36 weeks

Here is our baby at 36 weeks. Note that the baby is sucking its left thumb, then has one of its feet by its eye, then its right hand in a fist above the foot.

The baby is still in the Frank Breech position, so that means a C-section for us. Baby has also been getting some raging cases of hiccups lately, and even though Jon and I have explained that it would have fewer hiccups if it just turned upside down, baby is not in the mood to flip.

I wonder if the baby will sleep like this once its born. And, when cuddling into the "fetal position" will our child stick its feet in its face?

Baby weighs 6 lbs and 5 ounces, so its very much on track even though the baby will be making an early arrival.

Here is what's going on developmentally, according to babycenter. com:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) (or in Baby Ladewig's case, 6lbs, 5 oz) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)

You don't look like you're going to have a baby soon ...

... oh yeah?

Before

and now

+20 inches

35 weeks: "Your baby is very uncooperative"

I thought I'd have at least a few years before I would get a bad behavior report.

At today's doctor's appointment, the baby was sitting on one of my veins during the biophysical profile, cutting off oxygen to my brain. I had to stop the exam and get water and ice packs twice. The baby wasn't moving much either, so we failed our first BPP. That meant a trip to the hospital for more monitoring.

I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so I thought the baby could use some energy before we took the next test.

We drove through McDonald's for a quarter pounder and a Coke before heading to the hospital, and what do you know, we passed this test! The baby is still in breech and weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

We are both doing fine and home safe and sound.

Here's what's going on at 35 weeks:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (or 5 3/4 pounds in our baby's case) (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Here is a picture from Friday's ultrasound. Everything was too eventful to get pictures today.

34 weeks

34 weeks according to babycenter.com:

The baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (actual weight from Friday's sonogram: 5lbs, 4 oz) (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her 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.

Here is the baby's face with its hand in front of it:

33 weeks

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) 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.

The baby was very active today! I had some Oreos and the baby went nuts rolling, punching and kicking around. I'll have to remember that for my next ultrasound.

Mommy's friends held a baby shower this past weekend. We got lots of things the baby needs, and I saw some of my friends get really competitive about baby shower bingo!

The CRV was filled to the brim, now it's time to finally finish baby's room ... as soon as the air conditioning gets turned on ... it's hot in here!

31 weeks

It's been a busy week!

According to babycenter.com, this week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (actual weight according to sonogram: 3.75 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.

Oh, boy is our baby on the move! This week, I felt the baby almost sit up, when it moved from the transverse position into the Frank Breech position. I can feel the head directly under my right ribcage.

Frank Breech means that the baby keeps its feet in front of its face.

This week I also went to meet baby's pediatrician. They had an orientation for expectant parents. Jon had class, so it was me and 4 couples. The pediatrician's office is really nice, they have 7 doctors, 16 RNs and LPNs, 3 pediatric phlebotomists, and a lactation consultant. It's also right in between my gym, the library, and a park. We prepared a list of questions beforehand, and

30 Weeks

The baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds it, but that volume will decrease as the baby gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after the baby's born, baby's eyes will be closed for a good part of the day. When the baby does open them, it will respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means the baby can only make out objects a few inches from its face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29 Weeks

The baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain.

This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

28 Weeks

The furniture move prompted us to find a new backdrop location. By the time Jon took these photos we found ourselves unsure of which way I should face.

This week, the baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

27 Weeks

Here we are at 27 weeks already! I can't believe it!

What's going on with the baby, according to http://www.thenestbaby.com/: Toughening up her immune system, with help from your antibodies.

Top 10 things going on here on the outside, according to me:

10) Started calling around to Pediatricians -- got on the schedule for a new parent orientation.
9) Got back on track with going to the gym -- a new, larger sportsbra was a big help in making that happen.
8) Saw my OB/GYN at Mass -- actually almost knocked her over when I was running outside to the ladies' room after communion. She understood. :)
7) Ordered some thank you notes so I can start being considerate of all the lovely gifts people are sending the baby.
6) Found out Fr. Shea is leaving Holy Trinity to take a Jesuit post as head something of Maryland. Have to get baby’s Baptism on his schedule before he leaves!
5) Checked out some videos and books from the library about birth and being a working mom.
4) Made room for baby -- donated 60 books and other miscelaneous items to Tossed & Found, the Junior League's annual rummage sale.
3) Discovered The Wiggle Room, a baby/maternity consignment store in Bethesda. Got a glider for 88% off!
2) Found pictures of a very cute baby on my computer at work – guess who it is!?!
1) Received an AMAZING box of baby clothes from Aunt Teri!

26 weeks

Here I am at 26 weeks.

25 weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks. The baby is the size of an eggplant. Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

We also had a sonogram this week. The baby weighs 1 lb 10 oz. As you can see, I've gained a little more weight than that! The doctor says everything is progressing just as it should with the baby and with me. My blood pressure has been holding steady, but the doctors are keeping a watchful eye on it. It's a very good sign that I am not (yet) swollen.

This week I started working on the first step of getting the baby's room ready -- cleaning it up and out! I had a couple of extra days off to "recover" from the International Builders' Show, and I worked hard to get everything in shape so Jon could move the furniture around. It took its toll on my back, though! I got the clear from my doctor to use a heating pad on it, and splurged on one that was big enough to cover the whole lower back. What relief! I am now thinking that I should have put more money in my Flexible Spending Account this year -- oh well, lesson learned! I know there's only more to come!

For the last 2-3 weeks, the baby has made a point out of stretching out to the point that it looks (& feels) like it's going to blast out of the right side of my tummy.

It looks and feels very weird when it's happening. I wish I could get a sonogram then because I would love to see what's going on in there! It feels like the baby is standing up. You can even see it through my clothes, which was a little embarassing when I was having a business meeting, and all of a sudden, someone pops up to say hi! Already wants to be the center of attention!

Mommy & Daddy

Jon and I have been comparing belly sizes. I am now an inch bigger than him!

Catching up

Here I am in weeks 21-24. I had bronchitis and then had a business trip to Orlando, so things were a little busy around here! I'll be better about posting now!

You sure have a squirmy baby!

That's a direct quote from our ultrasound technician. NO KIDDING! :) We had the "big" ultrasound this week, our 20th. Everything is progressing just as it should. We got to see the 3D/4D ultrasound which showed our baby's little face. S/he blew us a kiss, did some toe-touches and rolls, but couldn't keep still long enough to get a good picture of the face. We have plenty of legs, arms, organs, etc.

Here's what's going on with the baby developmentally: Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Here's a picture of me at 20 weeks 2 days. This weekend, my yoga instructor (who knew I was pregnant) told me I didn't have to suck in my stomach. I told her I couldn't even if I wanted to!

19 weeks

Here I am at 19 weeks, 2 days.

The baby is the size of a mango. Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

The jeans I'm wearing in this picture are not maternity jeans. They are the super-low-rise variety that was popular about 5 years ago. The "waist" was always a little loose ... so there's plenty of room for growth! Wearing these jeans before pregnancy, I always felt:
1) A little trampy, and
2) That my pants were going to fall down at any minute.
Who knew that all I needed to do was add a long maternity top (and a pregnant bod) and it would fix everything?

18 weeks, 2 days ... feeling much better than first trimester now. However, the belly is getting much bigger.