Twenty-Nine Weeks

Today Nick is 29 weeks old. Only 77 days to go! Yesterday I had my 1 hour glucose test and my regular monthly prenatal appointment. The orange drink was not too sweet for me - I do have a sweet tooth! - but it was a little too cold, my tongue and throat were numb once I finished it. The results should be in today, but they won't contact me unless the results are bad. The good news is - I am having such a healthy pregnancy my midwife said I don't need to start going to see her every two weeks yet! My weight gain is right on target, Nick's heartbeat was still in the 140s and I am measuring 30 weeks - one week ahead, which means he is growing fine. At my appointment I met two of my midwife's three new partners - they were both fantastic, and I think I would be comfortable with any of them in the delivery room with me. It was a very reassuring visit! However, the bad news is that Nick is still breech. My midwife said I want him to turn within the next 3 weeks. She suggested some exercises for me to do to try to get him to turn, and if he hasn't turned by my next appointment, she said I'll have to take more "aggressive" steps. His head is up toward my right shoulder, with his back along my left side. I think his head keeps getting lodged underneath my right ribs, which is uncomfortable (but I wouldn't say it 'hurts') and we keep feeling his feet, knees and/or hands around my belly button.

According to The Cradle, Nick’s eyes can now move in their sockets. Nick is practicing looking.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Nick is now about 15.5 inches from head to heel and weighs about 2.7 pounds. He continues to be active and grow; however, I may be feeling fewer kicks and punches. This is because even though Nick is getting larger and stronger, he also has less space in which to gain momentum for these movements. Nick's blood is now being produced from the stem cells in its bone marrow. Many expectant parents choose to collect and freeze their baby's umbilical cord blood after he or she is born and the cord is cut. This usually-discarded blood contains stem cells, which may be invaluable in case the family needs them in the future. Some scientists believe that in the future we will all be treated with our own stem cells to cure conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.

According to Baby Center, Nick now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, I'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I should be sure to drink my milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in Nick's hardening skeleton each day.

According to The Bump, Nick's energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. Nick is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though they don’t necessarily coincide with mine. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

We had our third Bradley class on Tuesday and this week we talked about interventions. As our instructor said, it was a downer of a class. It made me wish even more that we could have a home birth - but we agreed to compromise on using a midwife in a hospital. I KNOW that my body can handle a natural, unmedicated birth - the question is, will the hospital let my body do its work? We shall see in less than three months!

We have a couple of very busy and exciting weeks coming up. February 6 we close on the new house, and February 7 is our next/last 3D/4D ultrasound. Tomorrow we are going to an open house at a daycare in Northville. We also have to start looking for a pediatrician. So much to do before our son arrives! :)