Maternity Potrait

Actually gambar ni dah lama. terlupa nk update. baby dalam perut pun dah keluar, dah 7 bulan 3 minggu 5 hari. lagi 4 hari genap 8 bulan. masa ni dh trimester ketiga, kandungan dh 9 bulan. beberapa minggu selepas photoshoot, aku bersalin. nasib baik sempat posing sakan lagi.

Duk godek-godek gambar lama, br perasan gambar ni. so try upload, laju pulak. selalunya broadband lembab, tu yg malas nk upload gambar dalam blog. 

Lokasi sesi photoshoot ni buat kat Taman Putra Perdana, berdepan dengan hotel Shangri La Putrajaya. waktu nye lebih kurang jam 6 petang. photographer ialah bekas ofismate, izad. thank you izad, nice and relax photoshoot session. 

So ada jugak la kenangan masa mengandung kali pertama. Alhamdulillah semuanya dah selamat !!

Week 38 :: Stuck in a holding pattern

For those of you still in the race, you've got a baby that is just about its birth size (weighing between 6 to 8 pounds and measuring between 19 and 20 inches long). They're ready to go (more or less), with fully developed organ systems and plenty of baby fat to ensure they're warm enough. It's important that you're not getting too stressed out as labor approaches, and that means trying to get some decent sleep.

The final details are being rounded off before your rocket-baby's big launch into the world.

For one, your adorable poop-factory's meconium stockpile is growing (are you ready for that historical first tarry black poo?) as their baby fat stores continue to increase.

Most importantly, your wee genius' rapidly developing super-brain is abuzz with new brain cells that'll be growing for years to come.

Woohoo!

Whether you give birth tomorrow (yes!) or next week (aw), your fantastic baby is pretty much 100% ready to face the world outside of your womb.

And by "ready", we mean weak, helpless and unable to do anything other than cry, pee, poop, and eat.

Below is a helpful view into your baby's first year and why they're so radically different from the rest of we walking, talking, thinking humans.

Understanding Your Infant's World
Between your infant's poor vision and inability to speak or comprehend language, as well as their newness to the entire life-on-Earth gig, they'll understand virtually nothing of the world they're born into.

One critical thing your newborn does understand is this:

Mama's warm arms = the happiest safest place in the world.

Abstract concepts such as time, language and object permanence remain far beyond your infant's grasp.

The many ordinary objects and items that surround you will be almost totally incomprehensible to your infant for the first months of their life. Not until they gain the ability to grasp and manipulate objects with their hands, will these things start to become slightly more understandable.

An infant's lack of object permanence causes them to become anxious whenever you disappear from their sight because they're unable to understand that you're going to return.

In your infant's perception, you'll have simply and irrevocably vanished and will cause a clear and obvious distress cry that can be translated as: "Where did mama go?! Come back now!!! I'm afraid to be alone because this world is confusing and overwhelming without you."

As your infant develops, they'll become more comfortable when you disappear from their line of sight, and become slowly aware of the fact you're going to come back again.

Explicit knowledge of your permanence in their life won't be possible until nearer the one year mark, although the more you're there for them, the sooner they'll learn that and the more secure they'll feel.

The best way to ensure your newborn is feeling safe and happy, is simply to keep them near your body as much as you possibly can.

Before you worry about your arms breaking off from all that baby-carrying, you can keep baby snuggled near your body AND have use of your arms by wearing a wrap or baby carrier that supports their newborn bobble-head.

Week 37 :: And we're ready for take off!

You're now officially considered full term! That's something to proud of (if not just a tad impatient). At this point, your little 'un is pretty much leveled off in weight gain, at slightly more than six pounds and around 20 inches in length. As you already know, the waiting game is now in full swing, although you're bowels might be getting the jump start on you.

If you haven't yet delivered, you've reached the calm before the storm. You're probably monitoring your body for those first Early Labor symptoms and wondering what you've forgotten.

Your smooshed-up baby is weighing in at around 6.3 lbs and 19 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls).

As far as their internal organs go, your adorable poop and blood factory has reached "term" - a medical term that means your sweet little bun is birth-ready and labor is welcome and normal at this point.
 
Despite being physically ready to land on planet Earth, your baby's immune system is quite weak and will continue to be that way for their first years of life.

Thankfully, your breast milk (aka "boob medicine") protects your child via protective antibodies that are present in your breast milk.

