Bella Bump 29 weeks +2

Looking good :)

Nursery done...

29 wks in 1 sleep!!!! TImes a Flyin!!!!!

Well well!!!! We are CERTAINLY on the home stretch!!! These past few wks have been ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMING by....Have so so much to do still so keep cooking little bear. Also you have so much more growing to do and besides if you come early you will have that lanugo stuff like a wolfman so ideally that would have gone he he!!! I have been getting very cross with Daddy for being disorganised, We have booked a 1-1 session with a NCT lady to learn how to look after you so that should be fun!

right 29 wks what fruit or veg are you now? and what are you up to in there?


Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her 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.

PLEASE tell me Im not the only person who thinks this is a rude looking veg?

anyways I digress.....

In one wk and sleep We get to see you again on scan pics yipppppppeeeeeeeee I cant wait to see you again!!! Waiting on R's diabetes test results as she failed the first test so fingers x on that....

update from R

My journey thus far, once I reached the 12 week mark, has been uneventful, as I tell people, just getting bigger and rounder, I am now nearly 29 weeks. I have been feeling pretty good. One of the reason's why I wanted to do surrogacy as I typically have uneventful pregnancies, no morning sickness etc. I get the odd bought of heartburn, nothing a couple of tums won't hurt.

In regards to my husbands family accepting me carrying someone else's child, it didn't go over as I would have liked, it took me many weeks to build up the courage to tell them. I chose to do it via email. I am unsure why I was so petrified of what they would say or do, because it was too late, I was already pregnant. Some of the family have said they would support me no matter what, to that is awesome and some haven't voiced their opinion on it at all. I have been told as long as what I am doing feels right to me and my little family that is all that matters. As you say you can't please everyone. My own friends and family have been nothing but supportive and think it is awesome what I am doing.

The good part to this journey is watching and listening to the intended parents, seeing how excited they are and getting as the date looms closer each week.

Bella is a bit of a minx when it comes to ultrasounds, when they want to look at a particular part for example they want to check her heart, she would cover it with her arm or if it was the face she wouldn't turn, she has been like this throughout each scan.

The kids and hubby don't say to much about the bump, hubby calls it a basketball. S tells people mummy is having another baby, but where not keeping it. Before he lets G and M have her, he wants to feed her and make her laugh.

I have had no food cravings, other than missing sushi. The only food aversion is banana's which I used to love, I make smoothies out of them now, as the texture just doesn't sit quite right in the throat.

Having a really cold drink or laying down is when I feel Bella the most.

 

What do I look forward to after Bella, not being nervous with someone else's precious cargo, and not being so tired ;).

 

My hope for Bella's arrival is that her parents are here to witness it, as I keep having these thought's that they won't be here. For it all to go smoothly and that the transition is seemless and a happy one. I truly look forward to the delivery day and just looking at G and M faces and seeing their expression. Knowing I made their dream come true finally.

My hope for Bella's future is that she is true to herself, happy, lives in the moment.

 

I think Bella will weight around 7 pds 6 ozs. Providing she stays put.

 

I think M and G will make great parents. G will probably be a bit of a nervous nelly in the beginning as being a first time mum that is what happens. They will love her, more than life it self as it's been a struggle to get her here. My hope for them is that they take it one day at a time and cherish the time they have together as it goes by so fast.

 

 

delayed cord clamping, beneficial to baby - have a read

did you know up to 40% of babys blood volume is still in the placenta until the cord has stopped pulsing???? No? Neither did we until we did our parent class, its a v good idea in natural birth but here is an article on it in c section birth too, also we are requesting NO forceps too, unless 100% needed, forceps are horrible things


http://cord-clamping.com/2011/09/08/cesarean-delayed-clamping/

25 march 2014?

Im pretty sure B is coming then (so does my earliest friend L ive known since we were babies) Im going for at some point 36-38 wks.....I just feel she is coming early but knowing the little diva she will probably come april 9th and have to be dragged out of her comfy hidey hole and we could have gone on hols after all ;)

28 wks tomorrow start of the last trimester :)

28 wks today whoop de whoop...just waiting on R's Gestational Diabetes test result.  its all pretty exciting....Nursery is about 90% done....hoping to book our flights this week :) :) :) Baby shower courtesy of Mum in law and sis in Law looks to be taking shape, love a good surprise! Cant believe that is less than 3 wks!! will be lush having most of my fave girls in one room. We are also having a party in london with all our best friends boys and girls so Mr CJ can join in too.

right 28 wks what fruit are you? Eggplant....bleurgh...

Your baby can now open her eyes and will turn her head towards the source of a continuous bright light. Her fingernails are budding, and fat layers are beginning to form as she gets ready for life outside your uterus (womb). 

If R  likes the thought of interacting with Bella baby while she's still inside her, then singing and reading to her is a good way to do it. The nerve pathways to your baby's ears are complete now. Baby will keep getting bigger -- and smarter -- after week 28, and other than that, she just needs a few more finishing touches.

thoughts on YOU...

I cant stop thinking about YOU my daughter!!!

