I went in for my 30 week checkup yesterday, and everything looked good. When the doc listened for his heart beat, the strongest signal was in my lower-left abdomen. I asked her if she could tell which way Krew was laying, and she said she was pretty sure he was head-down already, with with his back curved on the left side of my body. She said the bump I've been feeling in my upper abdomen is probably his butt. So cute. :)
She also said my uterus is measuring almost 2 centimeters larger than average at this point. Apparently they'll keep a watch on it, and if I continue to measure large a little later in the pregnancy then they'll do an ultrasound to make sure he's not getting too big. She didn't say what comes after that, but I'm assuming that if he does look like he's getting too big then they'll induce me early. Which would just be crazy. You always focus on that 40-week mark and assume that's the end, but in reality you have no clue. It could definitely be earlier, and I need to keep that in mind! :)
In the meantime, as long as he's healthy and growing then I'm content. :)
Here's my 30 1/2 week pic:
And here's what the baby websites have to say about Krew this week:
He's about 16 inches long head-to-foot and weighs about 3 lbs.
From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around 1/2 pound a week until shortly before birth. So he will gain about two pounds this next month. (Remember the average size of a newborn is about 7 ½ pounds and 19 to 21 inches long.)
Chances are your diaphragm is feeling a little cramped these days. Okay, a lot cramped. That's because your uterus is pushing up against it, crowding your lungs and making it more difficult for them to expand fully. The result: Your body is spare on air, and will be until your baby drops near the end of pregnancy in preparation for birth. Your baby, however, is happy as a clam since he gets all the oxygen he needs through the placenta.
He now almost fills up your entire uterine cavity and his arms and legs have grown much plumper, thanks to the continued growth of subcutaneous fat. Your abdomen may be aching as it swells and your rib cage and pelvis may be sore as the baby gets bigger and fills up all the space you have available. It's a wonderful thing that your baby is growing so well, but it may not feel that way. You will find yourself with lots of aches and pains from the pressure and the decreased amount of room in your abdomen.
If you are feeling uncomfortable sitting, try to be more aware of your posture. As your baby is becoming bigger and bigger by the week, you will find yourself slouching more. Trying to maintain proper posture will help relieve some pain.
He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses.
He's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of awake (and moving) periods and sleeping (pretty still) periods.
Some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb.
Until next week! Merry Christmas!
sounds like your doctor is on top of things. i just read about someone whose baby was too big and ended up with a c-section after having to endure a lot of contractions (it was a super busy day so she didn't get a room or the epi until way later) and hours of pushing. she was a day past her due date and she was pretty big for her first pregnancy, so her dr should have known.
ReplyDeleteE sucked her finger in the womb and there was a little callus when she was born. it just got hard and then fell off after.
I love your baby belly pictures - so cute!
ReplyDelete