Sense to Save: Other Blog

29 weeks and appointment update

Today I took the three-hour blood glucose test. I won’t know the results for a few more days, but I’m betting that I’m fine. We’ll see! The “glucola” drink had 100 grams of glucose, or twice the amount of the one-hour drink. It certainly seemed sweeter! Still nothing horrible, and after going 12+ hours without eating anything, it almost felt good in a way to get some calories back in my system.

Somehow, sitting in the waiting room for three hours and having my blood drawn every hour wasn’t so bad. Time went fairly quickly. I had things to read and I tried to doze for a little bit.

Even though now I say “it wasn’t so bad,” this morning, I was pretty crabby. Fighting morning rush-hour traffic on an empty stomach = a cranky Kacie. I managed to hit the evening rush hour traffic on the way home, too, but I had more patience then. I really really hope my labor isn’t timed so that I have to get to the hospital during rush hour. Or a Steeler’s home game. A 15-minute trip could quickly turn into 45 minutes to an hour.

Anyway.

In trying to get out the door on time, I managed to leave my lunch behind. So, I broke my fast at the hospital cafeteria. I chose lasagna, a breadstick and milk. The first few bites of the lasagna were magnificent. It tasted like the most wonderful pasta ever. After about five bites, my tastebuds kicked in and I started to notice that the noodles were way overcooked and it wasn’t so scrumptious after all. Oh, hospital food.

Next on the agenda was a trip to the ultrasound department. At my midwife appointment last week, my belly was measuring about 24 centimeters when it should have been around 28. She was concerned that he might be having trouble growing. This week, the ultrasound revealed that oh, he’s fine. He’s measuring in the 65th percentile, which is actually on the slightly large side of normal. Not too large to worry, but big enough to make me laugh. My belly must be all baby. So ah…where are my usual belly organs? Pushed aside.

The ultrasound estimated that he’s about three pounds right now, give or take a few ounces. It’s too hard to predict what he’ll weigh at birth (and those ultrasounds aren’t totally accurate anyway) but it’s likely that he’ll be in the healthy range of 7 to 8 pounds.

My belly is now measuring 27 centimeters and since I’m now 29 weeks, it’s technically on the small side, but whatever. That’s just how it’s gunna be.

I’ve gained about 15 pounds so far and all seems well.

Here’s what’s happening according to BabyCenter:

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.