Pregnancy Update: 33 Weeks
WEEK 33: MARCH 27-APRIL 3
Update on baby:
Baby is the size of a butternut squash!
He’s weighing in about 4 lbs, and still growing
He is definitely still moving and squirming, but they’re less dramatic rolls and more like little kicks and squirms. This is because he’s getting so big and scrunched on space!
He always has the hiccups!! Hiccups feel different from other movement. Unlike big kicks and rolls, hiccups feel like little rhythmic taps. It happens because they’re practicing how to breathe and preparing for the outside world.
Baby is responding to outside cues! It’s actually pretty amazing. The other day, he was squirming, and I started singing to him — he actually stopped moving for the whole song! Then when I stopped singing, he picked right up kicking and squirming again.
I have a hunch that he’s naturally an introvert like his daddy… We’ll see when he comes out if my hunch is right. I feel like he can sense other people and gets shy. He kicks like crazy, but for some reason, whenever someone tries to feel my belly, he just stops! Then he’ll immediately pick up again once it’s just me and him.
Update on mommy:
Gestational diabetes: As I posted about a few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I’ve been watching my diet, logging my food, tracking my blood glucose levels, and trying to be diligent. That said, sometimes it’s not enough — I can’t control the hormones, so I started insulin injections at night time.
No more low-lying placenta! At the end of the second trimester, we saw low-lying placenta in the ultrasound. This means that the placenta was very low near the cervix. If the placenta did not move out of the way, it would have jeopardized my chances of a vaginal birth. Lo and behold, when we had our 30 week ultrasound - we are free and clear!
Birth plan is ready to go. We took a tour of the UCSF Birth Center - and wow! It’s so much nicer than I expected. The rooms were pretty big like hotel rooms, and my favorite feature was a huge jacuzzi tub in each room!
Jeff and I are officially in nesting mode. We are SO thankful to our Uncle Bill and Angel for giving us all of my cousin Nicolas’ hand-me-downs! Our living room is a mess, but we’ll tackle that in the weeks to come.
