Week 33

Your baby is the size of a Pineapple

Yay pineapple...something that got me through many nauseous moments.

Your baby measures 17.2 inches (43.7 cm) long from head to heel. At this point your baby weighs about 4.5 pounds (2 kg).

He or she'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. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Your baby will accumulate more fat, turning your baby’s skin from red to pink. This fat will keep your baby warm from birth until it can regulate its own body temperature.

There’s not much room in your womb for your baby now. You will feel less jabs and kicks and more rolling movements as your baby’s quarters become more confined.

The developing neural structure within the brain is helping your baby listen, feel and partially see. It is also allowing for REM sleep cycles, which your baby experiences often as it sleeps 90 to 95 percent of the day at this point.

Week 32 - eight or so weeks to go

Your baby is the size of a Bok Choy or a large jicama...huh?

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Your baby measures approximately 16.7 inches (42.4 cm) long from head to heel and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Your baby has increased its chances of survival greatly. If born before this week, your child may experience problems sucking or nursing.

Although your baby is now sleeping for the majority of the day, movement will increase greatly, and fetal kicks will become more frequent.

You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Week 31 - little baby coconut

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3 1/3 pounds (about the size of a coconut) and is heading into a growth spurt.



He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. 

He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

The baby is moving a lot but so far s/he has not kept me awake, although I have never been one to have trouble sleeping. There are a few times during the day when the baby is very active - usually between 4-6 p.m. and then after 9 p.m. Now the baby has started to be active in spurts throughout the day. It has been fun watching the show in my belly.

We had our appointment with the fourth midwife on Thursday and all is on track. The baby is situated with his/her head down and his/her back on my left side and feet on the right. We got to squeeze to feel the head, the back and the feet. It was really amazing! The baby's heartbeat was strong and my blood pressure was good. My glucose screening came back normal too. We are both doing very well!

Week 30

         Your baby is the size of a Large Cabbage

Your baby now measures approximately 15.7 inches (39.9 cm) long from head to heel. At this point your baby weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kg). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. 

Your baby is very conscious of its environment. Its becoming more sensitive to light and can distinguish between sunlight and artificial light. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.) Its eyes can also move in its sockets and your baby is more attuned to sound, taste and smell. His or her lungs are working at near optimal levels.

At this point, you will also be able to tell if your baby has the hiccups by the rhythmic twitching in the uterus.