Thursday, August 28, 2008

Week 31: Fetal Development

Our Baby's Development This Week: Activity in the Womb


As far as growth goes, our baby should approximately be measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing more than three pounds. Before we meet, he would have gained at least 3-5 pounds or possibly more!?! His brain is working overtime these days,
developing faster than ever...our baby can now perceive information from all five senses....Of course he can't smell anything right now,cuz he is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything....

So what's our little dove doing all day while I'm busy feathering our nest for his arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along my uterine wall, and even sucking his thumb. Did you know,that some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (little suckers!)

Movin on up,my uterus can now be felt 4 inches above my belly button!This means tat my uterus is pushing all the internal organs that used to be there somewhere else. My stomach feels like it's in my chest and my lungs feel like… hmmm… they don't even feel like they're there anymore ;) ha-ha.

My growing uterus has compressed my lungs in accomodating for my growing baby...
limiting its ability to fully expand when I take a breath and causing me to feel like I've just run a marathon when I've only taken a brisk walk from the living room to the kitchen! I guess tat explains why I've been feeling a little spare on air lately...