Week 28: Had my seven-month check-up. My weight gain is great (now 75.9kgs, which puts me in the healthy weight gain zone), but the baby is apparently on the big side! She is a week ahead of where she should be in terms of her size. My doctor puts it down to my “strong Aussie genes”. Hmmm. The glucose test came back all normal, so no gestational diabetes, hooray! Thank you genes for my high sugar-tolerance.

Baby will be getting some color this week — eye color, that is. Pigment will fill in your baby’s irises, but it might take six months after birth for the eyes to settle into their true color. Eyelashes, eyebrows and hair are continuing to grow, and brain tissue is rapidly increasing.

Week 29: Back to running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Sometimes I can feel her actually kicking me in the bladder. Alec can feel her move all the time now – we spend most nights after dinner on the couch watching TV – with Alec’s hand on my side feeling her perform a water ballet. I’m starting to get more tired – I think due to lack of sleep. I haven’t slept through the night in about three weeks. Scary to think of how long it will be before I get a full nights sleep again. I’m so thankful right now that I don’t have to work. I don’t know how women work full-time during this trimester. I can barely get out of bed some mornings at all! My belly button is also trying really hard to pop out this week.

Baby’s now the size of a squash!
Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he’s growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

Week 30: I can see the baby moving now through my stomach – like a strange little alien. My feet have started to hurt a lot this week – and my right foot has been swelling up at night, just the right! During my check up this week, the baby was indeed on the right side – head pushing down on my bladder! The doctor said the baby is looking perfect, and her size is around the 50 – 75% size range. She’s been incredibly active! Head is down, feet are kicking the bottom of my ribs constantly.

While your brain might seem to be on hiatus, your baby’s brain is expanding by the day, taking on new functions like temperature regulation. This week, the brain is starting to get that wrinkly, indented look, which will help the brain tissue expand as the baby develops into adulthood. Besides the brain, your baby’s body is continuing to grow — now at just over 3 pounds and 17 inches long.

Week 31: Alec and I went on a mini babymoon this week – to Boston over the 4th of July weekend. It was so great to have a few days holiday, particularly since Alec has been working so hard lately. It was incredibly hot in Boston however, and we didn’t really do a lot – more so a lot of walking from park bench to park bench! No baby updates this week – I can really clearly see and feel her hiccuping now though (turns out a giant slurpee will give a baby in utero a serious case of the hiccups). Her feet keep getting up under my rib cage, and a little elbow sticks out from my side occasionally. I think she recognises Alec’s voice too, as sometimes she responds vigorously to him talking when he gets home at night.

Don’t worry if you’re feeling longer periods of quiet from your little gymnast in there, as the baby is now spending longer stretches of time snoozing. Also, as baby continues to grow and the living quarters get more cramped, he/she will start making more deliberate elbow and knee jabs instead of spastic kicks and movements.

Week 32: It’s hot, hot, hot in the city. I’m trying to stay cool! We’re starting to get more prepared this week – ordering furniture and all the things we’ll need for our new arrival. Baby doctor appointment this week – the doctor tells me again that the baby “isn’t small” and thinks she currently weighs about 2.3kg. Based on expecting her to grow by a further third or double in size, she is likely to be between 3.2 and 3.8kgs. The doctor puts her size down to our genes, but also advises I eat more protein, less carbs.

This week your baby is weighing in at around 4 pounds — which means there are only a few more pounds to go! (Yes, it is possible for your belly to get bigger, believe it or not.) Your baby’s lungs are continuing to mature, producing increasing amounts of surfactant, a fatty liquid that lines the inside of the lungs and helps the sacs within expand efficiently for breathing. Your baby is also practicing sucking and swallowing (which fully coordinates between 32 and 34 weeks), but he/she would still need to be fed with a tube if born this week because suckling might not be efficient.

Your cantaloupe-sized baby is a whopping 5 pounds — even though the extra belly weight probably feels like 15 to you. Her eyes are fully open now, only closing when it’s time to sleep. Even so, that doesn’t mean she can see much. It takes awhile after babies are born for them to focus clearly.

34wks, Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center).

Your baby is about done growing length-wise (reaching around 20 inches this week), but he/she will continue to pack on the pounds until delivery. Rest assured that most of the physical development is complete, and all that’s left is for the lungs to mature and the body fat to keep piling on.

35wks, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The most important thing your baby is doing now is developing the lungs and respiratory system. If you were to deliver today, there’s a slight chance the baby would need a machine, such as a ventilator, to breathe for him or her — but other than that, your baby (and you, most likely) are ready to be done with this pregnancy.

