This has not been a fun week in my world   My reflux is at its all time worst, with no signs of it getting better before N arrives…and I think I started having mild Braxton Hicks as well.  Not to mention that I was sick on Christmas…all.day.  It was horrible.  I am feeling better now, but I am just uncomfortable.  Pray these last 9 weeks pass quickly!

Pregnancy: 3rd Trimester

Week 31: Your pregnancy

Your baby’s growth: Your baby’s eyes have color

By the end of this week your baby will weigh about 3.5 pounds and will be about 14.5 inches long. From now on your baby’s weight gain will exceed his growth in length.

This week marks some major changes for your baby’s eyes. Most notably his iris will become pigmented. However, no matter what color eyes your baby is born with (most are born with dark blue-brown or blue-gray eyes), the color almost always changes after birth. Your baby’s true eye color won’t appear for six to nine months after delivery. That’s because the final eye pigmentation occurs in response to the strong light of the outside world.

Each day brings new developments inside the womb:

• Eyes. Your baby’s eyes are now open during waking and are closed at naptimes.
• Lungs. Your baby’s lungs and digestive tract continue to develop.
• Head-down position. As you near the end of the second trimester, your baby will begin to settle head-down into your pelvis. However, some babies don’t make this journey until late in the last trimester, and about 4% of babies don’t make the switch, remaining in a breech position at delivery.

Merry Christmas Eve!  Not much to report on the baby front, all is well!  I just can’t believe we only have 10 weeks to go!

Pregnancy: 3rd Trimester

Week 30: Your pregnancy

Your baby’s growth: Hiccups!

Your baby has probably reached 3 pounds and about 14 inches in length. He’s also filling out a bit as she continues to gain weight, and these layers of fat help his to appear less wrinkled.

As practice for breathing after birth, your baby mimics breathing movements by repeatedly moving her diaphragm in a rhythmic way. This can trigger hiccups if he inadvertently inhales amniotic fluid. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid now surrounds your baby, but that volume decreases as he gets bigger and has less room in your uterus.

Here’s what else is happening this week:

• Head. Your baby’s head continues to grow, and brain growth speeds up even more.
• Hearing. It’s improving; nearly all babies can react by movement to sound by this week.

As B was sitting on the toilet doing his business last night, (why does everything happen on the toilet???) he looks up at me and says, “Mama your belly is getting big, let me see it.”  He lifts up my shirt and exclaims, “that is a big belly mom!”  Great for mom’s self esteem!

While we were sitting at my Mom’s the other day after I got home from work, N was kicking like crazy, so I showed B.  He looks at Mom, shrugs his shoulders, and tells her, “that’s ok, he’s got nothing else to do in there“.

Here is a belly picture:

Pregnancy: 3rd Trimester

Week 29: Your pregnancy

Your baby’s growth: Weight gain

By this time your baby may weigh just under 3 pounds and is a bit less than 14 inches long.

Now that organ and nerve development are almost complete, your baby will start gaining weight very quickly this week—mostly in the form of body fat. This fat will provide insulation for your baby and will fill out most of the wrinkles in her skin, making her look like a plump, healthy infant.

Your baby’s brain continues its important developmental work this week. In fact it is growing so quickly now, it may cause her flexible skull bones to swell slightly. The folds and fissures of the brain continue to develop, allowing room for important interconnections between nerve cells. During this week brain-wave patterns begin to look like those of a full-term baby.

Other important developments in the 29th week:

• Prolactin production. Your baby will begin to produce prolactin, a hormone that will help your body produce colostrum. (Colostrum is the first breastmilk you’ll produce and is filled with nutrients and immunity enhancers.)
• Kicking. Insistent kicking action will occur as your baby’s muscles develop. Later in this trimester these movements will slow down as she gets bigger and the uterus gets more cramped.
• Skeleton will continue to harden.
• Lungs will continue to mature.
• Loss of lanugo. Your little one’s downy lanugo hair will begin to shed into the amniotic fluid. She may still have some on her body at birth, but this will fall off in the first week or so.
• Toenails will continue to grow.
• Retinas will continue to develop.

