Enceinte de 33 semaines (33 Weeks Pregnant)!

Because I had an appt this afternoon, I'm combining posts. Friday, I'll be 33 weeks. Today I measured at 32.5 cm, and Gabe's heart rate was 130 bmp. My Dr. noticed that I'm retaining water in my legs, even though you can't see it in my feet or ankles at all. We'll go back in 2 wks. This week Gabe weighs a little over 4 pounds (like a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. His pupils now constrict, dilate and detect light. His lungs are more completely developed. Babies born this week need extra attention, but almost all will be healthy.

Fun fact: The umbilical cord provides the baby with all the nutrients he needs. This strong, twisted cord averages about 20 inches in length but can be up to four feet long. The blood rushing through the umbilical cord travels at around four miles per hour.

Saturday we went on our hospital tour of Aurora Medical Center. I thought this would be beneficial and informative, yet hum drum. OMG! This is the nicest maternity ward I've ever seen! It's ridiculous. The lakefront building is newer and has only private rooms with views of the woods or Lake Michigan. The rooms are humongous, and you labor, deliver, and recover in the same room. No waiting to get a room for hours like last time. The bathrooms are also humongous with double-wide showers I could use during labor. There are family lounges with kitchenettes, a mini-library, free Wifi, etc...They have good infant security, but are very relaxed. There were only 2 rooms taken when we were there and no babies in the nursery, because the babies stay with the parents at all times unless there is an issue. We were planning on having Gabe room in this time anyway. I was told by the nurse that my Dr. is very hands-on during the entire labor/delivery. She even sleeps there on the premises. That is a far cry from my last experience, and my Dr. is so comforting, that will be nice. My mom will also be in the room with us because my dad assured her that he and Rachel could "handle" Stella. Not that I need somewhere posh to have a baby, but it will be nice to have such a comfortable, spacious environment to have and get to know our baby.

I've been waking up pretty tired due to repeatedly waking up at night. Sleeping well continues to get harder. I wake up from my hips hurting, having to go to the bathroom, which is painful due to the pressure on my bladder, my shoulders falling asleep, being sweaty, etc...Because I'm carrying Gabe so low, I feel like I have to pee all of the time. I'm thankful that I'm home with Stella so that I don't have to stand all day or do school work for hrs at night. Also - holy cow is this boy a mover. They say the movements will be more subtle soon due to less room in the uterus, but that hasn't happened yet. He also has the hiccups a lot! Per Stella's fall out of her crib and Gabe's approaching arrival, Stella started sleeping and napping on her mattress on the floor Sat. night. She has had no issues with it at all. She lays down just like she usually does and goes to sleep. I think it really helps that it's the same mattress, sheets, pillow, room, and right next to her crib with her stuffed animals/babies. Stella is becoming even more aware of my belly and Gabe. She says, "Hug Gabe" and "I love you, Gabe" and gives Gabe (my belly) hugs, tickles, and baths in the bathtub. We (I) did a countdown to Gabe's due date project, where Stella gets to pull out the number from a pouch IF she doesn't destroy it before we get to 1 - 52 days (probably fewer) to go. We try to involve her a lot so that it's as smooth a transition as possible.