Welcome to week twenty nine!
Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds! Important growth is happening in muscles, lungs and brain and he/she is busier than ever.
You are becoming more and more physically uncomfortable but also more excited to meet your baby as each day passes. This is the most common time to begin seeing stretch marks which we will talk more about in “Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy” below.
You are becoming more and more physically uncomfortable but also more excited to meet your baby as each day passes.
How my Baby Grows
- Your baby’s muscles and lungs are preparing to function on their own soon
- His/her head is growing to make room for an enlarging brain
- At this point your baby is about the size of a butternut squash
- He/she weighs 2 and ½ to 3 pounds and will triple this weight over the coming weeks before birth
- Stretched out, your baby is now about 10- 15 inches long
Symptoms Mama may Feel or Experience
- Even though your baby is the size of a butternut squash or a large cucumber, you may look a lot bigger because your weight gain and size have to do with more than just baby
- Other things that account for your growing belly are amniotic fluid and placenta
- Fluid retention is common in pregnancy and worse during the summer months or if you stand for long periods of time on your feet
- It occurs in your hands, sometimes causing numbness called carpel tunnel syndrome
- This happens because of swelling on your medial nerve that travels from your elbow to the inside of your hands
- If you are having this kind of pain it may help to wear a wrist brace at night, these can be purchased at most pharmacies
- Swelling or fluid retention can also be a problem in your feet and is relieved to some degree by elevating our feet and drinking plenty of water each day, although this sounds counter-productive, the hydration actually helps your body to work better at releasing the extra fluids through your kidneys
- It is also possible to have swelling in your vulvar tissue which makes it uncomfortable to walk and stand for long periods of time
- You may be having trouble sleeping now or getting into comfortable positions. Sleep is very important so check out our Go-to-Topic article on sleep enhancement in StorkAdvisor
Thoughts to Consider
- According to the CDC, your baby can be protected against 14 potentially serious diseases by receiving certain vaccines before age 2
- The first vaccine your baby will receive if you elect to do so will protect against Hepatitis B (HepB)
- As an infant, the first dose of this vaccine is given within the first 12 hours after birth
- If given at this time, it reduces the risk of your baby getting the disease from a family member who does not know that they are infected with HepB
- If you have HepB, there is additional medicine that can be given to help protect your baby against this disease called hepatitis B immune globin (HBIG), this will provide your baby with extra help to fight the virus at birth
- For a full list of recommended vaccines please go to CDC.gov
- Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) is a serious and potentially life-threatening cause of bleeding in infants 0-6 months of age
- Although babies will eventually build up their own supply of vit K over the first 6 months of life, they are not born with this important vitamin needed for blood to clot normally
- This type of bleeding is completely preventable by giving your baby Vit K at the time of birth
- The best way to comfort your baby is to hold them when they receive the vaccine or shot, or to pick them up and cuddle them immediately afterwards, allowing them to suck on either a pacifier or at the breast is also helpful because this sucking action is comforting to a newborn
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
- You may be noticing stretch marks on your belly, thighs, hips or breasts that show up as pinkish streaks on the skin
- They are caused by the stretching of collagen and elastin that snaps the skin during rapid weight gain or stretching of an enlarging belly due to the advancing pregnancy
- Most women get them to some degree or another, but this varies widely between pregnant women
- Unfortunately, there is no proven method to decrease the occurrence of stretch marks
- There are numerous creams on the market that you may try
- The most important time to apply the creams for potential benefit is as they first occur, once they turn white similar to scar tissue the creams are less effective
- They may not completely disappear after birth but usually lighten significantly
- Varicose veins may be worsening about now and can be quite painful, compression stocking can help significantly if put on first thing in the morning
- Compression stockings can be purchased at most pharmacies or your provider can write a prescription for them based on the amount of compression and size that they recommend
- It is very important to wear these when traveling
