30 Weeks!

Today marks 30 weeks. Woot! I had a scheduled prenatal appointment today. Dr. S is in a 3-doctor practice, so she requires her patients to see the other two doctors at some point between weeks 30-40 in the event she's not on call the day I go into labor. Trevor and I appreciate getting an opportunity to meet the other two doctors. The doctor we saw today, Dr. W1 (there are two "W" docs), was nice. The appointment went well. I'm feeling good---just more of the same. I'm measuring on target and my blood pressure was good ~ 116/64 (or something like that). My urine sample was good. Zoe's heartbeat was nice and strong @ 150-155 bpm. I'm up exactly 10 lbs. from my pre-preggers weight.


Zoe this week: lots to report. 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.) Zoe's brain is taking on characteristic grooves and indentations. In addition, her bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for Zoe, because it means she is better able to thrive on her own once born. Much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering Zoe's body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat and the brain are regulating her body temperature.

Zoe is still moving a lot. The last several nights she's been making moves that feel like something out of "The Matrix." I wish I could see inside my stomach to see what she's doing. It's funny.


Zoe is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs just over 3 pounds (as much as a head of cabbage):