Week 23

This week marks the beginning of my 6th month! So 5 down, 4 to go. :) Miss Lillian has been active again this past week, not much has changed. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to do my glucose testing before I head back to the states.

Last week I also contacted a doula and we should be meeting with her sometime this weekend before I leave. I started considering a doula to make sure someone is here to help me through labor in case family can't make it out here in time. She would help me through breathing, she focuses on relaxation methods through hypnobirthing and is also a lactation consultant. She would be at the hospital with me and she will also come to our house a week or two after the baby is born to check in and make sure everything is going well. She seemed very nice and has come with lots of recommendations, now we just have to wait for our meeting with her and hope she isn't too expensive.

According to babycenter.com, baby Lillian will be going through the following changes this week:

How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Week 22

This week is the last week of month 5! My uterus will be growing about 2cm above my belly button this week and I've noticed my belly button has been quite shallow for weeks. I've been starting to feel kicks from the outside but Greg is never quick enough to catch them. According to the baby books, miss Lillian can taste the things I'm eating. They suggest if I want her to like certain items then I should eat those while I'm pregnant. I'm not sure how accurate that is but it is interesting to consider.

According to babycenter.com, Lillian is developing this week by:

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

It's a... baby

We had our anatomy scan today and I was surprised how quick they did it.... from what I read they normally last almost an hour but we were in and out within 20 minutes! We also had a different ultrasound tech than we normally do and didn't get the 3-D pictures this time. After they got all the measurements they needed to, they asked if we wanted to know the gender and she wasn't in the area very long before she said....



I've learned more about the laws here in Korea. Previously it was illegal to tell the gender of the baby to cut back on gender driven abortions (even though abortions are illegal too, small clinics would do them for the money). Some smaller clinics would "hint" at the gender but never do the gender shots... so maybe that's why we didn't get one. As of this year the law changed; however, they cannot specifically tell you until you are in the 3rd trimester. So we got our "hint" today.... I'm also thinking since we are foreigners that they are a little more flexible. Another person who lives in our complex is Korean and her husband is American but they wouldn't tell her or even hint and she was seeing the same doctor I am. I think because Greg and I are both Americans helped us out!

We are very thrilled and I was shocked, I kept thinking it was a boy and all my family also thought boy. I know there are more cases where they say girl early on and it ends up being a boy... we didn't get the normal gender shot everyone kept posting on my other baby board so as of right now we are going with girl and we will confirm it again July 31st! Greg and I want to keep things pretty gender neutral anyway, so no going crazy with pink and barbies! We want to make sure we are not reinforcing gender stereotypes for girls and believe all kids should be able to play with cars, horses, kitchen sets, etc. without it being gender specific!

I've been trying to hold off on making some more gender specific clothing until we knew what the peanut was but now I'm so excited I can start making cute little bonnets for Lillian. I also have an adorable little baby doll pattern I've been dying to start. My bigger knitting projects will have to wait until after my masters is done....

Baby Hat

I just finished the peanut's baby hat! I'm surprised how quick this one knitted up, only took me a day. The pattern is supposed to "grow" from newborn to about 1 year depending on how it is rolled or folded; however, I will only be able to see if it worked once the peanut is here.

Week 21

The peanut must have moved the last couple days because I had a bump most of the week and now it has gone back down. I knew it could fluctuate at the beginning due to bloat but I didn't realize I'd see this drastic of a change this late. The peanut has been very active this week and I've felt a lot more kicks. Last night I had some pretty strong kicks and a lot of kicks to my bladder; the baby has definitely moved back because they don't feel the same but some were big enough to feel it from the outside. Unfortunately by the time Greg came to feel they weren't as strong. The peanut likes his musical bunny! I feel the most kicks when I play it and put it on my stomach.

This coming week I'll be meeting another expat parent who just delivered her second son at Severance, the hospital we will be delivering at. So far she has let me know they have a new policy (different from her October 2008) experience where you pay upfront when you check in for your delivery. It will be interesting to get some more information from her regarding the hospital regulations and standards. We will also get to find out what the peanut is this week! I'm hoping the little one cooperates and is active so we get some good shots. Our last ultrasound the baby was very stubborn, stayed in one place and wasn't in the correct position both times they tried to get the measurements they needed. So keep your eyes out mid week for an update!

UPDATE:

I met with the expat mother and she so put me at ease! The expat parent board has been upping my fears of having a child in another country but this mom gave me the play by play of how everything worked and gave me a lot of insight into my doctor. In Korea you don't really see your doctor... she refers you to other people, they do the tests they need to and send the results to her. Then you meet with her for like 5 minutes to discuss how you are feeling and the results of any tests that came back. My 17 week appointment was the first time she even touched me! She did the Doppler . I've heard she warms up around month 6 (especially because here you can have your prenatal care at another facility than the one you are delivering) so I guess she warms up to you once she knows you will be delivering with her. But it was nice to get some more inside information about how flexible she would be on some things and which items are non-negotiable hospital standards.

According to babycenter.com, here is what will be happening during the week:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Baby Carriers

Since we take the bus and subway most places, it is just too hard to get a stroller on both especially during busy times. So, we will be using baby carriers for our outings. Since we are relying only on carriers we are planning on getting 3 different kinds. I currently have a peanut shell for when the baby is a newborn and for quick outings. It is reversible and is tan with the same pattern on the other side; however, these slings are sized for one person so it will only fit me, not Greg too.

We also plan on getting a sleepy wrap. It is very similar to the moby wrap but not as stretchy so I think it would hold the baby a bit closer to the body. The benefit to the sleepy wrap is depending how it is wrapped, it can be used for nursing, a front carry, hip carry, and back carry but it is only good until about 18 months. The wrap is basically a long piece of stretchy fabric so Greg and I can both wear it but sometimes it can be quite bulky.

The last carrier we have decided on is the Korean baby carrier. All mothers here wear them and it can support a child up to 3 years; although I don't intend to carry a 3 yr old all day it will be nice for when they are tired out and need a little break. We just received our carrier in the mail and got the one pictured below. It has a nice back support band at the bottom which will be good for the back carry and it has a little "hood" to cover the baby from the sun. So in the long run I think all 3 of these carriers will come in handy for a long time!

The Peanut's Blanket

The peanut's blanket is finally done!... well the knitting part. Since I sewed on the knit appliques I now need to put a backing to cover up all my yarn ends. I must admit I'm quite proud of this one, I don't think it could have turned out better!

(You can click on the pictures to make them larger)

Week 20

Today marks the half way point already! We get to meet our peanut is 20 more weeks :) This week my uterus is about even with my belly button and it does seem like that when I push around, also my belly button has been a little sore this past week from all the growing. Starting after this week at doctors appointments she will start measuring my stomach and the baby is now measured from head to heal instead of from head to rump.

The baby has also gone through a lot of changes the past couple weeks. If it is a girl the uterus is fully formed and her ovaries are holding all the eggs she will need in her lifetime. If it is a boy his testicles have been forming inside the abdomen and have begun moving their way down; however, they may not be fully descended at birth.

According to Babycenter.com, here is what will be going on with the peanut this week:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).