Baby Chimeziri at 33 Weeks!

This week Baby Chimeziri weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

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My Second Home - MeritCare

Today was my second NST (non-stress test) which I have to do every Tuesday and Friday between now and the baby's birth. Because of my gestational diabetes and especially because I'm on insulin, they want to monitor the baby frequently to make sure she's not in distress. I go to MeritCare, get hooked up to the baby monitor and wait for the baby's heart rate to increase at least 15 beats twice in a 20-minute period. Friday was my first NST - and it took over two hours! Today went much better; I was in and out within an hour. Plus, today's NST was at Southpointe Clinic (Friday's was at the Family Birth Center in the hospital) which was much more comfortable. I had a nice reclining, leather chair and could watch movies, read or talk on the phone while I had the test done. Plus, they had a fan in the room! Baby was looking very good today. Now, we just have to survive the flood! :)

Bunches of Blessings and Wishes for Baby Chimeziri

This past Saturday, March 21, I had my first "official" baby shower with family and friends. It was hosted by my sister-in-law, Sarah, and her mother, Merritt, in Minneapolis. It was absolutely wonderful! I had a great time catching up with family and friends I haven't seen in a while - including my aunt Debbie from Wisconsin, my aunt Mary in Minneapolis, and my grandmother's sister, Harlene. We played some great games - my favorite being where everyone expressed at least one wish for Baby Chimeziri. Afterwards we enjoyed some delicious food, including a pasta salad I couldn't get enough of and a totally awesome, homemade red velvet cake (thanks, Sarah!). It was a very charming and enjoyable afternoon. Baby Chimeziri also received a lot of wonderful gifts. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by such generous people. By the way, for those of you who were at the shower and are wondering what Henry's gift was, it is a Dunk 'n Cheer Basketball toy for him and the baby to play with together. :)

My lovely hosts, Sarah and Merritt.

It's baby's bath time! This tub came with a set of washclothes, a hooded towel and a very cute baby robe with a hood that has giraffe ears.


A savings for Baby Chimeziri! Sarah and Merritt gave Baby Chimeziri this beautiful silver piggy bank in the shape of an elephant. As guests made their wish for Baby Chimeziri, they dropped a coin in the bank to get her savings started (and for good luck!).

Baby Chimeziri at 32 Weeks!

By now, Baby Chimeziri weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my tummy. Though I should probably be gaining about a pound a week (roughly half of which would go right to the baby), I've yet to put on one pound during this pregnancy. But, there's still two months to go. Baby Chimeziri should gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

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Baby Chimeziri at 31 Weeks!

This week, Baby Chimeziri measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's moving a lot, too, so I have had some trouble sleeping because her kicks and somersaults keep me up. But, no worries: all this moving is a sign that she's active and healthy.

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Insulin: Round 2

A quick update on my gestational diabetes and how I'm trying to handle it. After emailing my blood sugar levels to my certified diabetes educator today, I was quickly asked to meet with an endocrinologist or physician's assistant this afternoon. I met with the P.A. this afternoon and we decided to add a fast-acting insulin to my regime. So, I'm now taking NovoLog before breakfast, lunch and dinner, finishing my day off with the Humilin N before bedtime.

So, from two shots a day to four. Whatever...it's not forever and it's for the best health of the baby and me. So, we'll see how the upcoming week goes and if this helps keep my blood sugar levels normal.

The Baby Bump at 30 Weeks!

Is this a baby bump or gigantic fat roll? How much bigger could it really get? I'm not sure how excited I am to find out.

Baby Chimeziri at 30 Weeks!

Baby Chimeziri'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 my 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.)

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A Very Eventful Tuesday!

A quick update on what's happening with me and the baby...

As I wrote about last week, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. After a week of trying to control my blood sugar levels with diet and exercise alone, I learned yesterday that I'll need to begin taking insulin. I'm not overly excited about giving myself a shot twice a day, but I gotta do what's best for me and the baby. For now, I'm taking 5 units of Humilin N before breakfast and bed. After one week, my CDE will evaluate my blood sugar levels to see if the dose needs to be adjusted. That was the first bit of excitement for the day.

The second bit of excitement came last night when I was making dinner. I'd been having some pressure and tightening feelings in my stomach since the afternoon. So, while making dinner decided to call the Birth Center just to see if that was normal. They asked me to come in to be evaluated. Turns out I was having contractions! They gave me some medicine to stop the contractions and ran a couple tests. When the tests came back okay, they sent me home with instructions on how to prevent another bout of pre-term labor. Luckily, I was not dilated at all, but was told to take it easy for a while.

So far today, I've been feeling okay - very tired from the late night last night. I'll just continue to take it easy and see how things go. This baby's got a little more growing to do before she's ready to enter the world! :)