Belly Comparison

9 Weeks
12.5 Weeks
15 Weeks
20 Weeks
26 Weeks
28.5 Weeks

28.5 Weeks Belly Shot

Ugh - these are so not pretty. Jen wanted me to get some belly pictures with my face included. I made her do them that way so she's making me do it. So I did. Double ugh! I guess if I made 3 of my other friends do this I must do it too.

Big Baby

The baby has gotten so big at this point that I can feel actual body parts. And if a particular baby part gets in the way, causing me to feel uncomfortable, I just push on the part and the whole thing moves! It's great! Often times the baby is floating right behind my belly button and for some reason it hurts. This is when I exercise my right to point and shove my baby a little to the right or left. It's a little weird -- but it works. Sometimes my tummy can appear to be lopsided. It's because a baby's head or butt is on one side or the other. This again is where the point and shove technique works wonders! One must be careful when using this technique....sometimes a little toot can work it's way out too!

Linea Nigra

I still have not gotten my linea nigra. I would like to think that it means I won't get one but that's rare. Could I be so lucky? Probably not. Keelee thought she wasn't getting one and then it popped up at the last minute. Grrrr....

Prenatal Heart Listener

My sister came over last Thursday for a surprise visit. We spent our quality time together laying on the couches, eating Thai food, listening for the baby's heart beat through a monitor I bought and watching The Secret Life Of Bees. (The movie was much better than the book by the way!) I have 2 heart beat listeners. A lightly used one that a friend gave me and another one of a different brand - new and in the package. So far neither has worked. My sister did get to hear our child thumping around inside my womb though. With every kick there was a coordinating thump. That was pretty neat.

If I can't hear a heartbeat before the end of the 9 mos I plan on taking back the new heart listener. The lightly used one I have never found a heartbeat either. I'm getting a strong feeling that the heartbeat monitors on the market now are a RIP OFF! Normally I'd feel very jipped but since I'm going to the doctor every 2 weeks now, and I hear the heartbeat each time I go in, I'm fine with not being able to hear it on my $25 monitor.

28 Weeks! (10 to 12 more weeks to go!)

My comments today in Red.

www.babycenter.com

How your baby's growing:

By this week, your 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 All this use of "her" is making think I'm having a girl! . With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb Hopefully at my Sister-In-Law's bachelorette part we'll hit some venues with a disco ball. Lets see how this baby can dance! She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing:

You're in the home stretch! Ok. Ok. A little scary. But a little exciting too. The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester. Ummm...sorry, this really doesn't work for me. I'm under strict instruction from the Weight Nazi to not loose it now! At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Yep! Doing that now! Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now What? Is there a strong likelihood that I've picked up an STD during my pregnancy? I'm not a hooker. This WAS a planned pregnancy, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea Ok, now I'm just insulted, to be certain of your status Status? My status is married, stupid. I don't have anything wrong with my crotch other than a baby living in it! before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. As we all know I "passed my Glucose Challange"!And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. I haven't heard anything about this at the doctors office. I'm assuming they would have already told me? (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.)Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. I've had this for several months now. I find that cool temperatures helps. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS. I have enough Iron, thank you. Just ask my bowels.

The Weight Nazi

Today I saw the Weight Nazi. {There is one doctor in my OBGYN practice that is referred to as "The Weight Nazi". He is my regular Gynecologist, so I saw him at the very beginning of my pregnancy, but I've had to make my rounds to the other doctors since then. Today I had come full circle and it was time to see him again.....} I was pretty scared. My big plan was to eat nothing but cucumbers and Melons for 3 days before the appointment so I could avoid being bloated. Did you know that melons are natural diuretics? That didn't really work out though. So I went in today and I had only gained 2 lbs from my last appointment. I was hoping that would satisfy the Weight Nazi. He said..........."You're doing really REALLY good on your weight" YIPPEE! Then he told me he didn't want me to leave the office all happy that he didn't yell at me about my weight and just start eating like crazy. (WhatEVER) He also said he didn't want me eating any summer picnic foods because it all had salt in it. So I didn't get out of the office without some sort of talking-to but at least he didn't make me cry.

My Uterus measured 29" which is perfect. The baby's heart rate was in the 140s again which is also good. I start my kick counts tomorrow. I have to keep track of the baby's kicks from now until the very end. That means, I need to pick an hour every day and check a box every time I feel a kick. Once I get 10 kicks I'm done. This child has never lacked in movement so I'm sure that will be easy.

The doctor also told me that if I have that problem with my butt nerve again I should sleep on my right side. Get the pressure OFF my left side.

My next appointment is June 3rd. Things are going to start going really fast now. It's all getting crazy!