancy I was always a belly sleeper and it was a tough transition but I've become mostly a back sleeper. For at least three months I've read that I shouldn't be sleeping on my back because a major vein runs under the uterus and the bloodflow back to my heart could be compromised once the baby starts weighing more. I asked my doctor about it long ago and he said I can sleep on my back for as long as I'm comfortable. Looks like the sides will become my only option soon.
I can't remember if I've mentioned how amazing prenatal yoga is. Every time I leave, I feel wonderful and can't wait to go back. I've been going on Saturdays for several weeks and was set on going Tuesdays as well, however last week and for the next two weeks the regular instructor won't be there and she suggested that we just stick with Saturdays until she's back. Not only do I physically feel great but I really believe that it's preparing my body for labor and will make a natural labor easier.
I think I've gained a little pudge weight in the last two weeks. I'm starting to see it in my legs and a little bit in my face. Dan says he can't tell but of course he wouldn't tell me if he could. I think I've allowed myself to indulge in sweets a little bit too much, especially around my birthday. Otherwise I've still been eating really healthfully. So this week I'm going to cut back on the sweets. Exercise is going to be rough because it's raining today and tomorrow, we have an ultrasound on Tuesday afternoon, a childbirth class on Wed, and I'm getting together with Jessica on Thursday. I'm going to try my hardest to find the energy to go on at least a short walk after our ultrasound Tuesday (fingers crossed that it's a short appointment) and a short walk before I see Jessica Thursday. I haven't had the ligament/muscle pain I mentioned in my previous post after my last two 6 mile walks so hopefully I'll be able to go three days in a row this week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If I can do four miles all four days, I'll meet my goal.
Speaking of our ultrasound, I'm looking forward to going in and finding out that the baby's kidney is not dilated. Since we can't get cute shots with the baby as large as he is, I'm hoping that it's a quick in and out appointment. The last one was incredibly long!
I can't believe we're in the third trimester!!! Only 84 days to go. I keep having conversations with the baby that 37 weeks would be ideal if he wants to come early. That's the point where he would not be considered premature and it would give me three more weeks with him before I have to go back to work. I'm meeting with my department chair on Thursday to drop the bomb that I want to take a few weeks off in September. I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about that. I'm not really sure why I'm nervous but I think it's because I have a hard time putting my needs ahead of my students' needs. Missing the first few weeks of school will be rough on everybody but I believe that I can find a good substitute and it won't be a big deal. I'm actually hoping that one of the three ladies who retired when I got hired would be interested in helping me out. One or two of them have been doing some sporadic substitute teaching. We also need to do a couple more daycare interviews and hopefully have something set up soon.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 ~ Just a quick update after the ultrasound - amniotic fluid level is normal and the baby's kidneys are both about the same size. I'm hoping that means that the dilated kidney is no longer dilated and not the other way around. The tech said they'll send my doctor the results tomorrow so I'll probably hear from him by Thursday. Baby is measuring 9 days ahead, 3 lbs 2 oz. The tech said that usually means the baby will be early however you never know. She also said that the weight and size predictions are less and less accurate the larger the baby gets. For the first time, the tech had us look away as she measured the kidneys. She couldn't really tell the position of the baby's bottom half and wanted to make sure we didn't see anything that would spoil the gender surprise.
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