36wks, rooftop of our apartment building.

You are officially full term, meaning there wouldn’t be much of a risk if you were to deliver this week. However, that doesn’t mean he/she is finished growing and developing.

37wks, Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, on my 32nd birthday.

Week 38: This week is all about anticipation. Waiting, waiting, and waiting some more. Extreme tiredness, a pinched nerve in my shoulder, and pain in my teeth and fingernails. I’m craving chocolate milk like mad, and drinking a litre a day, easy. I’m fetting foot rubs from Alec for my painful, swollen feet – the only time during our relationship he has agreed to touch my feet…

We still haven’t decided on a name – we have a long-ish list, and can’t decide on a first OR last name.

I’m starting to get concerned about things like “what if I go into labour on the subway? Or on the sidewalk when I’m on my own? It’s making me want to be a hermit and not leave the apartment.

At my doctor’s appointment this week, I’ve put on 2 pounds (I thought I was meant to be losing weight in the last few weeks?), and the doctor is unable to get good measurements cos she won’t stop wiggling. I’m getting another full ultrasound next week to measure her growth more accurately. The doctor did say however that he thinks she will come a week late. Oh god, I hope he’s wrong. The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more frequent and painful every day, along with the stabbing pains in my pelvis. How can this not be leading to something soon?

We saw our last pre-baby Broadway show – Book of Mormon. It was fantastic, but baby also thought it was fantastic and wouldn’t stop moving the whole time, which made for a pretty uncomfortable few hours of sitting for me!

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she’s over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you’ll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby’s eyes will be? If she’s born with brown eyes, they’ll likely stay brown. If she’s born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she’s 9 months old.

Week 21: Lots of movement going on this week! I usually feel her around 9 – 10am, again around 7-8pm, and then at about 11pm – 12am. Alec has been trying to feel her for the past two weeks and finally felt her moving last night for the first time (April 22 2011).

Your baby’s digestive system is maturing, now enabling the fetus to swallow amniotic fluid, absorb much of the water in it, and then pass unabsorbed matter as far as the large bowel.

Week 22: I’m looking bigger and bigger! I must definitely look pregnant now as I’m getting a lot of looks on the street. Baby clearly loves the theatre as she is really active when I’m watching a show.

During this week, your baby’s skin will make the transformation from being translucent to opaque but will still look red until enough fat builds under the skin layers. The skin will also be very wrinkly under the thick coating of vernix until the fat fills it out.

Week 23: More fun pregnancy symptoms are coming up – swelling feet (I need to buy new shoes!), reflux, back aches, pins and needles. I’ve been so tired this week – it could be a growth spurt or an iron deficiency possibly. One funny moment – Alec placing his ear on my stomach to try and hear the baby’s heartbeat. She responded by kicking him in the head.

Your baby’s brain is now starting to grow rapidly, with billions and billions of brain cells developing in the next couple of weeks. These brain cells will control every aspect of your baby — from breathing to circulation, recognising sensory stimulation to movement, and everything in between.

Week 24: Six months milestone! I had my 6 month check up and everything is looking great. Baby is in the 75th percentile for size/weight. My weight is also looking good – I’m weighing in at 162 pounds (73.5kg). I’ve put on 5 kilos so far, which puts me smack on track. Feeling pretty good except for upper back muscle spasms which started this week. I’m going prenatal yoga twice a week, but clearly it’s not enough.

Your baby — who is almost a foot long — now has hair starting to cover his/her scalp. And while defining characteristics like cowlicks will be visible, the hairs will be short and fine until closer to the birth. As of right now, the hairs don’t have pigment, but in the next several weeks you’ll have a brunette, blonde or carrot top growing in your tummy. Her face is fully formed.

Week 25: I can feel bigger movements now – the baby turning and twisting as well as kicking and punching. I’ve spent most of the week with excruciating back pain – I’m not sure what’s causing it, if it’s the baby pressing against nerves, or my posture changing, but it’s been really painful. I’m feeling moments of panic (I’m not ready! I don’t know how to take care of a baby!) along with feeling more organised as we start to look at furniture and book in childbirth education classes.


Hair now has colour and texture. This is a pretty big week for your baby’s nose and vocal cords. The nostrils are starting to open up now (they were plugged up before) so your baby will be taking some practice “breaths.” And since the vocal cords are officially functioning, prepare to feel a few hiccups here and there!


Week 26: This week, my face got puffy (noooo!!!) and so did my feet, and I started to need to take afternoon naps like a nanna if I go out during the day. Over the weekend we went on a gospel walking tour of Harlem. Baby loved the gospel music, kicking and turning throughout the service.

