I enjoy reading up on what is coming my way in pregnancy. I am slightly addicted to The Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy as well as pregnancy.about.com As the weeks go on the information that I read gets more and more interesting. I found Week 26 (this week for me) and 27 (next week) to be rather interesting, so I decided to share...
Week 26
Mother:
While you have been feeling movements for awhile, those other people in your life may not have been able to. Around this time it may become possible for them to begin feeling the baby from the outside. It is a really neat to share the experience with others.
Finding a comfortable position for sleeping is a new task! Between night time wakings to go to the bathroom, to get water or snacks, you need all the sleep you can get.
I highly recommend a body pillow. This will enable you to support your legs and your growing belly! If you don't have a body pillow, try making use of several regular pillows. The main problem with pillows is that soon there isn't much room for more than one person in bed, except the pregnant mom.
Baby:
Veins are visible through your baby's skin, although it is quickly changing from transparent to opaque.
Your baby can hear you and those around you. Although we assume that the uterus is a quiet place, the baby has been surrounded by noise for a long time. Things like your heartbeat, digestion, and other body functions are heard by the baby as well as external noises. Now you may feel the baby jump at a sudden noise. My daughter would always jump when I clicked the bathtub lever. It became a game!
The uterus also allows some light to be seen. So your baby is aware of lightness and darkness.
S/he weighs 1 pound 12 ounces (794 grams) and measures 32.5 cms or 12.8 inches total length.
Week 27
Welcome to the third trimester. The home stretch! Around this time you will begin to really put on the weight, this will last until about week thirty-six. Although some cultures dictate otherwise, weight gained during pregnancy is not fat or unhealthy, but rather, necessary for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
The weight that you gain will be distributed in several places. In the beginning of pregnancy you may have noticed that your breasts got larger. The average breast before pregnancy weighs about 7 ounces and during pregnancy each breast can weigh up to an average of 28 ounces! Some of the weight will go to body fluids (amniotic fluid, blood volume, etc.). Remember that your blood volume increase by 30-50% during pregnancy. And let's not forget the baby and the placenta! Add this to a few measly pounds put on as maternal fat stores, and you average about 25-30 pounds.
The most important thing to remember is that a healthy diet is more important than what you gain. Some women will gain more, as in the case of women who were underweight to begin with, and those carrying multiple babies. While others will gain less. Pregnancy is not the time to go on a reducing diet. Even if you are overweight, reducing can actually harm the baby by burning your maternal fat stores sometimes toxins can be released that are harmful to the baby.
Baby:
Your baby's skin is very wrinkled from floating in water. This will stay this way until a few weeks after birth as your newborn fills out into a baby. Although take heart in the fact that your baby's looks are assuming the looks that they will have at birth! Baby has also hit the 2 pound mark (900 grams).
While you have been feeling movements for awhile, those other people in your life may not have been able to. Around this time it may become possible for them to begin feeling the baby from the outside. It is a really neat to share the experience with others.
Finding a comfortable position for sleeping is a new task! Between night time wakings to go to the bathroom, to get water or snacks, you need all the sleep you can get.
I highly recommend a body pillow. This will enable you to support your legs and your growing belly! If you don't have a body pillow, try making use of several regular pillows. The main problem with pillows is that soon there isn't much room for more than one person in bed, except the pregnant mom.
Baby:
Veins are visible through your baby's skin, although it is quickly changing from transparent to opaque.
Your baby can hear you and those around you. Although we assume that the uterus is a quiet place, the baby has been surrounded by noise for a long time. Things like your heartbeat, digestion, and other body functions are heard by the baby as well as external noises. Now you may feel the baby jump at a sudden noise. My daughter would always jump when I clicked the bathtub lever. It became a game!
The uterus also allows some light to be seen. So your baby is aware of lightness and darkness.
S/he weighs 1 pound 12 ounces (794 grams) and measures 32.5 cms or 12.8 inches total length.
Week 27
Welcome to the third trimester. The home stretch! Around this time you will begin to really put on the weight, this will last until about week thirty-six. Although some cultures dictate otherwise, weight gained during pregnancy is not fat or unhealthy, but rather, necessary for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
The weight that you gain will be distributed in several places. In the beginning of pregnancy you may have noticed that your breasts got larger. The average breast before pregnancy weighs about 7 ounces and during pregnancy each breast can weigh up to an average of 28 ounces! Some of the weight will go to body fluids (amniotic fluid, blood volume, etc.). Remember that your blood volume increase by 30-50% during pregnancy. And let's not forget the baby and the placenta! Add this to a few measly pounds put on as maternal fat stores, and you average about 25-30 pounds.
The most important thing to remember is that a healthy diet is more important than what you gain. Some women will gain more, as in the case of women who were underweight to begin with, and those carrying multiple babies. While others will gain less. Pregnancy is not the time to go on a reducing diet. Even if you are overweight, reducing can actually harm the baby by burning your maternal fat stores sometimes toxins can be released that are harmful to the baby.
Baby:
Your baby's skin is very wrinkled from floating in water. This will stay this way until a few weeks after birth as your newborn fills out into a baby. Although take heart in the fact that your baby's looks are assuming the looks that they will have at birth! Baby has also hit the 2 pound mark (900 grams).
4 comments:
you are so cute. just wait til you see like an arm or something move across your belly. creepy in a way, but super fun.
cute? why because i am only writing about my pregnancy and it seems a little obsessive? :)
I can't wait for that to happpen!
nope, that you are so into your pregnancy. i love it, because i loved mine.
it is just so AMAZING! I don't see how anyone could be pregnant and not amazed by all the stuff that is happening right inside of you. Every kick, punch, etc. that I feel I think is incredible. I HAVE A BABY GROWING INSIDE OF ME!!! Its crazy. I love it!
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