Belly Growth

I thought I'd made a stop motion video combining all my belly pictures so far to help show how my belly has grown over the course of this pregnancy.

Week 32

A couple weeks ago I thought miss Lillian droped; however, talking with others and the increased pelvic soreness I have been feeling I realized she hasn't dropped. Instead, what I've been feeling is my pelvis bone separating! After you have left the world, archeologists and paleontologists can determine if a woman has had children by looking at the pelvic bone, sometimes the ligament stretching cause indentations and the bones will be slightly further apart. It is amazing to know that is what my body is doing at the moment although it is quite annoying at times; I'm finding it more difficult to walk, roll over from side to side, standing up from a sitting position, and putting on pants... needing to lift one leg and balance on the other I find is extremely painful! But, it is all worth it to have miss Lillian in the end.

My body is beginning practicing more and more for her arrival; I have had many more Braxton Hicks and they usually last a few hours. The last time I got them I tried to just sleep, I woke up a few times with them continuing but by morning they had subsided. According to babycenter.com, Lillian is going through these changes this week:

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. 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.

Preparing for the arrival of Miss Lillian

Well, only 8 more weeks or less to go! I feel like for the rest of the time being, I'm preparing myself for the labor and delivery process. I've been preparing my mind with Hypnobabies and reading another book called The Baby Whisperer. The Baby Whisperer has been a fantastic book for me and helping me develop the parenting philosophies I want to carry out. The book is very well organized in quick reference categories and includes problems and possible causes for difficulties you may run into. Within each category it is broken up into age groups; although we know babies can not be fit into box like categories at every age group, the groups give a general sense of what could be expected.

One of the first things I plan on trying from the moment we bring Lillian home is setting her up on an E.A.S.Y. routine for feeding. In E.A.S.Y. you feed the baby (E-eat), do a small activity (A) then put them back down to sleep (S). Once you have completed those three activities it is time for yourself (Y). It is not a rigid schedule but rather a routine where baby gets used to being fed, having some kind of activity so that she doesn't associate being awake with just eating before she goes back to sleep. Although the first few weeks on E.A.S.Y. are hit and miss, it helps new parents learn to listen and interpret their babies cries. Obviously if you have just fed her and she is fussy 10 min later, chances are it probably isn't because she is hungry again. Overall, I feel it is a way to help be in tune more with your babies cries by learning their language; crying and body language.

The book also includes a very extensive section on breastfeeding and possible breastfeeding problems and solutions. I've been tabbing my book for quick references as I know I will be going to it many times!

We have also finished getting all the final items we need such as baby wipes, soap, lotion and anything else we can think of! Her room has been ready since a few days after I got back to Korea; I went into a big nesting phase while unpacking :) Her clothes have all been washed and hung, older clothes are being stored and we are just waiting on the Pack N' Play to arrive! It was a big relief to get all the supplies we needed in case she arrives early. If the Pack N' Play doesn't arrive before she does we know we can always put her in our room for the first couple weeks. It is all starting to hit me a lot more, I find I'm very mixed with emotions. I'm very excited to be able to finally hold her after feeling her moving inside me for so long yet anxious of not having things set up, that she'd arrive too early and I don't have all my labor strategies down, anticipating/trying to plan for guests to be here for the delivery... sometimes they all add up at once. I don't find I'm anxious about the delivery part just more of the pre-preparations and not having things in place in case she does arrive early.... obviously she needs to continue to cook for at least another 4 more weeks minimum!

Week 31

The beginning of this week marks the end of my 7th month. I began my Hypnobabies program this week. I feel I'm now trying to get my mind around what I want out of my birth experience. Hypnobabies is a self meditation/awake hypnosis so that childbirth becomes either a pain free experience or minimal pain. Most mothers who use it do not need epidurals; that is my goal. If I find in the middle of it that I'd like one I'm ok with that too but as long as I knew I tried first and did everything I could to prepare myself rather than just expecting to get one.

The mind can be a very powerful thing, it can influence how your body handles situations. In most cultures, the birthing process is viewed as a beautiful, pain-free or minimal pain experience. In our culture, it has become this thing to be feared, something requiring medical assistance. In reality, our bodies have been doing this for centuries, long before we birthed in hospitals. Hypnobabies reminds your subconscious mind of this affirmation and helps re-train the mind that it will be a positive experience. Thus, I have chosen to not engage in hearing stories of others birth experiences unless they are a positive one and I have chosen to stop watching movies and shows that depict birth as a "crisis" situation or a painful experience. I am really looking forward to the birth of Lillian and do think it will be a great and beautiful experience!

According to babycenter.com, here is what is going on with Lillian this week:

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) 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.

Week 30

30 weeks and only 10 more to go! I can't believe she will be a full term baby in 7 more weeks, usually they stay hanging out the additional 3-4 weeks gaining more weight. Miss Lillian has had an increasing number of hiccups lately. They started a couple weeks ago but now it seems she gets them at least once a day, they always make me smile. I've been feeling a lot of pressure and some pain in my left hip, some say that means she has dropped down but it still seems early for that.

Miss Lillian will begin shedding the lanugo, the downy, soft body hair that has been keeping her warm till now. Her brain is continuing to form and it can now help her regulate her temperature.

According to babycenter.com, Miss Lillian will be:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. 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.)

Week 29

This week I traveled back to Korea and had another doctors appointment. We had another ultrasound to continue to measure Lillian's organs and such and she is now head down! I can't believe she moved in just a week. I have been feeling a lot more pressure at my pelvic bone the last few days, usually I have to take a moment when I stand up. It was amazing to see how much room she is really taking up, at the 4-D ultrasound they only focused on her face so I didn't get to see where her legs were. So now, her head is down, her spine runs along the left side of my stomach and almost all the way up to the middle of the top of my stomach. Her legs then curl down by her head. It really helped put into perspective exactly how long she is. We asked how much she weighs and she is now 2.67 lbs. Greg is happy to have us both home and he has been enjoying her movements, talking to her again.

My blood pressure has been a little on the higher side of normal considering my previous readings so we are going through the testing for preeclampsia. I don't think I'll know anything yet but it seems like something my doctor is going to monitor a bit more carefully over the next appointments. I have now moved to 2 week appointments and we will get our delivery room tour on September 11th.

According to babycenter.com, in week 29 baby Lillian will be going through the following changes:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Week 28

This past week we got to see Lillian in 4-D; however, she was still stubborn as she has been at every ultrasound. Part of her face was buried in the placenta, something she has done in previous ultrasounds. She now has regular times she sleeps and is awake; however, I haven't yet written down when I feel her movements to see if I can identify when she is awake and if there is a pattern. I will probably begin doing that in the next couple weeks. Miss Lillian will begin moving into the right position for birth over the next few weeks.... or at least that's what we hope. At the last ultrasound she was still feet first.

According to babycenter.com, here is what will be happening this week: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Professional Maternity Photos

While back in the states, my cousin Rhianna has taken some wonderful maternity photos of Lillian and me. I know Lillian will enjoy seeing these when she is older and hear all the stories when she was in mommy's tummy :)