We are finally in the single digit part of our countdown!!!! Only 9 weeks left!! Can you believe it?!?!? I wish it were like 4 weeks, ha, but I will take where I am over a higher number any day!!! As of right now, we have no more ultrasounds scheduled, but I have my OB appointment on Thursday morning, and plan on begging for at least one more! I will let you know Friday what he says! This is the last of the monthly appointments, from here on out, we see him every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, when it becomes once a week! The finish line is in sight!
Happy soon to be Father's Day, Brian!! Isabella got him a manly diaper bag, which he had mentioned he wanted, but he ruined the surprise and opened the package that arrived in the mail before I got home from work on Wednesday, even though it was sent to me, so he is a father's day ruiner, haha, but he loves the bag! It is brown suede and looks more like a laptop carrier than a diaper bag, so he is very happy with it. Brian has a "murse", ha!
I have a baby shower on Sunday the 28th with friends up here in Madison, so we are excited for that! Otherwise, no other super exciting baby news! This isn't exciting news for the baby, but it is for me! All my maternity leave plans have been ironed out and approved from Human Resources, so I am all set to leave work! August 12 is my official start date for Maternity leave, which is 11 days before baby is supposed to arrive (just in case baby arrives a little early). I will have off completely until September 24th, at which point I will be going back to work 4 days a week until the end of the year, or until I feel ready to come back to work for the normal 5 days a week. I also have a set schedule lined up, so no more guess work as to when I will have off. From the end of September to the end of December, I will only work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, so I will have the same three days off every week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). If Brian stays on the same schedule at work that he has been on for the last few months, we will only need to find day care/a babysitter on Mondays and Wednesdays. If we have any volunteers for those days, please, speak up so we can kiss your feet in appreciation, starting now! Starting August 1st, I have to enter complete baby mode... I am not allowed to be anywhere outside of a 45 minute radius of the hospital, so no more trips to Chicago and no more Brewers games in Milwaukee. Sadness! One of the main reasons for the travel limitations is that Insurance will not cover ANY birth related medical bills if I deliver at any hospital other than Meriter. If I deliver at Meriter, I have 100% of all medical bills covered, so...I will not be straying far from home, needless to say. Meriter is about 10 minutes from where we live, or if I am driving or in labor, it should be about 5 minutes away, ha!
OK, enough about me, here is what is going on with BellaReese this week (I have added my own 2 cents in italics and parenthesis again):
How your baby's growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) or a little less than the size of a 5 pound bag of potatoes from the grocery store, and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 8 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. (I can't wait to feel her baby soft skin, and smell her little hair, baby's feel and smell so amazing, don't they? There is nothing like that sensation anywhere else!)There is something surreal about watching a tiny foot move across your belly (and something uncomfortable about getting jabbed by a tiny elbow in the dead of night) (true story, it is very, very surreal!). Now that your baby is nice and big and mobile, you'll be getting kicked and prodded in all sorts of unexpected places. Oooof! Did you feel that one in the ribs (yes, except it is her head doing it, not a little foot!)? If you're feeling sudden, jerking movements, then your baby probably has the hiccups. Changing positions, taking a walk, or drinking a cold glass of water or juice can sometimes get a very active baby to chill with the kidney shots for a while (I don't really want to discourage them, I actually feel better if I put a hand on whatever is moving and feel more connected to her, if anything). You could also try telling the baby if she kicks you one more time you're going to come in there and give her a time-out. OK, that won't help ease the discomfort, but mentally it'll make you feel like you're still in control. You can also take heart in the fact that in a few more weeks, your Karate Kid will be running out of room for the kind of athletic displays she's so fond of these days. In other words, she'll be too cramped in there to haul her foot back 6 or 7 inches to give you a swift kick in the ribs.
Your Baby:
Although your baby will still remain active, her days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. Other fascinating facts: Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point (meh, I think I have actually been maintaining, if not losing...now that it is hot and humid, I have had no appetite! All I ever want to eat are grapes and fresh Pineapple from CostCo!). You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage 
bulking up baby. She'll likely double her weight in the next eight weeks. Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? She's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things (that stupid septum that has caused all these problems is one of her favorite in-utero toys!), making faces, practicing her breathing, peeing (weird) and listening to everything around her—pretty much exactly what she'll be doing for the first three months of her life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera. By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We're thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you've got a nursery to furnish (or start! We haven't done anything yet for Bella!)!
bulking up baby. She'll likely double her weight in the next eight weeks. Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? She's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things (that stupid septum that has caused all these problems is one of her favorite in-utero toys!), making faces, practicing her breathing, peeing (weird) and listening to everything around her—pretty much exactly what she'll be doing for the first three months of her life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera. By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We're thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you've got a nursery to furnish (or start! We haven't done anything yet for Bella!)!A few more fun facts:
The eyes have now completely opened and are responding to light and darkness.
A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump. Your baby continues to grow. Baby's lungs and digestive tract are very near to being mature. Now that almost all of the major organs are functioning, growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. Baby's weight gain will exceed its growth in length from now on. She should more than double her weight again between now and birth. A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump (like our crapper of a dog barking at nothing in the middle of the night, hell that scares Brian and me and at least we know what is making that noise!). Baby may move to the rhythm of music (to my dismay, she seems love that stupid Black Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom" and jumps every time it comes on the radio. I debate turning channels, but she seems to like it, so I suffer through it). Studies with heart rates show that they may also prefer some types of music to others at this stage. The eyes can now completely open and the irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed.You will probably find that though you have been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now (oh yea! It is back to a 9:30 bedtime for me!). Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to. Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking all excellent options for pregnant women (Big City, our wiener dog, and I go on 35-45 minute walks nightly. It seems to be good for both of us. We both just come home and sleep afterwards, ha!)
A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump. Your baby continues to grow. Baby's lungs and digestive tract are very near to being mature. Now that almost all of the major organs are functioning, growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. Baby's weight gain will exceed its growth in length from now on. She should more than double her weight again between now and birth. A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump (like our crapper of a dog barking at nothing in the middle of the night, hell that scares Brian and me and at least we know what is making that noise!). Baby may move to the rhythm of music (to my dismay, she seems love that stupid Black Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom" and jumps every time it comes on the radio. I debate turning channels, but she seems to like it, so I suffer through it). Studies with heart rates show that they may also prefer some types of music to others at this stage. The eyes can now completely open and the irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed.You will probably find that though you have been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now (oh yea! It is back to a 9:30 bedtime for me!). Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to. Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking all excellent options for pregnant women (Big City, our wiener dog, and I go on 35-45 minute walks nightly. It seems to be good for both of us. We both just come home and sleep afterwards, ha!)
1 comment:
Good luck on the final stretch!! And enjoy it (if possible) while you can. Everyone told me that I would miss being pregnant and I really didn't think so but it's true! I mean, I don't know if I miss it as much as it feels weird to not be pregnant anymore. So enjoy the blessing of creating life while it lasts!!! :)
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