Baby Center says, "Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which he'll need to regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His central nervous system is still maturing and his lungs are well developed by now. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity."
They also say that I may be feeling fatigued. Boy, ain't that the truth. I haven't been this tired since...well, since the first trimester. Fortunately, I've only got two weeks left of work before beginning my maternity leave. That should help.
I went to the Gestational Diabetes clinic on Wednesday and learned how to test my blood glucose. I also met with a dietician to see what I should be eating. The biggest challenge has been how frequently I need to eat. Well, that and actually planning the meals ahead of time. Testing my blood glucose is simple and doesn't hurt as bad as I had expected. My fingers are definitely sore but, for some reason, I thought it would be worse. Still, I absolutely HATE this and I will be glad when it goes away.
The baby seems to be doing well. His kick counts are still good. He typically moves 10 times in about as many minutes. He's a very active little guy. We'll have another ultrasound at 38 weeks to see how big he has grown. I'll be going to weekly appointments from here on out.
By the way, did I mention that I'm supposed to get my braces off? I have an appointment scheduled for August 11th to get them off. The big joke around the office is that getting the braces removed will probably send me into labor. I really hope not! Although that would be a funny story to tell him later.
Posted by michelle at July 18, 2004 07:47 PM