Sorry I am late again!  I no longer have IE 7 on my laptop, so Wordpress doesn’t give me options to customize any text   I have to wait till I am home to post anything!  I had a Dr. appt this week and all is well.  N is head down and my weight gain is minimal.  B and I have horrible sinus infections, thanks to the 28 degree weather on Sunday when we had our awesome photoshoot with Studio3Z - some sneak peak pictures should come next week!  We had another awesome playdate tonight with our friends at the Gabbard’s new beautiful house – unfortunately, no one took any pictures this time around

Pregnancy: 3rd Trimester

Week 28: Your pregnancy

Your baby’s growth: Brain development

At about 2 pounds 4 ounces and 13.8 inches from head to toe, your baby has certainly come a long way!

This week marks an important milestone for your baby’s brain development. Until now the surface of your baby’s developing brain was smooth. During this week, her brain begins to form its characteristic grooves and indentations, allowing the brain’s surface to expand while it develops within your baby’s tiny skull.

Other important developmental advances:

• More fat. Your baby will continue to add layers of fat under her skin and will become plumper with each passing day.
• More hair. Hair on your baby’s head will continue to grow.
• Testes. A boy’s testes are usually completely descended into the scrotum by this point.
• Lungs. His lungs are now capable of breathing air.

What’s happening with you

• Weight gain. By week 28 your uterus is about 3 inches above your belly button. Your weight gain may range from about 17 to 24 pounds.
• Regular doctor visits. Starting now you’ll probably be visiting your doctor every other week instead of every month. At your next appointment your doctor may be able to tell you how your baby is positioned in the womb.
• Your baby’s position. Ideally, soon you will feel her settle with her head pointed down toward your cervix—a sensation called “lightening.” If you feel the baby’s head pushing against your cervix, she’s probably in the proper headfirst position for delivery.

I totally forgot to blog about this! 

A few Sunday’s ago, we were getting ready to leave for Sunday dinner at Nate’s parent’s house, and for some reason, I thought I had to check my Google Reader first.  SCORE!  One of my “mommy deal” blogs posted that Amazon/Target had Britax Marathon’son sale for $59.99!!!  If you have never been car seat shopping, that is $220 OFF the regular price of this car seat!  I rushed and ordered 2, knowing that we will need them very soon! 

I was planning on buying at least one of the new Britax Boulevards or Sunshine Radians for N, but I couldn’t pass up this deal!  They arrived 2 days later!  Target mistakenly priced this car seat, and while many people who ordered them didn’t get them, we did

So N will be stylin’ in Mommy and Mawmaw’s cars in his cow print Marathons – which totally clashes with B’s Decathalon, but oh well!

N will be in this car seat, rear facing until he is 35 lbs.  It is VERY important that you keep your children rear facing as long as possible, and NEVER turn them around until they are AT LEAST 20 lbs AND 1 year old!  In my opinion, this is still entirely too young.  A young child cannot support their head in ANY type of car wreck if they are forward facing.  Please see the article below for supporting research and more information.

http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear-facing.html

According to the Gerber site, I am in my 3rd trimester!  How did that happen so quickly?  All I can tell you is N is growing at rapid speed…only one week out of the office, and everyone is commenting on the size of my belly!  And he kicked me so hard yesterday that I had tears in my eyes!  13 more weeks to go….

Pregnancy: 3rd Trimester

Week 27: Your pregnancy

Your baby’s growth: He opens his eyes!

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester. And although your baby may not have grown much taller, he now weighs more than 2 pounds. Right now your baby looks like she will at birth, just a little thinner and smaller.

A big developmental change occurs as your baby’s fused eyelids finally open. The lids have been closed since early pregnancy to protect the developing retina at the back of the eye. The retina is the part of the eye that receives light information and transmits the information to the brain for interpretation. The retina develops its normal layers during this week.

Other developmental changes include:

• Organs and systems. Lungs, liver, and immune system are still developing.
• Hearing. As hearing continues to develop, some scientists suggest your baby may start to recognize your voice, although sounds may be muffled because waxy coating still covers the ears.
• Response to sound. This will become more pronounced as the development of the auditory nerve is completed.
• Brain. His brain continues to grow and develop rapidly.