Today, I am 32 weeks pregnant!! Only 56 days (about) to go and only 1 week until my baby shower!! I’m excited for Cashina to hear her Auntie K and Grandpa’s voices in “person”. I’m hoping that they even get to feel her “partying” while they are visiting. I have a feeling that once the shower is over it will really hit me that Chris and I are actually having a baby in less than 2 months. I had dinner with a friend the other night and when I hugged him goodbye I said, “Take a look at me now because this is the fattest you will ever see me [in person]. The next time I see you, I’m going to have a baby!!”. It is just so weird and still so surreal for me that I am carrying around my very own little miracle of life.
Still no big complaints from me other then heartburn, right hip pain, some pain in my pubic bone, occasional low back pain, finding it difficult to get out of bed (literally) or getting up off the floor after giving Violet belly rubs, putting socks on or tying my shoes…and other things that are probably TMI for the blog. And my fave pregnancy symptom is back….nasal congestion. I thought I was through with this after getting rid of my horrible 1st trimester cold that wouldn’t quit, but I was proven wrong. Uggh….
This week, Cashina weighs approximately 3 ¾ lbs and is about 16.7” in total length. All of my pregnancy sources say Cashina and I will really start packing on the pounds this week…maybe up to a pound a week (with roughly ½ lb going to Cashina). She is likely to gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival in the outside world. So for all of you that are trying to guess how much she will weigh at birth, do you think she will be in the 7lb or 8lb range?
In other developmental news, this week marks a big milestone for Cashina as her lungs will have started to produce a substance called surfactant, which stops them from sticking together and helps them to expand. In other words, she is more likely to be able to take a breath of air unaided than ever before. YAY Cashina!! Now, she better not get any ideas about arriving this early…we still have 5 weeks before she is term so we want her to stay cozy and continue on her path of development to ensure her lungs and brain are ready.
Cashina is busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things (especially my bladder it seems!!), making faces, practicing her breathing, peeing and listening to everything around her which is pretty much what she’ll be doing for the first 3 months of life outside of the womb, otherwise known as the 4th trimester. Research has show that, at this point in her development, she is behaving almost exactly as a newborn and will continue to do so until her birth day.
On tap for this week, the second installment of our childbirth class, finish with the paint in the nursery and another pre-natal appointment/meeting with the scale. Oh, and I can’t forget to take a 32 week belly shot!!
It doesn't really become real for Dads until they get handed a baby but for moms it comes once everything is in place. The blanket is folded perfectly over the glider, the diapers are stacked neatly on the changing table and the clothes are all washed and folded in the drawers. (don't do this, wait until she gets here because none of it will fit anyway and you may discover you need to exchange some things to meet the seasons. That NB/0-3 sizing is bs, nothing will fit her for at least 2 weeks after she is born)
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