1-11-11 (selasa)

cantikkan tarikh 1-11-11 ...

entri kali ni nak cerita pasal rutin chck-up ... ada kena mengena juga la dengan tarikh tu ..

kali ni kanda hantar aku ke klinik ... awal pagi kami ke klinik desa sungai merab luar ... sebabnya ibu mertua yg suh pegi sana, katanya nnt senang bila dh ada rekod kat klinik desa, nurse boleh datang rumah tuk buat pemeriksaan pada baby ... aku betul2 tak tahu ada sistem macam tu kat kampung2 ... tapi bila ke klinik desa tu, nasib x menyebelahi aku kot sebab dorg hanya tetapkan hari isnin je tuk check up ibu mengandung, aku plak pegi hari selasa, mmg x dapat la ... tapi berita baiknya kalo aku x check up kat situ pun xpe... cuma nnt bila dh bersalin, just pegi report aje la, then nurse akan tetap datang rumah juga ... fuhh legaaa !!

satu benda dah setel ... then aku tanpa buang masa terus ke klinik kesihatan putrajaya presint 3 ... tempat biasa aku check-up.

Kali ni disebabkan aku dh nak msuk minggu ke 36, so dpt peluang jumpa doktor ... dan kali ni doktor buat pemeriksaan ultrasound aka scan baby ... alhamdulillah semua ok ... aku nyer HB dah stabil iaitu 11.0 tepat .. berat baby 2.5kg dan berat aku 69.6 kg (dasyat !!) ... berat dh naik hampir 20kg ... huhuhu. kata doktor, baby dh berubah kedudukan, kepala dh kat bawah, air ketuban ok, pergerakan baby ok....  so lepas ni kena dtg check-up seminggu sekali ... sehinggalah baby lahir !!!

satu benda yg belum terjawab .... jantina baby ku ... sewaktu doktor buat scan, mmg dh x nampak, terlindung sebab baby tutup dengan kaki dia ... mungkin baby malu kot nk tunjuk ... surprise la ni !! apapun aku bersyukur, baby sihat dan aku pun sihat !!

36 - 9

Hari ni genap la 36 minggu bersamaan dengan 9 bulan usia kandungan aku ..... apa lagi yg mampu aku katakan .. aku sangat bersyukur dan teruja ... x sabar tuk melahirkan anak ini ... aku berdoa agar Allah permudahkan segala urusan dan semoga anakku lahir dengan selamat dan sejahtera ...

Week 36 :: Wee fingers o' steel

At this point, your baby is nearly six pounds in weight and just under 19 inches long, which means they have very little free space to wiggle about, although they're still plenty mobile as you're all too aware.

The countdown to your sweet lil' womb hi-jacker's eviction is closing in!

In fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world.

In physical fitness news: your mini-champ's muscle tone is improving, and you’ll be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm).

Understanding Your Newborn

Despite being structurally ready for the real world, your baby and all humans are rather under-developed compared to most other mammals when they're born.

Not only will it take a newborn nearly a year to start walk, but they lack control over their muscles to the degree they can't control their eye's ability to focus on objects.

It will take your newborn nearly three months to gain control over their vision. This only makes the world even more confusing and frightening than it would otherwise be.

Infants cannot sit up or reach for a desired object, they're pretty much trapped inside their own helpless confused bodies. No wonder all they do is sleep and cry!

To top it all off, your sweet lil' sucker won't be able to properly hold up their own suddenly heavy bobble-head, as their neck muscles had little work to do when they were floating in amniotic fluid and being pressed upright by the snug muscular walls of your womb.

Your Newborn's World

When a newborn is first born, their world changes - from their snug womb-studio where they were cuddled constantly in a warm, relatively quiet, softly lit, simple moist little world, to a world that's jarringly bright and full of complex noisy creatures who grab at their body as they're handed from person to person.

So, it's no surprise that your newborn feels safest and happiest when they're snuggled against the warmth of your body hearing your familiar heartbeat and voice, as they take in the soothing scent of your skin.

First-time mothers are often surprised by how much their infant cries to be held and breastfed... but it makes sense if you think about it.

An infant has no idea that they're living in a safe modern world. For all they know, just behind the bassinet lurks a wild hungry creature (as there were before we had houses) waiting for the moment when they're alone and completely helpless against an attacker.

An infant is pure survival instinct because they have no ability to fend for themselves yet. They must rely on their mother to protect and nourish them - so mother's arms and breast = the safest happiest place in the universe.

