My Baby
This week, your baby has come to his senses -- literally! He can now taste, touch, hear, smell, and see everything going on around him. If you tap on your belly, for instance, he may kick or poke back at the same spot you touched. So neat -- you can play with your baby well before he's born! When he kicks, try rubbing your tummy and talking softly or singing -- you might just find that it calms him down.
Right now, your baby continues to practice breathing by moving his diaphragm in a rhythmic pattern. Of course, it's amniotic fluid (not air) that's flowing in and out of his lungs, but it's good practice for the real thing. Gaining about a half-pound every week for the next seven weeks, your baby's continuing to bulk up as layers of protective fat appear under his soft skin -- creating that adorably plump, cherubic look.
This week, your baby has come to his senses -- literally! He can now taste, touch, hear, smell, and see everything going on around him. If you tap on your belly, for instance, he may kick or poke back at the same spot you touched. So neat -- you can play with your baby well before he's born! When he kicks, try rubbing your tummy and talking softly or singing -- you might just find that it calms him down.
Right now, your baby continues to practice breathing by moving his diaphragm in a rhythmic pattern. Of course, it's amniotic fluid (not air) that's flowing in and out of his lungs, but it's good practice for the real thing. Gaining about a half-pound every week for the next seven weeks, your baby's continuing to bulk up as layers of protective fat appear under his soft skin -- creating that adorably plump, cherubic look.
My Body
Can't stop scratching your belly? It's totally normal for your skin to be a bit dry and itchy these days -- just look at how much it's stretched! Speaking of which, you may also start seeing more of those pinkish-purplish-reddish streaks, called stretch marks, on your breasts, tummy, thighs, butt, and even upper arms. More than half of moms-to-be get them, usually in the sixth and seventh months of pregnancy. And no matter what the fancy product pushers may have you believe, there's really nothing you can do to prevent them. These marks occur when the normally taut elastic fibers in your skin weaken -- yet another result of pregnancy hormone changes. Many experts believe that your genes have the biggest influence on whether you'll get them and how visible they'll be. But the good news is that they will fade significantly over time, though they won't disappear completely. There are some prescription creams and in-office laser treatments that may help lighten them, but you're best off waiting until you're at least a few months postpartum (or until you're done nursing, if you want to try certain prescription creams) to weigh these options with a dermatologist.
Can't stop scratching your belly? It's totally normal for your skin to be a bit dry and itchy these days -- just look at how much it's stretched! Speaking of which, you may also start seeing more of those pinkish-purplish-reddish streaks, called stretch marks, on your breasts, tummy, thighs, butt, and even upper arms. More than half of moms-to-be get them, usually in the sixth and seventh months of pregnancy. And no matter what the fancy product pushers may have you believe, there's really nothing you can do to prevent them. These marks occur when the normally taut elastic fibers in your skin weaken -- yet another result of pregnancy hormone changes. Many experts believe that your genes have the biggest influence on whether you'll get them and how visible they'll be. But the good news is that they will fade significantly over time, though they won't disappear completely. There are some prescription creams and in-office laser treatments that may help lighten them, but you're best off waiting until you're at least a few months postpartum (or until you're done nursing, if you want to try certain prescription creams) to weigh these options with a dermatologist.
My Life
Does it seem like your ever-rounding tummy is like a magnet for unsolicited comments and advice? Some of it is probably downright laughable -- and that's really the best way to handle the neighbor who asks if you're planning on circumcising your little boy (and clearly has strong opinions on the subject) or the stranger who wrongly warns you against having sex ("It will make you go into early labor"). Just laugh it off and try not to let the comments worry or sway you. Your opinion and your doctor's are the only ones that matter; simply deem the rest amusing distractions. But what can hit a major nerve -- especially now that you're thinking more and more about D-day -- are the labor horror stories moms feel compelled to share with you. (Not that you asked to hear them!) So the next time someone starts sounding off on a scary story that you don't want to listen to, simply stop them by asking "Why are you telling me this?" Remember that each labor truly is unique and the odds that yours will be as dramatic as the tales you've heard is teeny tiny.
Does it seem like your ever-rounding tummy is like a magnet for unsolicited comments and advice? Some of it is probably downright laughable -- and that's really the best way to handle the neighbor who asks if you're planning on circumcising your little boy (and clearly has strong opinions on the subject) or the stranger who wrongly warns you against having sex ("It will make you go into early labor"). Just laugh it off and try not to let the comments worry or sway you. Your opinion and your doctor's are the only ones that matter; simply deem the rest amusing distractions. But what can hit a major nerve -- especially now that you're thinking more and more about D-day -- are the labor horror stories moms feel compelled to share with you. (Not that you asked to hear them!) So the next time someone starts sounding off on a scary story that you don't want to listen to, simply stop them by asking "Why are you telling me this?" Remember that each labor truly is unique and the odds that yours will be as dramatic as the tales you've heard is teeny tiny.
Okay, definitely the home strech now - only 10 weeks until D-Day (but hopefully a few less!) and I am getting antsy! I know 10 weeks will fly by, but I am DYING to know what my little baby looks like! I told John that this afternoon, and his answer was, "It probably looks like a baby!" Boy, I'm sure glad I told him!
Had a small scare today though. If you're a boy, or you don't want to hear gross details of pregnancy, I suggest you stop reading now. If you're okay with it, I'll continue: I had been noticing a discharge the past two days that, frankly, didn't look like anything! It was just, kind of, there! Didn't look like anything, didn't smell like anything... So I immediately think "Uh-oh. Amniotic fluid!" This morning I called the doctors office (from the school I was subbing at - that's a WHOLE different blog post) and they wanted to get me in right away. I tell them I can be there by 9:30, and off I go. At this point, I'm really worried and nervous. But I make it to the doctors, and they hook me up to a fetal monitor. Not an internal one, but an external one, to make sure the baby's heart is still beating the way it should, and to be sure I'm not having contractions. After 45 minutes of that (and a few naps in there), the doctor comes in, and does an actual exam. His findings? "Well, I don't see anything..." Of course not! Murphys Law would dictate that because I was at the doctors, everything would look normal. Which it did, for the most part. The doctor was able to determine that I do have a bacterial infection though, which could cause "premature rupture of the membranes." For anyone who's never been pregnant, that is the official term for "water breaking too early." So he gave me a prescription and sent me on my merry way. 2 hours in the doctors office, and I ended up with a prescription and a headache to show for it. I guess I'm glad that it wasn't anything more serious. Not I guess, I mean, I am glad that it wasn't anything more serious, but I was so worked up about the whole thing!
Lastly, and totally not baby related, we got my new computer up and running... again. John had to send back a few things that managed to get shorted out when the last one died. Then we determined that the monitor that we had picked out (which was actually a 20 inch LG LCD TV) didn't work well as a monitor, because the text was too blurry. So we went and picked out a Samsung LCD TV instead (I was adamant on wanting a TV). It's a 23 inch, a little bigger, but it's much nicer! The whole computer is working well now, and I am very excited to get to use my purple back-lit keyboard now!
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