Week 27

Baby's development: The baby measures 9 1/2 from crown to rump and weighs a little over 2 lbs. The baby's becoming plumper and rounder as the amount of fat increases. Thumb-sucking has been seen in ultrasounds as a favorite past time activity. The baby's eyelids also begin to open and the retinas begin to form. The baby can now detect changes in light, and studies have show that when a flashlight is shone against the mother's abdomen, the baby may move or sometimes away from its beam.

I have been sick this week and it's been quite uncomfortable. Ryan came back from Hawaii with a pretty bad cough and I managed to catch it pretty quickly. I read that pregnant women have suppressed immune systems because our bodies need to be less selective about rejecting foreign cells so that the body does not reject the baby. So basically, pregnant women are more prone to getting sick. There is a list of medications that I can take, but I've avoided them all because I haven't been able to call my doctor this weekend to check and make sure. I feel SO much better today though and the coughing has subsided a lot. I was coughing a lot over the weekend and felt pretty bad for the baby. I could feel him move around when I was having a coughing fit and could tell that he was not happy to be shaken so much. I've had probably on average three gallons of water and a ton of lemon and honey every day, so hopefully I am on my road to recovery.

So far I've gained 15 lbs, 7 of which was gained in just the last four weeks! That's almost 2 lbs of weight gain per week! The recommended weight gain is 25-35 lbs, so I think I'm doing well so far with weight gain, but I don't think I've ever put on weight that quickly before. I went for a short hike today and could feel the extra 15 lbs...a little more huffing and puffing than usual. Oh, and Jess totally kicked my ass swimming the other day. I thought swimming would be easier since I'd be more buoyant, but it's not. I swam 1000 yds in the same time that I would have swam 2000 yds prior to being pregnant and I was so tired!

This is my last week in the second trimester. Next week starts the final trimester. I start seeing my doctor every two weeks from now until delivery (as opposed to every four weeks). I'm suppose to start thinking about my "birth plan" right now to discuss with my doctor. So far, all I know is that I don't want a home birth and I want Ryan to be my coach (so no doula). I'm confident that he'll be great during labor and I'd rather have him around than someone else.

The baby has been kicking a lot while I've been typing this entry. It's been amazing how active he is. I swear that half the time he's doing summersaults in there!