33 weeks

Happy Brown Family: Blair, Heather, baby b, Spence

-Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
-Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
-Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give her the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, she may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
-While most of her bones are hardening, her skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
-You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
-Your infant is now 17.2 inches long and weighs 4.23 pounds.
-Her skin has turned from red to pink. Your baby has started preparing for life outside the womb by storing iron in its liver.

hwb & baby b @ 33 wks

Baby b is 4 lbs 9 ozs!

At yesterday's doctor appointment we weren't able to get a good measure of baby b's size... (it looked like she was 2 weeks behind). So this morning we had an ultrasound to determine her growth and development. My mom and Blair went with me and we were relieved to hear she's not behind at all, actually ahead a little bit. They averaged her different body parts to come up with a projected due date of Oct 13 - her head is due Oct 8, her belly Oct 20, and her leg Oct 14. Baby b is lying on her side curled up (with her head down) which is why the measurement wasn't accurate yesterday. We were glad to hear all is well! It was determined that she now weighs 4 lbs, 9 ozs which is right on track. Her heartbeat is 144 beats per minute.

Tomorrow is my shower here in Richmond. I'm really looking forward to spending the afternoon with family & friends!

32 weeks and bed rest

HWB & baby b at week thirty-two

We're officially at the 32 weeks mark. I've been having a lot of pain along the back right side of my body... the doctor says it's sciatic nerve pressure and I need to be off my feet for at least 3 days. I've been laying on the couch with my feet propped up, and she thinks that should help. Some Braxton Hicks contractions have also started but they're not painful and very infrequent.

Here's what our little one is up to at week 32:

-Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds now and is 16.7 inches long.
-You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
-All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
-Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure.
-Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. -Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your daughter is dreaming about?
-The fetus should now be head down. Ninety-six percent of all babies present head first by the time labor begins.
-You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

2 months to go!

My due date is 2 months from today! We're nearing the home stretch. My dr. appt went well last week and our little one's head is pointed down already. I guess she is preparing to "drop down" sometime in the next few weeks. I'm so thankful all the bloodwork and gestational diabetes test came back with nothing out of the ordinary to report. My next appointment is next Thurday (I go every other week now).

31 Weeks

Another week has flown by! We can't believe in roughly 7-9 weeks this little one will be here. I'm still thinking she'll be a punctual baby arriving just a day or two before her due date, but we'll see!

Here's what she's up to now at week 31:
-The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer, she will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.
-Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns her skin from red to the rosy pink she will have as a newborn.
-Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and her bones are growing and hardening. -Your baby is 16.2 inches long and weighs 3.3 pounds.
-Her brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!
-She may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that she also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
-Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own.

Spence likes to rest against my belly

Spence also likes to rest on the carpet!

Happy One Month to Ava!

Our sweet little niece Ava is one month old today. We love you Ava!

Baby b's crib is ready

Today marks 30 weeks for my pregnancy. Things continue to go well with the occasional back and leg pain. But all in all I feel really good.

We're having a busy weekend. Christina is visiting and my Dad is coming by Sunday night. This morning Blair put together the stroller, and then Justin helped Blair assemble the crib so it is in baby b's nursery and ready for her! Her room is really coming together nicely. Here are some pictures of the continued work in progress. Her bedding has little butterflies on it and complements her crib nicely!

Dad-to-be and Uncle Justin working on crib