The out-dated (and rather cruel) practice of crying it out (aka CIO aka training your infant not to cry when they're left alone) causes serious emotional distress that negatively impacts their brain development as chronically elevated stress hormones (that are released by extensive crying) can cause structural changes in their brain that have been correlated with learning and behavioral disorders.

Trust us, newborns could care less about their clothes, nurseries, toys, diapers, swings and such. All they want is to snuggle up against mama's warm body and breastfeed, while her scent and voice remind them of everything that's most familiar from their days in your womb.

Week 35 :: It's getting cramped in here!

Can you say cramped? Your baby is weighing in at over 5 pounds and is nearly 18 inches long this week! Obviously they've got themselves a nice little fatty covering, which will keep them nice 'n' warm when they arrive on the outside. Your doctor or midwife will soon be monitoring your cervix for effacement and you're starting to get the pre-labor jitters for real. Worried about the pain?

Congratulations! You’re now carrying over 5 pounds of baby-goodness - not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself.

Developmentally, your wee womb-tenant has the fat-factory running at full tilt while their digestive system puts the finishing touches on critical organs in preparation for their first meal (remember - before birth, all of their nutrition was blood via the umbilical cord).

With their first meal in mind, it's time to look forward to one of the most important things you'll do for your infant - namely, keeping them alive with nothing more than your breasts.

If you're still unsure whether you want to breastfeed, just check out our "Ten Reasons to Breastfeed" in Week 28.

Breastfeeding Bootcamp

The first three months are Breastfeeding Bootcamp as your newborn's tiny new stomach and bumblebee-like metabolism = you breastfeeding at least every two hours of the day and night - often times more.

As a result, you'll both be waking up multiple times in the middle of the night to feed for the first year - this is perfectly normal and your infant's cries should never be ignored (again, the older generations well-intended advice is exactly wrong).

Because a newborn's tummy has never been used, many foods you can eat without issue will cause them painful gas cramps when passed into your breastmilk.

So, for the first three months: eat bland stuff. No onions, no beans, no citrus juices or foods with high acidity, no foods that make YOU fart. Taking these measures will save you from a gassy crying infant who won't be soothed by anything until the pain is gone.

Don't worry about waking your newborn to breastfeed - they'll wake up when they're hungry - unfortunately for your sleep needs.

Sleep whenever your baby sleeps, as sleeping is critical to a healthy postpartum recovery.

If possible - for the first six weeks you should exclusively breastfeed without interference from a pump, bottle, or pacifier to avoid nipple confusion.

Breastfeed "on demand" (aka whenever your infant cries in a dry diaper) and ignore the well-meant advice of older generations who scheduled their infant's meals at set times.

Only your baby knows when he or she is hungry, and your milk supply will thank you for feeding on demand.

The Breastfeeding Bootcamp isn't just about hunger. The non-stop feeding strengthens your infant's suckling reflex and jaw muscles, while soothing them in a world that is otherwise highly disorienting and frightening.

Nothing works quite as well as your "breast-plug" when you want to cease a fussy newborn's cries. Trust us, there's no shame in being a human pacifier!

Week 34 :: Mama, I'm movin' downtown!

Your baby has reached nearly five pounds this week and is almost 18 inches long! Times they are a changing, or at least your little one might be rotating. If/when your baby's rotated into place you'll find yourself doing the "watermelon-between-my-legs" shuffle. Try to keep as much motion going as possible to avoid blood pooling in your feet and legs. If you've got bumps you've probably got PUPPP.

Your amazing baby is on the move!

Until now, your wee womb-squatter's been living fairly high up in your poor stretched-out womb - blithely compressing your poor lungs and internal organs.

This week your baby's going to pack their tiny bags and make the "big" move to your pelvis - commonly referred to as the time when your baby "drops".

If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift indicating your baby is most likely out of breech position (if they're being stubborn, check out 17 Ways To Turn a Breech Baby) with their head now resting on your pubic bone.

When baby drops this may also give you some horrific stabbing back pain as they press on your sciatic nerve.
If that's the case, get off your feet and try to do some spine-lengthening stretches to help your baby move OFF that poor throbbing nerve.

In developing internal-organ news: although not quite fully formed, your little poop-factory's liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste.

Because your baby's liver is not quite birth-ready, it's common for newborns to get a case of mild and harmless jaundice (signaled by a slight yellowing of the skin).

