33 weeks

82% of your pregnancy has passed, there is 18% left to go

The baby is using it's lungs to practice breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid. Your baby is drinking about a pint of amniotic fluid a day now and urinating the same amount.



Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy. If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.

Those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!). And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections

Third Trimester Insomnia strikes more than 75 percent of expectant moms — very tired expectant moms. All the hormonal changes, the midnight treks to the bathroom, the leg cramps, the heartburn that won't quit, the fact that you can't get comfortable when you're in bed with a watermelon where your tummy used to be, and the anxiety you're likely feeling about the impending birth of your baby (and the fact that you still haven't decided on a name for your baby) all contribute to your inability to catch some satisfying z's.

The skin becomes a rosy color and the fine downy hair that was on the skin is replaced with vernix caseosa. This "baby cream cheese" prevents the skin from drying out. The fine downy hair (lanugo) comes off and floats in the amniotic fluid. Because the baby takes small sips of amniotic fluid, he swallows these hairs which then tickle and stimulate his intestines, which helps in their function after birth.


While there are many things you can do to limit swelling and bloating (like exercising and drinking water) you will retain some fluid no matter what you do. This is especially true if you are having your baby in the summer months when it is hot and your body retains water naturally anyway.


I am experiencing that third trimester insomnia. Man, I am up and ready to go at about 4:30 am every morning now. I usually watch tv or make myself lay still in order to fall back asleep. I have noticed a bit of swelling in my feet towards the end of the days. I prop my feet up and watch tv and drink water and they start to go down. By morning, they look fine again. (Although, I think my feet are flattening out or getting wider then before)


I thought I was getting sick last week but then I think we decided over the weekend it was lack of sleep making me feel bad. I got about 15 hours of sleep (not continuous) Saturday night/Sunday and realized that I am definitely trying too hard some days. I am pushing my limits and need to back off of some of the expectations that I placed on myself. I have not used any leave from work since January. I was trying to not use any time off until I go out on maternity leave. I have worked 10/12 hour days to make up for all of the dr's appointments. I was planning on working until the end of June w/o using leave to try and have as much leave built up for when I am out of maternity leave. I am having to give myself a break. This is far too much of an expectation. I need to take more time for myself to relax some. This is my last week that I will place this pressure on myself. I knew that May was going to be a rough month just by the calendar but I feel like I am starting to drag. We have alot of obligations this month and I may have to excuse myself from some.



I started he.par.in last night. I have read mixed reviews/opinions about lov.enox and hepa.rin and breastfeeding. The pharmacist I asked last night said that it was a safe drug for breastfeeding. My sugar reads continue to be good, so I canceled the appointment with the counselor and told them that I would reschedule next week. Let's hope that I continue to have good reads. THANK you for the emails I received yesterday about good birth stories that involve medication. I appreciate all the feedback. I left that class in a pretty weird place. I know that no 2 births are the same but it is nice to receive personal information. It just helps my nerves and anxiety levels so much.

Here's to another week down!