28 Weeks!

The 28th week mark.
Try strapping a bowling bowl against your abdomen and carry it around.
That's how I'm feeling this week.

We took a 30-45 mins walk the other day and I've a strange cramp-like feeling under my left inner-thigh. And of course my hands ballooned up from water-retention and ankles too.

It's SO SO hot these days. Starting from last Tuesday it's been as high as 40-45 degrees maximum. And it doesn't cool down til this coming Sunday. Yep, you read right. 40+ degrees for almost a week! We're keeping indoors as much possible and Koda's not allowed to venture outdoors, poor thing!

Your Daddy has been battling with nose-bleeds for 2 days straight now. We head for the market to get some groceries and he lasted less than 5 mins before gushing out blood. So it's indoors for all of us for now. Me on the other hand, yknow the usual. I'll know if I'm too warm once I'm irritated, trashing around and very uncomfortable.

Week 28: Why, you look positively bovine!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 28: Fetus in seventh month You know how you’ve been feeling a bit like a barn with legs? Well, that feeling won’t subside before… well, you know, when you finally give birth. For the time being, you’ve got yourself a baby in the business of collecting fat and lots of it! In spite of the dubious joys of being a human-barn, this baby fat business is very serious and you’ve got to put up with it because it’s going to keep your little porker warm and healthy after birth. Other good stuff from inside: their eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now able to respond to light and dark. Also, their industrious little bone marrow is now a major construction site for developing red blood cells, while their super-cute adrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen—which will stimulate your hormones to begin milk production. Can you say, “Moo?”

And how's mom doing? If you’re not already fully entrenched, it’s just about time to head into the Name Game field. If you haven’t yet landed on “the perfect name”, there are only about a trillion books (check them out at Amazon.com) and websites with head-spinning lists of name possibilities. You can always opt to invent a name as well (like say, “Thygor”). Obviously, naming isn’t always the most straightforward or easy process and not every couple has a name for their child even after birth. Really, just take your time and try to consider any possible mean nicknames they might be inflicted with once they hit adolescence (i.e. What happens when you name your kid “Willy"?).

As if we have to tell you: their little “cute” kicks are getting stronger these days, but just pay attention. If you notice a significant drop in the number of kicks experienced per hour it would be a good idea to tell your physician or mid-wife. But before you start getting anxious, keep in mind that during the final weeks of pregnancy your in-house-football player will be kicking significantly less as they will lack the space to move about as vigorously.

Shave it for someone who cares
by The Sarcastic Journalist

After weeks of obsessively counting down to the arrival of the baby, you have finally reached the third trimester. (At this point, I will assume that you are a first time Mom. Why? If it is your second child, you are doing good to remember that you are, in fact, pregnant. Trust me on this one.)

Now it is time to yell “Woo-hoo! Third trimester!” Once you are finished, look at the calendar and realize that you most likely still have 12 weeks to go. That’s longer than the average new sitcom run. Longer than the time you went out with your first boyfriend.

Now that you’re in the third trimester, you’ll soon realize just how quickly your belly can expand. One of my favorite pastimes during my final trimesters was to ask my husband “Do I look any bigger today?”

That’s like saying “Does this dress make my butt look fat?”Yes, yes you look bigger today! How could you not? You have a baby! In your belly!

It is time to sit down and realize a few things: You are going to get bigger. Just when you thought you couldn’t get any bigger, you will, in fact, get bigger. It happens. You might also get stretch marks (if you haven’t already) in places you could never imagine.

Luckily, there’s a chance that your massive belly will prevent you from fully seeing the stretch marks!

I’ll leave you with this very visual image: Be happy they don’t do the routine “shave” on women about to go into labor anymore. Why? Well, let’s just say that after I had my babies, I was surprised to learn that stretch marks could happen down there, as well.

Are you serious!? There can be stretch marks there as well?? Okay you know where I'm slopping my lotions from now on!