Your baby’s hearing is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled, he or she may recognise both yours and your partner’s voices.


Week 27: My mental acuity has been slipping since becoming pregnant, and I’ve had some doozys this week: such as deleting my calendar in gmail (it’s not recoverable!). I’ve gotten even clumsier than usual, too. Case in point – cutting, burning, stabbing and bruising myself all in the one day … On baby updates, it’s getting easier for Alec to feel her movements.

This week, your little one weighs in at almost 2 pounds and is almost 15 inches long. Eyelashes are also starting to grow at the ends of the lids, and someone will be taking a first peek around this week, as baby’s eyelids flutter open for the first time. The eyelids won’t stay open for too long yet, but the blinking reflex will begin. More good news: Your baby probably recognises the voice behind all those lullabies now, and he/she is falling in love just as fast as you are.

Week 14 – 15: Moved to New York! What an insane idea that turned out to be. I was so sick during the flight from lack of sleep and general exhaustion from having to carry around huge suitcases and my carry on bags that had two laptops and a hard drive, plus all of my photography equipment in them … not the best idea ever. I tried to go shopping for jeans and nearly cried when none of them fit me. I thought jeans shopping while not being pregnant was tough – I had no idea it would be so traumatic while pregnant! I’m quite tired with the jetlag and finding it harder than usual to adjust to being somewhere different.

Baby is now the length of an apple, weighing about 2 1/2 ounces and measuring 4 inches. At the close of this week, all major organs will be formed (heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, lungs, and spleen), although not necessarily performing their functions yet. The organs will continue to grow and develop over the next couple of months and will be up and running in no time. Blood vessels can be seen through the baby’s thin skin, and although the eyelids are fused shut, the baby can sense light. 



Week 16: Over the jetlag and settling in to New York. I’m busy finding us an apartment and sorting out paper work that needs to be done, but have found a great pre-natel yoga class that I have been doing twice a week. I don’t seem to be any noticeably bigger or be feeling any different to the previous few weeks. I can’t wait to move into our new home so we can start putting the nursery together. We looked at baby things in FAO Swartz yesterday and they were so cute I wanted to buy everything! Met our new doctor – he was great and made us feel very comfortable in his hands. He did a quick scan to try and determine the gender, but the baby was being most inco-operative, so we will have to wait till the next scan to find out.

Baby’s now the size of an avocado! Tiny bones forming in baby’s ears mean she can now pick up my voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Week 17: Just before the end of this week, I started to feel not so good – really tired and unwell. It seems the baby was going through a growth expert, and my tummy popped out a bit. It felt so weird, I could feel the baby pressing down on my organs for the first time.

Baby is about 5 to 5 1/2 inches long from top to tail and weighs a little more than five ounces, about the size of a lobster tail. This week, the bones of the ear become fully formed along with the part of her brain that processes signals from the ears. She may change positions frequently, cross her legs, recline, suck her thumb, and turn somersaults. Her retinas have become light sensitive, and she may be able to detect a glow if you shine bright lights at the belly (even though her eyelids are sealed).

Week 18: It’s getting harder to bend over in my mid-section. It feels like there is a giant waterballon in my way. I felt the baby kick for the first time tonight, while we were at the theatre watching Driving Miss Daisy on the last day of March. She has good taste in theatre already. It felt like a little punch or kick!

At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, she now may be large enough for you to feel her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching her way around the womb. Plus, she’s developing yawning and hiccupping skills and her own unique set of toe and fingerprints.


Week 19: I feel her moving much more frequently this week. It feels incredible! Little pokes from her tiny arms and legs. We go to Washington DC for the weekend and I realise that I look obviously pregnant for the first time on this trip.

Baby is now about the size of a mango. Vernix is beginning to coat the skin, which is a greasy, fat-like substance that provides insulation and regulates body heat as well as protects the skin since it is submerged in amniotic fluid.

Week 20: Halfway there! I had my 20 week ultrasound and everything looks perfect. They confirmed the baby was a girl and gave me the print out to prove it. I was weighed and I’ve put on 4kgs since becoming pregnant – most of it in the last week I think. I have to cut back on the ice cream and cupcakes and get more exercise!

Baby is now the size of a banana. She is now starting to hear sounds, both from inside the uterus and on the outside. She will have no way of identifying the noises yet, but in time will come to recognise our voices over anyone else’s. The baby can now be startled by loud or sudden noises and can hear both my heartbeat and my growling stomach.