30 Weeks to Go

It is actually a little bit early for this post, baby isn't 10 weeks until tomorrow. Actually, baby isn't 10 weeks until Wednesday or Thursday, but I have Monday stuck in my head. Ever since the first ultrasound tech told me the date of the baby in the ER, and it matched to my assumed ovulation date, I have it my head as Monday. So I actually count the baby as older than the doctor does, but the doctor won't change the due date unless it is actually a week off, and it is only three days, which doesn't matter to anyone but me. Whatever, I am 1/4 of the way there.

Your baby is now about an inch long and weighs five grams, or one-sixth of an ounce, roughly the size of a garden beetle. This end of the two-month mark is a landmark date for your baby. It's looking more human all the time. If you could look inside, you'd see a thumb tip-size translucent creature that's unmistakably human. Kidneys, lungs, genitals, and the gastrointestinal tract are all present, though far from fully formed. Your baby's bones begin to form in his limbs, a process called ossification. The floor plan for your baby's structure has been laid down, and the next thirty weeks will be about expanding and developing on this blueprint. If your baby is a boy, his testes are already producing testosterone. A Doppler handheld device can usually detect a fetal heartbeat by this point. Once the heartbeat is detectable, your chances of miscarrying in the first trimester are immediately lower: between five and ten percent.

Congratulations, your uterus has swollen to the size of a softball! Looking in the mirror, your shape has definitely changed: less waist and more chest. If you're over 35 or have a history of genetic disorders, over the next two weeks, your care provider may offer a test called chorionic villus sampling (CVS) which uses a sample of tissue to screen for hundreds of genetic disorders. This test is highly accurate, but carries a significant risk of miscarriage. Right now, your hormones may be producing emotional effects, that is, making you feel crazy, angry, sad, euphoric, and irritable, sometimes all in the same ten minutes. You may also develop little white bumps on your nipples, called "Montgomerey's tubercles" (named after the Irish obstetrician who "discovered" them.) These bumps secrete a white lubricant, which will help make breastfeeding more comfortable. Your weight gain may be picking up—though don't worry if you haven't gained any by now. Bottom line, if your provider isn't concerned about how much or how little you've gained, you shouldn't be either.