1. I am so excited to meet you, our first touch, skin to skin
2. to get to know your likes and loves and things that are ... not so much ....
3. for Daddy to fall in love with you as much as he has me
4. for my family to meet you
5. to see who you look like and what traits you have of ours
6. to get you back home and the parental order done and dusted
7. to see what you make of our home and your bedroom!
8. to see how the doggies take to you! And you to them, I so hope you shall be best of pals, eventually!
9. to take you swimming and to the beach
10. to see you smile
11. to hear you laugh
12. to see you take your first steps
13. put the first " toof" out for the tooth fairy
14. see what your favourite toy or book is
15. to read you stories
16. to dress you in lots of soft cute outfits
17. to take you to our fave places
18. let you meet all our fave people
19. to intimidate (for fun) your first date
20. to make your first lunchbox for play school and see your first piece of art!
21. to see what your first word is
22. to fall asleep snuggling with you
23. to smell your sweet skin
24. your first sail
25. that first night with you- I will watch you breathe ALL night and stare at you, my little IVF miracle

27 wks!

so 27 weeks, Will feel alot better after 30 wks and then again at 35 :) I think she will be coming in March and so long as its after wk 35 ( March 11th)....and preferably later I will feel much more at ease!! Ideally she would stay put till we plan to be in chicago about april 1st... We are hoping to squeeze in a quick trip to st Barths just before about March 23 for a week...thats if B doesn't have plans to come meet us earlier.....She is quite a mischief maker and so knowing her so far....SURELY she will come in March!?
EVERY day I sit in her room and imagine her here, most days I get out one of her cute little outfits and hug and smell it...We are not ready for her to come yet as in we have alot more to organise but mentally we are SO VERY ready for this adventure!!! Im trying to fight off a lergy, then the plan is to get as fit and strong as I can, finish off her nursery and get all the jobs I can do done by the end of next month...hmmm yeh right...I have my girlie baby shower on 8th feb and then M and I have a party in London with our besties on feb 21st which should be a riot! Then as I said all things being equal we should head out to the Caribbean end March...but other than that its head to the grindstone and busy busy preparing!!!! Oh Uncle Oli (godfather to be) is coming to see me on 23rd Jan which should be lovely as I haven't had "quality time" with him for ages, and I can bore him showing him all Bella's stuff ;)

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements R may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

-40 chicago freeeeeezes

Apparently its the coldest in 20 yrs in Chicago...they have renamed the city Chiberia. Windchill of over -40c HORRENDOUS. When we went in december it was real feel -17 and I have NEVER been so cold....brrrr poor homeless people.......

Chiberia!!!!

Winter's chill can seem like a mere annoyance, at first.

But human skin can stiffen and blister when subjected to freezing temperatures like those endured by the Chicago area this week. Worse, prolonged exposure can cause a dangerous and potentially fatal drop in the body's core temperature.

While area hospitals reported only a few recent frostbite cases Monday, area health experts still urge caution in the cold.

• RELATED
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  Winter in Chicago
• Coping with the cold
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Commuters or shovelers who dawdle outdoors with exposed skin risk contracting a mild case of frostbite — tissue frozen by poor circulation and frigid temperatures.

But residents, particularly infants and the elderly, can develop hypothermia if subjected to cold temperatures for prolonged periods. City health officials said that separate condition, marked by a drop in body temperature, contributed to the deaths of six people in Chicago from October through late December.

People with frostbite first begin to lose feeling in their skin, said Dr. Bechara Choucair, head of Chicago's public health department.

Affected tissues often turn white or gray, and begin to feel unusually firm or waxy. Blisters and more severe skin discoloration can begin to develop later, Choucair said, requiring more advanced medical care. The body parts most vulnerable to frostbite in these conditions are the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes, he said.

"So you'll want to make sure those are protected," he said.

In temperatures like this week's, doctors add that people can start developing the beginning symptoms of frostbite — known as frostnip — in 5 to 10 minutes.

Choucair said lukewarm water can be used to treat mildly frostbitten areas, but hot water and electric blankets should be avoided. Frostbitten skin also shouldn't be rubbed or exposed to friction.

By contrast, experts said hypothermia's separate and severe effects can't be treated with home remedies.

As the body's temperature cools below normal, hypothermia victims often begin to feel forgetful or drowsy; heartbeats slow, pulses weaken and breathing can become shallow. Eventually, the body stops shivering.

"It doesn't mean the patient is getting better," said Dr. Kimbra Bell, a professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "Shivering is actually a good sign because it indicates a person's heat regulation systems are still active."

"When it comes to hypothermia, you have to think about individuals who are homeless and mentally ill, or those who could very well be in situations of prolonged exposure because of that," Bell said, as opposed to a shoveler without proper gloves.

Infants can also be at higher risk because they lose body heat more quickly than adults, Bell and the health department said, while elderly patients often create less body heat because of slower metabolisms and reduced physical activity.

"The key here is to seek medical attention," he said.

26 weeks

size of a lettuce :)

• Her eyes are forming, and her eyes will soon start to open.
• And her eyelashes are now grown, too.
• She's getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.
• She's taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.
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25 weeks (plus 2) and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

squidge is 25 wks !! how exciting!!! She is very spoilt already and granny and I went through her clothes and she has more than me! although she does need a few more warm things for 0-3 and some hot weather stuff for 3-6 months...She has enough soft toys to sink a battleship....I need to decorate her nursery, am not changing the paint or the curtains but I need to make her room , well a bit more HER room, not the "'3rd bedroom". I've seen some cute letters so want to make HOPE up and also some cute little pictures for the walls. I already bought her a BELLA room sign. New years eve was fun with some family, still recovering a bit! My body really hates alcohol! The nieces and nephews seemed to love their goodies from chicago :) The weather is CRAZY at the moment, it seems to be the norm for flooding and gales right now?! We lost power the other day only for 6 hrs and that was horrid, some poor people haven't had it for a week...

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga- whatever the heck THAT is, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

ok a rutabaga is like a swede/turnip..looks horrid...another website says a cauliflower is this weeks size so....

I have so many resolutions and so many jobs to do, the next few months up to THE BIG DAY are going to be pretty action packed to say the least, Im taking today as my last "holiday" day . The tree will come down on saturday and the decorations will be packed up until we can add a third stocking in december :)