I'm slowly getting bigger everyday. The baby is moving around constantly now, it always seems most active when I lay down to go to bed. It's kinda funny like that. Danny has really been able to feel it moving now, which is so much more fun now that he can feel it too on the outside. I have another doctor appointment on the 13th, so still about a little over a week away. I'm really starting to get anxious for "it" to get here.
My Baby
Your baby has now developed his sense of balance, so he can tell which way is up inside your belly. (The inner ears control this skill, and as of this week they're fully formed.) There's still enough room in there for him to easily flip around, tethered by the umbilical cord. The cord, by the way, is pretty darn amazing. It contains two arteries and one vein and is quite long -- by birth, most average around 2 feet long! Every 30 seconds, nutrients and oxygen-rich blood travel from the placenta to the fetus through the single large vein. Then the blood returns to the placenta through the two arteries. It's an ingenious system that ensures the baby gets what he needs while keeping your blood separate from his.
Your baby has now developed his sense of balance, so he can tell which way is up inside your belly. (The inner ears control this skill, and as of this week they're fully formed.) There's still enough room in there for him to easily flip around, tethered by the umbilical cord. The cord, by the way, is pretty darn amazing. It contains two arteries and one vein and is quite long -- by birth, most average around 2 feet long! Every 30 seconds, nutrients and oxygen-rich blood travel from the placenta to the fetus through the single large vein. Then the blood returns to the placenta through the two arteries. It's an ingenious system that ensures the baby gets what he needs while keeping your blood separate from his.
My Body
Sometime in your second trimester (usually between 24 and 28 weeks), your doctor will probably screen you for gestational diabetes, a condition in which sugar levels in your bloodstream are higher than usual. The disease rarely has symptoms, so it's important to get tested, especially if regular diabetes runs in your family or if you were overweight before you became pregnant. Most women with gestational diabetes deliver completely healthy babies; the main risks are high birth weight and increased odds of your child developing type 2 diabetes later in life. If it turns out that you do have gestational diabetes, don't panic. First of all, the condition usually will go away after pregnancy (your hormone levels re-adjust, which helps your body absorb sugar more efficiently). And it's great that you found out now, because gestational diabetes can often be controlled or reversed with simple lifestyle changes, like cutting back on refined carbohydrates (pasta and white bread) and getting more exercise.
Sometime in your second trimester (usually between 24 and 28 weeks), your doctor will probably screen you for gestational diabetes, a condition in which sugar levels in your bloodstream are higher than usual. The disease rarely has symptoms, so it's important to get tested, especially if regular diabetes runs in your family or if you were overweight before you became pregnant. Most women with gestational diabetes deliver completely healthy babies; the main risks are high birth weight and increased odds of your child developing type 2 diabetes later in life. If it turns out that you do have gestational diabetes, don't panic. First of all, the condition usually will go away after pregnancy (your hormone levels re-adjust, which helps your body absorb sugar more efficiently). And it's great that you found out now, because gestational diabetes can often be controlled or reversed with simple lifestyle changes, like cutting back on refined carbohydrates (pasta and white bread) and getting more exercise.
My Life
Buying that first little onesie and pair of teeny weeny socks was one thing. But if you've been researching all the other stuff you'll need to pick up before your baby arrives (the crib, the stroller, the changing table, the car seat...) then you already know baby's gonna be pricey. So carve out a few minutes to draw up a budget with your partner (if you haven't already), both for immediate purchases like nursery furniture, as well as what you may need to sock away for future expenses, like childcare and college. The more you can get your proverbial ducks in a row now, the less anxious you'll feel later. Promise. Plus, then you can actually enjoy buying all that great baby gear -- rather than worrying about the growing pile of receipts in your wallet.
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