Jaundice is the result of your baby's body producing more bilirubin (a by-product of blood production) than the liver can currently breakdown, leading to a subtle yellow tinge that goes away in a few days.

Babies born earlier than their due date tend to have moderate to severe jaundice, which - in the hospital, will be treated via light therapy to help their body break the bilirubin down.

For home-birthers, jaundice is easily dealt with by increased breastfeeding (to help their body pass the bilirubin) and "naked time" for baby in a warm sunlit area for 10 minute intervals throughout the day until it disappears.

RUTIN CHECK-UP !!

Sebenarnya dh lama nk bercerita tentang pengalaman aku pegi buat rutin check-up ni... tapi asyik terbantut je ... so kali ni, dah ada peluang dan bahan nak bercerita ...

So nak citer yg seronok dulu lah ...

Kali pertama aku jejakkan kaki ke Klinik Kesihatan Presint 3, Putrajaya adalah untuk buat check-up dan buat buku baby. Waktu tu kandungan aku masuk minggu ke-11. Hari tu adalah hari isnin, so apointment susulan juga jatuh pd hari isnin. 

Mula2 mmg seronok dan x sabar nak pegi rutin check-up. Sbb nk tahu perkembangan baby. Apatah lagi sejak aku dapat rasa pergerakan baby dalam perut. Tambah lagi setiap kali pegi check-up aku dapat dengar degup jantung baby. Lagi la buat aku teruja. 

Rutin check up biasanya mula dengan amik darah ... amik darah ni tuk tgk HB ... setiap kali nk amik darah mula la aku seram sejuk ... takut jarum ... kalau nurse tu pandai amik darah, x rasa sakit. Tapi ada sorang nurse ni, dh la muka kelat, tiap kali dia amik darah tak kira la kat ujung jari atau kat lengan, mesti sakit. sakit plak smpi 3 hari and lebam2. Nurse lain amik, ok jer, x sakit pun. 

Step kedua, kena buat urine test. Selesai urin test, tunggu giliran tuk masuk bilik nurse. So time masuk bilik nurse ni la, nurse akan memberi penerangan, ceramah, bebel dan macam2 lagi. Selalunya bila masuk bilik nurse ni kena timbang berat and baring atas stretcher tuk periksa perut, mata dan kaki then amik tekanan darah.

Seterusnya kalau macam ada sebarang masalah yg perlu dirujuk pada doktor, baru la boleh jumpa doktor.  Kali pertama jumpa doktor, ialah pada hari pertama aku pegi buat buku. Dr scan perut dan nasib x berapa baik, gambar baby tak jelas. Dan 2nd time scan, baru nampak raut wajah baby. Teruja dibuatnya. Dah tu bila kandungan 7 bulan lebih, aku tny bila boleh scan jantina baby?? Dr suh aku pegi scan kat klinik swasta. Klinik kerajaan hanya scan 2 kali sahaja. Macam tu pun ada ke??

Bila dh setel sume urusan, kena buat apoinmen baru lak. Apoinmen aku 2 minggu sekali.... aduhai !!!

Mulanya tak kisah sangat la kalo kena rutin check up 2 minggu sekali. Kali pertama dan kedua sume ok walaupun time ni masih morning sickness yg teruk. Kali ke-3, aku dpt sticker hijau dr nurse. Bukan main lagi aku kena leter ngan nurse ... sebabnya HB rendah... dr 11.2 turun jd 9.7... aku pun risau juga sebab dh dpt penyakit anemia mild. Tapi berat badan naik mendadak dalam tempoh sebulan. Apa taknye, time ni aku baru aje habis tempoh sengsara ... semakin berselera makan ... lain-lain sume ok.

Kali ke-4, nurse nk amik darah ... mcm biasa amik kat jari, nurse terkejut sbb HB makin turun jd 8.6... diorg tak puas hati, so nk amik lagi ... cucuk kat lengan belah kanan, tapi x dpt, darah x kuar walaupun urat darah besar... hurrmmm tahan je la sakit tu.... then cucuk plak belah kiri ... tensen aku dibuatnya.... banyak darah aku nurse tu amik ... time ni aku nak nangis sebab nak marah, mata pun dh berair, tapi aku dapat tahan air mata dr gugur di pipi. Bukan nk marah sebab sakit, tapi nk marah sbb kena bebel. Aku yg dipersalahkan sbb HB rendah. Aku dh makan ubat yg nurse bagi and makan ikut peraturan, tapi HB tetap x berubah.... dh tu ditambah dgn rasa sakit kena cucuk amik darah .... GGrrrrrrrrrr ... berat badan kali ni naik lagi 3 kg !!

