29 weeks!

 

How big is baby?

He is about 17 inches long and just under 3 pounds, about the size of a butternut squash. 

What is baby up to?

He is working hard at packing on the pounds and increasing his body fat. His skeleton is getting stronger thanks to increased calcium deposits.

Movement

He's getting stronger!

Blood pressure

Holding steady, about 115/75 most of the time when I check at home. Every day it stays down is another day longer he stays inside!

Update

No appointments this week, my OB is out of town. One of my co-workers visited today and taught me how to knit. She brought over some super soft yarn for a beautiful baby blanket. I spent most of the day knitting after she left, and will keep it up tonight. Here's the progress so far:

It's Simon's turn for pictures. He snuggled up next to Jared on the other couch today.

28 weeks!

Made it to my first goal! Two more weeks until my next goal...

How big is baby?

He is about 16 inches and 2 1/2 pounds. Just a little bigger than the ultrasound last week.

What is baby up to?

He is able to blink his eyes, which were sealed up until this week. His skin continues to become smoother as he is gaining more body fat. He is also beginning to have regular sleep/wake cycles, and will generally sleep about 30 minutes at a time.

Movement

Still all over. I really enjoy when he has hiccups.

Blood pressure

Surprisingly low at my appointment today - 102/60. The nurse re-checked and got 126/64 a few minutes later, so that wasn't too far off. Measurements at home have consistently been around 115/75 with a few exceptions. My OB was very pleased by this. She did say that right around 28 weeks, blood pressure is typically at its lowest during the pregnancy and that it will most likely go back up.

Update

Good news at my appointment today - no gestational diabetes. Whew. One less thing to worry about. She said my weight gain is looking good too. My next appointment is in 2 weeks to check everything again, unless something comes up. Hopefully not, she's on vacation next week!

Weekly cat pictures

Kitty perched up on my neck as I was trying to eat dinner:

Simon rarely joins me on the couch, but he decided it was ok as long as he could lay beside Kitty:

...or on Kitty. Even if he outweighs her by 2 pounds:

Ultrasound

Belly!

Our little guy is growing up! According to the ultrasound today, he weighs 2 pounds 6 ounces. No concern about a growth restriction! And we got to see him again. So cute!

I had an adventure attempting to get the ultrasound for the measurements. I can't lay on my back for more than a few minutes at a time before I start to pass out. The poor ultrasound tech had to wait for me to roll to my left side and regain my composure before she could keep going several times. I'm glad Jared was there to drive me home. I didn't feel the best after that.
 
I also had to do another blood draw to make sure my kidneys and liver are still functioning well, in addition to a fasting glucose test and a 1-hour glucose test. I heard horror stories about the orange beverage involved in the 1-hour glucose test, so I expected it to be terrible. It wasn't too bad to me - just tasted like a melted popsicle.

Kitty is cuddling with me again tonight!

 

27 weeks!

Pictures will be loaded later - my photographer (Jared) is upstairs working and I'm resting and watching The Office.

How big is baby?

He is about 15 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds. I will be having a growth ultrasound on Wednesday, so I'll know exactly how big he is at that appointment.

What is baby up to?

He is able to suck his thumb, strengthening all of the muscles important to eating. He can even cry, but we won't hear him for quite some time!

Movement?

Still all over. Loving my ribs, and whenever I eat something spicy.

Blood pressure

Thought I'd add this since I'm monitoring it all the time. At the appointment today, it was down a little to 148/72. Most of my measurements at home are in the 115-125/70-85 range. As long as it stays below 160/100, all is well. Still no protein, which is an excellent sign.

Update

After the ultrasound on Wednesday, I will have a 1 hour glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes, in addition to blood tests to check levels of everything else related to preeclampsia.

Cuteness update

Kitty sleeping in Jared's window while he works:

 Kitty curled up, resting her head on my belly last night:

She has been great at keeping me company while I'm laying down.

Bed Rest

My blood pressure was still up at my appointment yesterday, so I am now officially on strict bed rest. I am allowed a shower and one trip down/up stairs per day, but will spend every other moment laying down. 

We were basically told that we'll be lucky to make it to 35 weeks. Too early for me. I'll do my best to relax and keep him inside as long as possible. The only problem is if my symptoms get worse, they'll have to deliver immediately.

I have another appointment with my regular OB on Monday, and a growth ultrasound on Wednesday. She said that if he isn't growing, there is no reason for him to stay inside. Here's to hoping for a big baby on Wednesday. 

I have to schedule an appointment with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist (high-risk doctor), to meet just in case I would need to deliver early. Unfortunately, anything before 34 weeks can't be done at my hospital. I would need to go to either Tacoma General or St. Joseph in Tacoma, where they are prepared to take care of preemies in the NICU.  

Good news is that he is still kicking like crazy, and our cats are being extra cuddly to make the time go by. Jared is a cooking and cleaning machine, in addition to running his business and keeping up with homework. Can't wait until I can join in the fun again.

26 weeks!

How big is baby?

He is about 14 inches and weighs 1 2/3 pounds - think English hothouse cucumber. And slightly larger eggplant.

What is baby up to?

His sense of hearing is now developed enough to hear a conversation between Jared and I. He is also practicing breathing amniotic fluid in and out of his lungs to prepare for breathing air.

Movement?

His official favorite location to hang out is right under my ribs. And his kicks tickle me and make me jump at inappropriate times.

Best moment of the week?

Jared being awesome while I'm on bedrest.

Update:

My blood pressure was still up on Friday. I had to go in for some more testing at the hospital (blood/urine sample) and also got to do a wonderful 24-hour urine sample all day Saturday. Eesh.

So far, the decision is to put me on "modified bedrest," which involves working as little as possible and spending the rest of the time laying down. I have to monitor my blood pressure 3 times every day and I will go back in on Friday for another checkup.

If things don't improve, or if my tests come back with bad results, I will most likely be placed on strict bedrest. The major risk is developing preeclampsia. Check out this site for more information on that:  

http://www.preeclampsia.org

Preeclampsia is more risk to me than the baby, but the only "cure" for preeclampsia is delivering the baby. It's way too early for that, so we're praying everything will be ok. 

I spent the weekend laying on the couch (rather than going shopping for baby stuff as we had originally planned), watching TV/movies and reading books. That's the plan every night until Friday. I'll update as soon as I find out more.

On a more positive note...

We're supposed to get more snow tomorrow night (possibly up to 4 inches) and that would probably mean another snow day. Hooray for snow!

25 weeks!

Holy baby bump, batman!

How big is baby?

The average 25 week baby is 13.6 inches and over 1.5 pounds. He's about the size of an eggplant. 

What is baby up to?

This week, his sense of equilibrium is developing. He's learning to distinguish up from down. Hair is starting to develop on his head this week.

Movement?

All the time, especially in the middle of the night. Or at least that's what has been keeping me awake lately.

Best moment of the week?

Celebrating the new year by going out to dinner with Jared (thanks Grandma Alice!) and then enjoying sparkling apple pomegranate juice while watching the ball drop.

News

I had another OB appointment today. I love hearing his heart beat. This time it was 148 bpm. She measured my belly, and apparently I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead. Not sure if that's good or bad. Unfortunately, my blood pressure is up, so I'll be going back again on Friday to make sure it's not too high. Keep your fingers crossed! That wouldn't be good for either of us.