27 Weeks

I'm one week away from being in my 3rd trimester! Wow! Already! Where has the time gone?

Here's what Baby Connection has to say about the 27th week of pregnancy:



How your baby's growing:
Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning -- with assistance -- if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you 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 isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently -- even in the womb. This developmental information is designed to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing.

How your life’s changing:
Your body is gearing up for the final lap, so you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your uterus is putting extra demands on your circulation. (As your uterus expands, it puts pressure on the blood vessels that return blood from your legs to your heart and on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.) Unfortunately, the cramps are likely to get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. Flexing your foot (by pointing your toes forward and then flexing them back toward your shins) stretches the calf and should give you some relief. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

It may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, but it's not too soon to think about family planning. You'll want to have made some decisions before your baby arrives. And in some states, if you're considering a tubal ligation during your hospital stay, laws require that you sign a consent form at least a month before delivery day. (You can still change your mind later.)

Thankfully, I'm not experiencing leg cramps (now, where's that wood? lol j/k). I am still having lower back pains whenever I do stuff like sweep and mop. I have to do a little at a time, take a break and so on like that until I'm finished (is it ever finished? really?).

I was looking up some stuff about tubal ligations. My sil, Jessica, said she's gonna get one after this 4th baby is born. Looks like Medicaid will pay for it and that its best to have it done shortly after the baby is born as the tubes are closer to the birth canal, easier to get to, for the doctors. I haven't finished researching all of that birth control stuff though. I am still looking at vascectomies. Supposedly, that's an outpatient thing and has a really quick recovery time. I think Medicaid may even cover that... like I said, I'm still looking into that. Of course, neither tubals nor vascectomies are 100%. Your body can repair itself over time and you can end up pregnant. On one message board I read that this man had a vas., recovered fine, then after a couple years, started having some soreness in his penis. Went to get it checked out, no infection, everything was fine and he was feeling better in not too long of a time afterwards. However, not much longer after that episode, his wife was pregnant and he got himself checked and found out that his body had repaired itself and the baby was for him! lol So, now his wife is getting a tubal and he's getting another vascectomy, just to make sure no more accidents happen!