Disebabkan nk tahu perkembangan diri dan baby, aku disiplinkan diri tuk pegi check-up walaupun dh mula rasa bosan... aku berusaha buat yg terbaik tuk tingkatkan HB... aku stop amik ubat yg nurse bagi.. aku makan ubat tambah darah yg dibeli kat farmasi... ubat klinik x berkesan sangat pun. Sejak makan ubt yg beli kat farmasi tu, HB aku dh makin naik .... lagi satu ubat klinik yg nurse bagi tu, kena mintak baru diorg kasi, kalo x mintak, diorg senyap je .... pastu bila pg check up, mula la nk ceramah kat aku. So that's why la, aku usaha sendiri beli ubat buat bekalan.

Sampai satu tahap, HB dah naik jadi 10.6.. walaupun belum sampai tahap normal iaitu 11, tapi aku ok je, xde simptom2 anemia yg teruk, berat badan pun semakin meningkat, dan yg lain2 normal. So bila pegi check-up, kena bebel lak pasal berat badan yang naik. Katanya x boleh naik melebihi had yg ditetapkan. So aku usaha pula kurangkan makan ... makan sikit2 ...then kaki aku plak semakin membengkak ... katanya itu normal ... tapi sebenarnya menyakitkan ....

Yang tak seronoknya ialah, terpaksa menunggu lama ... sekali check-up amik masa 2 jam hingga 3 jam....pastu duk ulang buat benda yang sama... amik darah, urin test, jumpa nurse... aduh bosannya... bukan itu je, aku pegi klinik dengan bas ... nak tunggu bas satu hal, then nk tunggu giliran satu hal lagi... adoiii.

Setakat aku pegi check-up ni, x pernah sekalipun ditemani kanda. Adalah 2 kali dia hantar dan amik. Tapi xde la nak teman aku kat klinik tu. Citer kat dia yg kena tunggu lama, lagi la dia x mahu. Hurmmmm nasib aku la, dr mula hingga ke sudah, check up berseorangan. Lagipun aku kena faham kerja kanda x menentu dan plak tempat keje jauh nun di pulau indah klang. So aku memahami kalau dia x boleh teman aku... sediiih !!

Sepanjang aku duk ulang alik dengan disiplinnya ke klinik kesihatan tuk check-up tuh, macam2 gelagat ibu mengandung yg aku jumpa... aku x pernah bertegur sapa pun dengan mereka, mereka pun sama. X bertegur sapa antara satu sama lain dan masing2 hanyut buat hal sendiri.. muka masing2 khayal, murung, syok sendiri dan endah x endah je. Aku faham perasaan diorg sebab aku pun lebih kurang sama je. Masing2 diam seribu bahasa melayan perasaan sendiri.

Gelagat ibu dengan anak2 lain pula. Aku tersentuh bila tengok ibu datang bawa anak yang baru lahir ke klinik tanpa suami. Datang sorang dengan 2 atau 3 buah beg sekali bawa. Kalo bawa troli bersama xpe la juga... ni datang dengan mengendong anak and beg barang2 baby... kesian sangat..... ada tu yang datang bawa mak dan adik2 tuk tolong tengokkan anak2 lain yg dh besar manakala si ibu plak dengan baby yg masih kecil. Dan aku rasa respect plak pada suami yang datang teman isteri tuk check-up baby. Bukan itu je yg jadi perhatian aku, skang ni aku suka tgk ibu2 yg datang bawa stroller. Macam2 jenis stroller ... murah, mahal, cantik, berjenama, bergaya, selesa dan colourful !! mula la aku pasang angan2 nak beli stroller yg macam2 ... huhuhu. 

Bila tengok baby atau budak kecik, mesti rasa sebak. Tengok telatah comel kanak2 yg sedang membesar, terbayang tentang anak sendiri. Bila tgk baby pun sama, mula la mata berair. x tahu kenapa... yg terfikir di benak aku ialah, camana la rupa anak aku??? aku pun nk anak yg sempurna dan comel juga ... x sabar rasanya nk tgk anak sendiri lahir ke dunia ... tapi bila terfikirkan tentang anak sendiri, aku rasa takut pulak, aku ni dh la x pandai pegang baby, budak2 aku x pandai layan... so camana tu ?? dh ada anak sendiri nnt, camana la aku nk uruskan ... canggung plak rasanya ... kalo tetiba baby nangis, aduh .... aku gak yg nangis nnt. 

