How far along: 28 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is about the size of a large eggplant at roughly 14.8” from head to heel. Our baby measured in at 2 pounds 11 ounces this morning, which puts them at the 55th percentile compared to other babies of the same gestational age. The brain continues to develop and baby is adding layers of fat to its body. Muscle tone is also improving so kicks and movement might be getting stronger. And Baby can blink his or her eyes! Today our little one was sideways (not really head down or up) and the Dr. said that they'll keep moving around until close to 36 weeks. By that point we hope the head is down and the feet are up, 'cuz if not - it could likely mean a C-section. But these days they can move up and down multiple times a day. And I think this particular afternoon my baby IS moving back and forth - cuz my entire midsection keeps feeling giant jolts!
Total weight gain: 24.2 pounds. My Diabetes dietician said she wants me to gain 30 pounds total this pregnancy...um - we shall see about that. I hope she was rounding down. That's only a half pound a week for the next 12 weeks! However, I have only gained a pound over the last month...
Symptoms: Super thirsty all the time - this is a symptom of gestational diabetes though. I *think* my feet might be getting a tiny bit bigger? Or maybe just a little swollen? But I'm still wearing all the same shoes and making it work. I've mentioned before that I was pretty sure I was losing hair at the same rate I was pre-pregnancy, but for the last month or so there's definitely a lot less hair coming out when I shower. Like maybe only 1-2 strands! My hair doesn't feel incredibly thick and lustrous, but it's pretty fine and thin to begin with so...I think I won't get THAT lucky. It's definitely thicker overall.
Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep: Still sleeping very well, but it seems like the middle of the night/super early morning bathroom visits are returning. I was sleeping all the way through the night for a long time but if I remember correctly, I've gotten up in the middle of the night to pee, the last 2-3 nights. Oh Little Baby, thank you for taking up more space! (but no really, it's okay - I WANT you to get bigger!)
Best moment this week: How about moments: plural?! For sure seeing our baby on ultrasound this morning and getting word that all is GREAT. A good friend who was 10 weeks ahead of me had her baby this week too! That was exciting - but means we're up next!! It's also been nice seeing that my blood sugar levels are within the right range since I started testing a couple days ago - it means that the diet changes I've made are HOPEFULLY going to work okay. I just hope they continue to stay that way and I don't have to start insulin shots. However if that happens, I'm okay with it. Shots in the belly with a tiny needle? Oh, I think I can handle that... ;)
Hardest part of the week: Tracking my food, meals and finding the time to test my blood sugar (1 hour after a meal is not always a convenient time. I tested at a long stoplight this morning on my way to the Dr's office!) Coming up with meal and snack ideas is also a little challenging, but I know this will all get easier as I go and I'll start getting used to it.
Looking forward to: Starting to assemble the nursery. I remember Week 16, when I felt like I was buying the nursery furniture too early. But I'm NOT complaining now. The furniture should be ready for delivery next week and I'm more than happy to start getting that room set up in the first part of my 3rd trimester as opposed to the end of it! By the way, the store told me 6-8 weeks for delivery and by next week it will be 13. Yes indeed, glad I ordered when I did.
Movement: There were a couple days where I felt like there wasn't a lot of movement and it worried me a little bit. But there was definitely SOME movement, even if it was small, so I didn't start banging on the emergency room door or anything. Usually a day or two of low movement (which could also be attributed to my moving around too much and not noticing) is followed by a day or two of LOTS of movement. So I've gotten a little used to this pattern and don't freak out too much. There are times when my belly seriously jolts. I find myself staring at my midsection sometimes and holding my breath - to see if I can see my belly moving. And I usually can!! It's so nutty! Today specifically the little one is moving A TON. Maybe it's cuz we prodded them so much at the ultrasound this morning that they can't settle down.
Food cravings: Other than carbs and desserts, nothing really specific.
Happy or moody: Feeling much happier this week
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: All the time. Bummed that most of my order from asos.com (last week) isn't gonna work out for our maternity photo shoot. But I have some new items coming from Motherhood that might work. Whew - maternity clothing almost all has to be ordered, tried on at home and then sent back since so few stores have a large inventory. What a chore!
Belly button in or out: In, but looking more "pulled" on at the edges.
Wedding rings on or off: On, but it's snugger for sure
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: I've been thinking a lot about all the stuff we're trying to have on hand before the baby is born - the items I've registered for. A lot of these things we may not even end up using depending on how well Baby likes them, how well I like them, or how quickly Baby may change their mind about liking something. Like a baby sling/carrier or swing or bouncer, etc. The more I think about how much everything is going to cost, the more I've been thinking about (ssshhhh! don't tell any of my friends and family coming to my showers) looking for these items for sale on Craigslist and if I find a good buy on a gently used item I received for my shower, buying that and returning the gift we got. Yes, it's a bit more work but could really save us a ton of money - which I'm going to need for things like...college around the year 2032. :-|
Final Thoughts: So to sum up where I'm at right now (in addition to avoiding Halloween candy tomorrow night.) I think I've mentioned in passing before (most recently in Week 24), but I had elevated blood pressure going into my pregnancy (thanks to my mom). My blood pressure would average around 115/92 where the lower number (diastolic) is on the high side. Not high enough for my regular doctor to ever feel the need to put me on medication though. Especially since I'm quite healthy overall (I was a runner before pregnancy, pretty active overall, ate healthily...) But the tolerance for blood pressure when pregnant, is lower. They don't want to see your diastolic higher than the 80's. So for this reason, I've been taking a very low dose of Methyldopa (250mg twice a day) and my blood pressure has been very low all through pregnancy. This is also the reason we've been doing the monthly growth ultrasounds with the perinatologist. They want to track Baby's size since high blood pressure can sometimes cause the small blood vessels in the placenta to tighten, which allows less blood and nutrients to get to the baby, leading to smaller sized babies.
HOWEVER... I now have this joyous gestational diabetes to deal with as well (thanks to my dad - sheesh THANK YOU PARENTS!!!) So I have the double whammy!
Gestational diabetes also requires monthly growth ultrasounds, but for the opposite reason. Due to those lovely pregnancy hormones (and in my case, a healthy dose of genetics) a woman with gestational diabetes requires A LOT more insulin to regulate sugar than a non-pregnant woman. The pancreas works overtime to produce more insulin, but the insulin just can't lower the blood sugars. This causes glucose to build up and it does not leave the blood (to be changed to energy), as it should. This extra glucose can go through the placenta to give the baby high blood glucose levels, which causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat, leading to larger sized babies.
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| small baby |
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| LARGE BABY |
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