(from another weekly e-mail I get ...)
If you’ve been feeling butterflies moving around in your belly, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety. No, it’s your amazing baby with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point resulting from practicing breathing for their big birthday. In addition, to getting a round of butterfly-like hiccups, your little swimmer has arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight. Yeah, compared to we adults, it’s not a lot, but when they’re little like that—it’s certainly a healthy (and warming) accomplishment in its way. Another fantastic accomplishment: your baby's spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis—the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components.
Another fantastic-accomplishment: your little monkey has been peeing into their amniotic sac for a little while now (this is why potty training takes a while) and if you didn’t know, actually swallows it along with the rest of the amniotic fluid. Although the concept is nasty, their urine is sterile and as part of the amniotic fluid base, is replaced several times throughout the day. So if you didn’t know before, now you can tell people, that yes, you drank your own urine—you were still in the womb, but nonetheless, you’ve been there.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Test Results
I endured the dreaded three hour glucose test on Saturday. Fasting for 12 hours, a lot of glucose consumed and three hours of waiting along with four different blood draws. It really wasn't too bad ... its just boring to sit there so long. The techs were hesitant to let me go any futher than the bathroom, just in case I have a weird reaction to the glucose. But nothing happned.
The Dr. left a message that all was well with the test. So, I don't have gestational diabetes. YAY!
I considered celebrating by consuming a box of Red Hots. But instead, I decided to satisfy my curiosity about what Ben & Jerry's "Pistachio Pistachio" tasted like. I ate the whole pint in one sitting and it was mighty tasty! Tastes like a frozen version of Jello Pistachio Pudding ... in case you're wondering. And besides, that ice cream has more nutrition than Red Hots. It has calcium and protein. :)
Today is Thursday and Jonathan returns in one week - yay! So far, Bella has been a little angel in Jonathan's absense. She hasn't dragged me too far or hard on our walks. I'd be so bored without her. She really is the best dog ... EVER!
Jennifer
The Dr. left a message that all was well with the test. So, I don't have gestational diabetes. YAY!
I considered celebrating by consuming a box of Red Hots. But instead, I decided to satisfy my curiosity about what Ben & Jerry's "Pistachio Pistachio" tasted like. I ate the whole pint in one sitting and it was mighty tasty! Tastes like a frozen version of Jello Pistachio Pudding ... in case you're wondering. And besides, that ice cream has more nutrition than Red Hots. It has calcium and protein. :)
Today is Thursday and Jonathan returns in one week - yay! So far, Bella has been a little angel in Jonathan's absense. She hasn't dragged me too far or hard on our walks. I'd be so bored without her. She really is the best dog ... EVER!
Jennifer
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Baby at 29 Weeks
Week 29: Putting on the Pounds and the Padding
Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His or her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your baby accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.
Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.
Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.
And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).
Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His or her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your baby accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.
Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.
Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.
And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).
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