Aku siap berpesan pada kanda, nnt kalo nk pegi check-up baby, dinda xnk pegi sorang diri. skang boleh la pegi check-up sorang2. tapi ada baby nnt kanda kena teman... terutama bila baby nk kena suntik, x sanggup rasanya aku nk tgk n dgr baby nangis kesakitan. aku x kuat nak hadapinya....

Next apointment ialah pada 1 hb 11 .... jatuh pada hari selasa.... aku dh rasa bosan nk ke klinik lagi kali ni ... bosan nak menunggu lama kat klinik, bosan tuk tunggu bas pepagi, sume benda yg sama je... skang ni makin ramai plak ibu2 mengandung yg baru mendaftar ... sampai aku nyer app pun dh bertukar ke hari selasa.... bila fikirkan baby, aku kena banyak bersabar ... hanya beberapa kali saja lagi .... tapi, bila baby dh lahir nnt, still kena ulang alik ke klinik juga .... orang zaman mak ayah aku dulu, xde pun nak ulang alik ke klinik ... anak2 sihat walafiat je .... huhu ... 

Apa pun, aku inginkan yg terbaik untuk baby, diri sendiri dan keluarga ... semoga segala usaha dipermudahkan oleh Yang Maha ESA ...

Week 33 :: My chunky chubby

The race is on and right now your baby is leading at over 4 pounds and 17 inches in length and you probably feel as if you're somehow being dragged behind. The fats still piling on consistently and they're also getting stronger as you've probably already noticed when they kick and shift their weight about.

For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ would weigh more than a mere 4 pounds!

But once you add in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and extra blood, you've got at least 10 pounds of baby and their life-support gear smooshed up against your organs!

In terms of appearance, your sweet lil' looker is getting cuter and pudgier every day as they pile on that adorable baby fat.

And as you know all too well, your womb kick-boxer is getting stronger with every passing day. Heck, it’s even possible to observe a well-placed belly-wobbling kick just by watching your belly!

Here's a fun game for when your kick-boxer is especially active: place a small object (baby blocks or a remote control) on your belly and see how far your star-kicker can lob that thing across the room!

Despite their obviously increasing strength, your bigger-by-the-day baby will actually start dropping their rate of movement in the last few weeks, no thanks to their restricted womb space.

If movement ceases for over an hour, drink some cold juice, lay on your side and wait for some added movement.

If nothing's happening at that point, go ahead and call your medical caregiver.

Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling your baby's movements even during labor?

Week 32 :: Mommy, you're HOT!

This week your baby is dangerously close to the 4 pounds, 17 inches mark, so it pretty much makes sense that you feel massive. They've also developed sensitivity to temperature and have little toe nails and finger nails now! How's the heartburn, back ache, and general fatigue? Keep your chin up you're almost there! Have you started thinking about how you want the labor process to go?

In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature!

Which means you’re likely to get a swift kick if you put a hot pad or bag of ice on your ginormous belly.

For the Elton John lovers out there - baby’s got blue eyes.

Actually, even if you're too young to know who Elton is, all babies have blue eyes at this point.

This could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is.

Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a strengthening immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week survive!

So - go ahead and throw a mini-party right now because it’s pretty much a done deal - you've got a human-bean that's going to make it!

That's not to say you actually want your wee womb-squatter to pack their bags and move out now, because they'd still end up in the ICU for a good while, rather than in your arms at home.

Babies are best when fully baked!

Week 31 :: Another day... another ounce

This week your not-so-little miracle is getting closer to the four pound mark and is now nearly 17 inches in length. The fat's still rolling in quite steadily and will continue to do so for the next weeks. And you're probably getting your first taste of Braxton-Hicks contractions now and then, but don't worry, they're false contractions. How 'bout your leaky boobs? Not fun eh?

 This week, your amazing growing baby is around 3 pounds and 17 inches tall.

With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's wrinkly raisin skin starts to look more and more like it will when they're born.

The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth.

Your baby's developing immune system has made some serious gains over the past weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders.

