Pregnancy: 29 Weeks

Another week....I feel like I just wrote last week's post! 

This was the first week in my pregnancy with Hannah that I wrote an "official" weekly update.  Check it out here - 29 Weeks (Hannah)

Here's what's happening this week...

What's going on with the baby right now?

• She is just over 15" long and weighs about 2.5 pounds
• She is the size of a butternut squash
• She is adding fat, her bones are hardening, her brain is developing, and she may even be  dreaming.
• Her brain can control her body temperature
• Her eyes can move in their sockets
• She has grown 1/4 pound in the last week and now starts a rapid growth phase, putting on nearly 1/2 pound a week! Tripling in weight by the time she’s due! WOW!
• Amniotic fluid is reaching its peak, partly due to the fact that she is urinating up to 2 cups a day
• Survival rate = 90%. Of those surviving, 30% will have serious complications
• 11 weeks to go!

What's going on with me?

• I had a midwife appointment this past week (on Monday) and everything was right on track.  I've gained more weight, which is good and my blood pressure was good.  I'm measuring right on track and Emma's heartbeat was in the 140-150 range.  Perfect.  I now have to start going every two weeks instead of monthly, which is crazy!  Then at 36 weeks I will start going weekly.  We are getting down to the wire!
• This week I gained 3 pounds!!!  YIKES!  Overall I am up 11 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.
• I have been really tired this week - again.  The exhaustion is back.  I am amazingly blessed with the best 2 year old around because there have been several mornings where I have been too tired to do anything but lay on the couch in the playroom.  Hannah will play by herself for over an hour, without complaining!  It's amazing!  I've even found myself dozing off a few times.  She truly is the best!
• My hips are starting to hurt when I lay on one side for too long.  This means I am forced to flip back and forth several times throughout the night, waking me up even more often.  Joy!
• Round ligament pain has returned with a vengeance!  The sides of my belly are so sore, almost bruised feeling, and just ache all day long.  I don't know how I am going to continue to function if this doesn't improve soon!
• I have been trying to get out every morning for a long walk around the neighborhood with Hannah.  It has been a good activity for us because the temperatures are still nice in the morning and it is fairly relaxing (as long as I am sure to bring lots of snacks for Hannah!) and good exercise for me.  So a win, win all around.  On our walk on Monday morning I was really struggling!  I made the mistake of waiting until 11am to take the walk, which was bad because the temperature had risen a bit too much for my pregnant liking.  I was so exhausted half way through that I had to pop a squat on the curb to catch my breath.  And don't think that I was walking briskly...we are talking a very slow pace here.  This pregnancy thing is no joke!  I'm hoping that by keeping semi-active I will be able to maintain a decent weight throughout the rest of the pregnancy.  We'll see! 
• Managed the whole week without any anti-nausea medicine!  YEAH!
• Still able to wear some of my pre-pregnancy pants!!
• Next appointment: Monday, April 16th