From babycenter.com: "Baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in the uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face."
I have to say it feels pretty strange to have a "head of cabbage" growing in your belly, but strange in a completely awesome way. :) I first saw this youtube video on conception to birth a few months ago and thought it was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. The ability for a woman to become pregnant is one of life's biggest miracles. I will always be grateful for this ability and even more so for the chance to help a couple get to experience the joy of raising a child of their own. So awesome.
Though being pregnant isn't always hearts and flowers. These next 10 weeks of the pregnancy will most likely be the hardest for me (if this pregnancy is anything like my first two)... I'll grow even larger and then think "well, surely I can't get any bigger" and then bam! I've gained another 2lbs somehow and my belly sticks out even further! All that growth is exhausting and very uncomfortable at times. Currently, sitting at work is the hardest for me. I come home with a sore breast bone almost every day from the compaction of my uterus and the surrounding muscles in my chest. So I can't say that being pregnant is without pain, because I'd be lying. But the joy I have from being pregnant greatly outweighs the pain. And especially in this case, knowing that this little guy's parents have been waiting YEARS for his arrival makes me so thrilled to be doing this for them. Words cannot explain it.
Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. Here's an update from my last doctor's appointment...
I'm seeing the doc every two weeks now, so I've had two appointments since my last post. The first was a regular appt with a new doctor that I had not met yet, since my OB was unavailable. The doctor was nice and the appt went well, baby was VERY active and it took the doc a minute to get him to hold still long enough for the machine to read his heartbeats/minute. Active baby = healthy baby, so all his little movements are OK with me. I also had the pleasure of taking the glucose test at this doctor's appt... the drink is still orange, btw, and doesn't taste like root beer. Darn! But at least it was cold.
Second appt was last Thursday, and the intended mother (IM) wanted to come to this appointment. However, she got stuck in some bad traffic and was late and missed it. We decided to go get some dinner together though and I filled her in on all the details of my quick 5 minute doctor's appointment. Doctor: "Hello." Me: "Hi." Doctor: "Everything good?" Me: "Yes." Doctor: "Ok, see you in two weeks." Ok, ok, so the appointments aren't exactly that short, but you get the idea... if you blink (or get stuck in rush hour traffic) you may miss it. Everything still looks great with me and with the munchkin. He was active, AGAIN, when the doc tried to listen to his heartbeat. But it was nice and strong 154 beats/minute. My glucose test results came back normal too, and my blood counts were all good, including my iron level, which is another good thing since it has been low in the past. My weight gain is up to 26lbs so far... 3lbs of which I gained in the last two weeks (see "grow larger" above). :)
Dinner with the IM was wonderful! It's nice to catch up in person and share stories and get to know her better. As to be expected, she is nervous for the little munchkin's arrival. But I keep reassuring her that no matter how many books you read or stories you here, you will never be "ready" for the baby's arrival. Part of being a good parent is knowing to follow those "motherly instincts" that everyone talks about. You don't realize you even have them until you hold your child in your arms and suddenly your world has changed - for the better. :) And even when your instincts can't always help you out, a few bumps to the baby's head won't do too much damage if little munchkin's mom drops him.... KIDDING! Though one or both of my own kids may or may not have accidentally fallen off a bed once or twice in their lives and seem to no worse off. (Just keeping it real.)
Up next: Another OB visit on December 21st and the ultrasound I've been waiting for to check the current position of placenta is also scheduled for the same day. The intended parent's will both be coming to the appointments and are looking forward to another sneak peek at their munchkin.
~The Baby Fairy
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