Even so, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will need to come from your milk in the first year.
Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together.

As disturbing as having an infant with a soft cracked skull sounds, it's pretty much a necessity for passage through the birth canal during labor.

If your baby is in your birth canal for an extended period, they'll come out with a bit of a cone head, as a result of their skull plates being compressed while in your rather snug birth canal. It's normal, harmless and their skull will even out into a more round, less cone-heady shape in the next few weeks.

Oh, and FYI: your baby may have that “soft spot” on their head for up to eighteen months after birth.

Week 30 :: Chubby Baby!!

At this point you can almost see the finish line and your little darling is getting chubbier every day. Right now they're a little over 15.5 inches in length and nearing 3 pound! You might be feeling a bit clumsy as pregnancy hormones have loosened your joints. Have you been feeling moodier as your body gets ready for the final phase of pregnancy?

 Woohoo! You can finally see the finish line now that you're in the final quarter of the race!!!

Whether you felt like your pregnancy's been flying by or slower than a snail scaling Everest, you've arrived in your thirtieth week and your baby's cookin' beautifully!

In animal news: the fine lanugo hair that covers their little monkey-like body will start falling off this week in preparation for the big day.

Still, don't be too shocked if your baby ape is hairier than you’d anticipated. Some babies keep their lanugo after birth - which is totally normal, and it will fall off eventually.

Checking in on the fat factory: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs, thanks to their ever-growing layers of subcutaneous brown fat.

In terms of numbers, your big ol' baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long!

Keep up the good work you two!

Week 29 :: I'm spleen-tastic!

You are now in week 29 of your pregnancy.

Your baby is now about 2.5 pounds and over 15 inches long. If you're feeling strange little rhythmic flutters, those are baby hiccups! As for you, you're struggling with the usual lower back ache with maybe some heart burn thrown into the mix, or even constipation. With all the activity in your body right now, you might still need some time to decide whether you're going to breastfeed or not. 

If you’ve been feeling weird little fluttering butterflies in your belly, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety.

Actually, it's your amazing baby with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point, due to them practicing breathing for their big birthday.

In addition to getting a round of butterfly-like hiccups, your little swimmer has arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight.

Yeah, compared to we lardy adults, it’s not very impressive, but considering they used to have NO fat, it’s certainly a healthy (and body-warming) accomplishment in its way.

Another fantastic life-critical accomplishment: your baby's spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis — the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components.

29 minggu

Week 28 :: I'm feeling positively bovine!

As your belly gets larger, that now-heavier-than-two-pound baby you've got hanging out in your uterus is stacking on the fat. What's more, they can sense light, blink (with their little eyelashes!) and move their head in response to bright light shone on your belly. You, on the other hand, are having more difficulty moving and would do well to sit down, put up your feet, and make sure you've got a good name for your little one.

You know how you’ve been feeling like a whale with legs?

To state the obvious, that feeling isn't going anywhere until you finally get down to the hard work (aka labor) of evicting your womb-squatter.

For the time being, your little genius is in the fat collection business!

Despite being a bipedal whale, this fetal fat collection stuff is serious business, and you’ve got to put up with it because it’s going to keep your little porker warm and healthy after birth, since their brain will be unable to regulate their tiny baby-body's temperature.

Other good stuff from inside the womb: your little explorer's eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now responding to light and dark!

And in life-critical physical developments: your champ's tiny industrious bone marrow is now a major construction site for blood cells, while their super-cute adrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen — which will stimulate your body to begin milk production.

Say “Moo”!

Week 27 : I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it!

At this point, it's impossible to ignore-- so thanks to that 2 pound baby in your womb, you're really looking magnificently preggers these days! Good news: at this point, your baby's lungs are actually capable of breathing, which means if they were to be born prematurely, they'd have a very high chance of surviving. As for you, you're starting to move into that final leg of the journey with plenty of not-so-fun symptoms.

 
Your not-so-tiny-anymore baby (2 pounds and 14.5 inches long!) is slowly rotating in preparation to “head out” for the grand entrance on their birthday!

Now obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight, but when you start to feel a new sort of pressure "down there" (aka your cervix), you’ll know you’ve got a fully flipped locked-n-loaded womb-fruit waiting for the countdown to launch!

If you feel like they're still not flipped, don't worry, you've still got time.

Impressive physical developments of the week: your child's lungs are already capable of breathing air as their vascular system can now handle oxygen/carbon exchange and their brain stem can now regulate rhythmic breathing as well as their basal body temperature!

