Saturday, August 25, 2012

27 Week Updates

I have officially entered the 3rd trimester of pregnancy! Crazy. It is still very hard for me to fathom there is a tiny human being inside me that will soon be my daughter.

How far along? 27 weeks today

How big is baby? The apps say she is the size of a rutabaga (??) - around 14-14.5 inches long & about 2 lbs.  Her hearing is fully developed, and she can respond to sounds with her movements. Her brain stem is becoming more refined, and now that her nostrils are no longer plugged she is practicing inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Her eyelids also open this week, and eyebrows & eyelashes are forming.

Weight gain? I was down 2 lbs from last week when I weighed myself yesterday, but I think the 3 dinners I had last night helped add some back, as I am only down 1 pound as of this morning. So total weight gain is 12.5 lbs.

The 27 week belly

Sleep? Still good- I continue to alternate between my back (with a little blanket underneath one side to prop me so I am not totally flat) and my left side.

Cravings/Aversions? This week I have been craving much lighter meals. I've been wanting and eating a lot of fruit and fish. NOT craving cheese which is a new one for me- nor does anything heavy like red meat sound remotely good.

Symptoms? A couple new pregnancy related things have happened this week:

*Indigestion: earlier in the week meals were sitting really heavy in my stomach & resulting in the oh so fun burping up syndrome. This got better in the last half of the week, and yesterday into today I am feeling quite ravenous, likely meaning the little one is about to enter another growth spurt.

*Braxton Hicks contractions: looking back these started in New Mexico- but I just thought it was our baby moving to positions where I could feel her outline clearly on my stomach. Yesterday was a doozy with near constant tightening of my stomach, continuing into the night. Even though my nurse said they were normal, I still had crazy dreams where Dr. Vaughn from my fertility clinic was telling me I should definitely check into the hospital to get monitored. I have heard that increasing fluids & taking it easy helps a lot with BH, so today I am making it my personal mission to down a ton of water. It is working so far! I also plan to spend the day lounging & relaxing on the couch, catching up on the gazillion baby books I am currently reading (to include The Diaper Free Baby, Beyond the Sling, The Baby Sleep Book, and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding).

*The top of my belly button now officially sticks out! It is like a little hood overlooking the rest of my belly button. My linea nigra is also making itself known- still a very faint line, but definitely visible.

The current state of my belly. You can also see my laparoscopic surgery scar underneath my belly button more clearly now that everything is stretching out.

While we are on the topic of my belly, it is interesting how many people feel the need to comment on its size. I do love & appreciate acknowledgment of the pregnancy, but I have had SO many people in the last week, upon asking me how far along I am, say "you are so SMALL!" Including my cousin this morning- who I haven't seen in about a month... she said I look exactly the same size as the last time we were together. What am I supposed to say to that? I feel inclined to respond that the baby is growing right on schedule, as is my belly/weight... and thanks? Maybe people are just noticing I haven't entered the pregnant fat-face phase. Something I actually would be just fine with not happening.

Most looking forward to? The remodel of our studio apartment is about halfway done, and I am super excited to see the final results & have that space available to rent out. I am also looking forward to my visit to Nurture OBGYN next week for a check up- though this visit includes my glucose "challenge test," which I am not excited for. They have you drink a nasty sugar drink prior to the appointment, drawing blood to test your ability to metabolize the sugars (and see if you have gestational diabetes). I am super nervous for the test, and pray I do NOT fail & have to return for the 3 hour version.

Off to the couch with a full glass of water I go! Happy Saturday to you all. 

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on entering the 3rd trimester. I remember being amazed at this milestone too!

    Drinking enough water each day definitely makes a big difference! I can tell when I don't drink enough: I start feeling nauseated and ill. I'm not sure if it brought on more BH for me or not, but I definitely always keep water with me.

    And about tummy size and people's comments: ugh!!! I have received and still receive tons of comments about how small my bump is. Hubby said my bump isn't that small and in fact he thinks it is quite proportionate to my overall body size. Like you, I really haven't gained pregnancy fat all over my body (even if I have gained 40 or so pounds) and I still look quite 'normal', except for a bump on my front. Try to take everyone's comments with a grain of salt and know that as long as everything is growing on schedule and in the right amounts, your bump is unique to you.

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  2. I never got the pregnant fat face, so it doesn't happen to everyone. Just smile and say thanks when they tell you that you're small, I'm sure they mean it as a compliment =)

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