Pregnancy Info ~ Week 34 (from E-mails)
Water Weight
This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. Your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone - especially if he or she has been on the shorter side). Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.
The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes - there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)
If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).
And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.
Snooze or Lose: Insomnia
How unfair - that when you need it the most, you can't get it. You keep on telling yourself it's the last opportunity for a long, long time (at least until your baby's sleeping through the night). But you still can't get any. No, not sex, woman - sleep! Third-trimester insomnia strikes more than 75 percent of expectant moms - very tired expectant moms. All the hormonal changes, the midnight treks to the bathroom, the leg cramps, the heartburn that won't quit, the fact that you can't get comfortable when you're in bed with a watermelon where your tummy used to be, and the anxiety you're likely feeling about the impending birth of your baby (and the fact that you still haven't decided on a name for your baby) all contribute to your inability to catch some satisfying z's.
Looking for ways to summon the sandman? Worrying about it won't help, and neither will staring at the clock watching the minutes tick by. Instead try a warm bath before turning in, avoid exercising, eating, or drinking (except maybe a warm cup of milk) too close to bedtime, and solicit your partner for a massage (you deserve it!). If sleep still eludes you, read a book or listen to soothing music until drowsiness sets in. If nothing works, at least you can be comforted knowing that this may just be Mother Nature's way of getting you ready for the sleepless nights ahead.
(from WhatToExpect.com)
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A Pregnancy Tip: Rekindling the Romance During Your Pregnancy
The anticipation of your newborn and the added stress of pregnancy can take a toll on your love life. Here are some tips to rekindle the romantic spirit during your pregnancy:
* Take a long, leisurely bath together. Enjoy a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling cider or juice with sparkling water, and drop a cherry in it.
* Give each other a slow, soothing shoulder massage. Try using oils scented with a sensual aroma like jasmine, rose, or musk.
* Play exotic or soft music. Dance slowly by candlelight.
* Rent a romantic video and snuggle under a soft blanket.
* Feed each other. Try chocolates and fresh fruits.
* Look through photos taken when you first met to remember how you felt when you first fell in love.
* Return to the scene of your first date or re-create it as closely as possible.
* Sit together in the moonlight and just hold hands.
(from PregnancyWeekly.com)
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Pregnancy Week 34 ~ Are You Really Ready?
Have you written your birth plan? Have you bought a car seat?
Before you can bring baby home from the hospital, you’ll need to purchase a car seat. Did you know that not all car seats fit all cars? Call your car manufacturer to find out which car seats are appropriate for your vehicle and read our guide to car seat safety.
Have you written your birth plan? How about setting up a phone tree to share the happy news? (That way, once baby has arrived, your birth partner only has to make one phone call - and the news will be spread from there.)
What’s Happening With Your Body?
Make sure you know the signs of premature labor:
* Menstrual-like cramps (sometimes with diarrhea, indigestion, or nausea)
* Watery, pinkish, or brownish discharge (sometimes preceded by a thick mucus plug)
* Amniotic fluid, trickling or flowing from the vagina
What’s Happening With Your Baby?
If it’s a boy, the testes have descended into their proper place. Your baby's eyes are now open when awake, and closed when sleeping. Most of the lanugo is gone and replaced with a thich coat of vernix.
Suggested Reading: Caring for Your Premature Baby: A Complete Resource for Parents by Alan H. Klein, Jill Alison Ganon
(from BabyZone.com)
This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. Your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone - especially if he or she has been on the shorter side). Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.
The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes - there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)
If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).
And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.
Snooze or Lose: Insomnia
How unfair - that when you need it the most, you can't get it. You keep on telling yourself it's the last opportunity for a long, long time (at least until your baby's sleeping through the night). But you still can't get any. No, not sex, woman - sleep! Third-trimester insomnia strikes more than 75 percent of expectant moms - very tired expectant moms. All the hormonal changes, the midnight treks to the bathroom, the leg cramps, the heartburn that won't quit, the fact that you can't get comfortable when you're in bed with a watermelon where your tummy used to be, and the anxiety you're likely feeling about the impending birth of your baby (and the fact that you still haven't decided on a name for your baby) all contribute to your inability to catch some satisfying z's.
Looking for ways to summon the sandman? Worrying about it won't help, and neither will staring at the clock watching the minutes tick by. Instead try a warm bath before turning in, avoid exercising, eating, or drinking (except maybe a warm cup of milk) too close to bedtime, and solicit your partner for a massage (you deserve it!). If sleep still eludes you, read a book or listen to soothing music until drowsiness sets in. If nothing works, at least you can be comforted knowing that this may just be Mother Nature's way of getting you ready for the sleepless nights ahead.
(from WhatToExpect.com)
---
A Pregnancy Tip: Rekindling the Romance During Your Pregnancy
The anticipation of your newborn and the added stress of pregnancy can take a toll on your love life. Here are some tips to rekindle the romantic spirit during your pregnancy:
* Take a long, leisurely bath together. Enjoy a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling cider or juice with sparkling water, and drop a cherry in it.
* Give each other a slow, soothing shoulder massage. Try using oils scented with a sensual aroma like jasmine, rose, or musk.
* Play exotic or soft music. Dance slowly by candlelight.
* Rent a romantic video and snuggle under a soft blanket.
* Feed each other. Try chocolates and fresh fruits.
* Look through photos taken when you first met to remember how you felt when you first fell in love.
* Return to the scene of your first date or re-create it as closely as possible.
* Sit together in the moonlight and just hold hands.
(from PregnancyWeekly.com)
---
Pregnancy Week 34 ~ Are You Really Ready?
Have you written your birth plan? Have you bought a car seat?
Before you can bring baby home from the hospital, you’ll need to purchase a car seat. Did you know that not all car seats fit all cars? Call your car manufacturer to find out which car seats are appropriate for your vehicle and read our guide to car seat safety.
Have you written your birth plan? How about setting up a phone tree to share the happy news? (That way, once baby has arrived, your birth partner only has to make one phone call - and the news will be spread from there.)
What’s Happening With Your Body?
Make sure you know the signs of premature labor:
* Menstrual-like cramps (sometimes with diarrhea, indigestion, or nausea)
* Watery, pinkish, or brownish discharge (sometimes preceded by a thick mucus plug)
* Amniotic fluid, trickling or flowing from the vagina
What’s Happening With Your Baby?
If it’s a boy, the testes have descended into their proper place. Your baby's eyes are now open when awake, and closed when sleeping. Most of the lanugo is gone and replaced with a thich coat of vernix.
Suggested Reading: Caring for Your Premature Baby: A Complete Resource for Parents by Alan H. Klein, Jill Alison Ganon
(from BabyZone.com)