For what it’s worth, at this point in a healthy pregnancy - if you were to give birth prematurely, your tiny fighter could easily win on the show: “Survivor: The Early Years.”

Go ahead, give your belly a gentle hi-five!

Week 26 : Eye see YOU!

Your miniature baby isn't so teeny tiny anymore: weighing just under 2 pounds and measuring about 14 inches from head to foot. They're still collecting their baby fat, growing their brain, and generally getting bigger and better. As for you, you're heavier, more likely to experience back ache, and probably would benefit from a nice long foot rub right about now.

At long last your little swimmer can see!
For the first time ever, your wee babe's eyelids have finally opened (remember: they were fused shut previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or browsing the internet or something).

In addition to taking in their first visual impressions of their comfy amniotic-filled studio, your little human-bean recently acquired the ability to move their head around.

That's right, if your child were clever enough (which they're not - yet), they could engage in that most basic of non-verbal communication - the head shake/nod. Not to mention, gawking!

In further anti-alien developments: your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow in!

Who knows, maybe a cute little cowlick or two is springing into position right now - the first of years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head.

Your wee piggy's toenails have recently grown in and they're still slowly piling up fat beneath their still-loose-n-wrinkly skin.

Most importantly, their brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity, which will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first eight years of childhood!

Week 25 :: Turn it around... and around

From head to foot, your little one is now about 13.5 inches long, and they're about a pound and a half in weight. They've also started to finally put on the baby fat, which will be the one main ongoing change in appearance in the upcoming weeks. You may be getting tired of all the oddities your body is putting you through including additional thick hair (everywhere!)

Your little grower’s physical proportions are pretty much birth-ready and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and a ton of nervous system development.

The good news is: if your child were to be born premature, they’d likely survive without much trauma as their lungs started producing “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day.

Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery.

In mobile-fetus news: your baby should be scootching slowly out of the breech position (head upright, with their butt-n-legs down by your pelvis) and start rotating around for a head-first exit through the birth canal.
If all goes well, and your little womb hi-jacker isn't a contrary one, they'll be locked-n-loaded in the next few weeks!

Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask) — just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human... with one tiny brand-spankin' new family member!

Week 24 :: Breathe baby, breathe!

At this point, your baby is growing steadily, with about a quarter of a pound of new weight and still approximately a foot long. Sure they're not so chubby yet, but just wait that'll come. Their lungs are also getting more prepared for the outside world. Have you read heard about how pregnant women are at higher risk for preclampsia (aka toxemia)? If you want to learn more about this scary condition

It's another week full of exciting developments for your magical growing baby!

Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”.

What’s surfactant? It's basically what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat that helps your baby's little lungs inflate (where inflate = fill with air not get more expensive for no understandable reason).

In the meantime, your submerged baby is still breathing in their amniotic fluid (and a bit of pee), preparing and rehearsing their lungs for an oxygen-filled life outside the womb.

By the end of this week, your wee womb-squatter will be weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs and 14 inches long.

All this new weight means your tiny baby is actually starting to fill out their skin, but they're not anywhere near their adorable fat-baby potential.

Most of the fetal “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

Week 23 :: Singin' in the womb!

Your baby has now developed the ability to swallow and their little pink taste buds are developed, although they won't really need them till they're born. What's more, you may have noticed that they're really starting to react to sounds from the outside world. Have you started to experience edema (pregnancy swelling due to increased fluid retention) especially in your lower extremities?

 

Your little womb hi-jacker is starting to kick their break-dance party up a notch now that his/her ears are registering sounds from the outside world!

The sound of a phone ringing (or that catchy ring tone), a thunder clap, or a car honking will actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming.

More importantly, this means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and others around you.

So, if you've been yelling a lot (and really, who doesn't get cranky when they're pregnant?) it's time to reign that in and practice a little self restraint for the sake of your little eavesdropper, who is becoming more exquisitely sensitive to all of your behaviors every day.

The equation is simple: happy healthy mama = happy healthy baby.

Stress during pregnancy is quite literally BAD for your baby's developing brain. It's time to clean out the toxic relationships and situations in your life for your sake and your child's sake.

Take the time to center and be quiet - to reflect on the growing life inside of you and the future you will share together. Read up on infant development and attachment to start preparing yourself for the first time you meet your child.