Dear Pooh Bear,

Today begins your 26th week! (although according to the ultrasounds you are measuring about 5 days ahead of this) You’ve become so active little one. You are always moving around and kicking. It seems that you don’t like to keep one position for long! Your favorite spot to be is low in my belly, low and to the right of my belly button. I am not sure which part of your body is there, but it seems that part likes to dig right into my belly. Ouch!

Last week I had the gestational diabetes test. I had to drink a VERY sweet drink and they test my blood to make sure I can handle the sugar. No results yet,  so keep your tiny fingers crossed that I don’t have to take further tests! Other than that the doctor gave us a clean bill of health. Phew! I think I may have to throw away my pregnancy books soon, since they all like to tell me the things the CAN go wrong. I know it’s important to be informed, but some things like pre term labor and such just makes me a hypochondriac. Luckily, our doctors are good at handling me and make me feel better. Your mommy can be a bit nuts sometimes (which I am sure you will learn very quickly)

The good news is that my belly button would still be considered an inny…but it is quickly becoming a flatty! I am just hoping that it stays that way at least until your Aunt Kelly’s wedding. Your mommy’s Matron of Honor dress will look just fine if that belly button can stay in!

Your daddy was a groomsmen at one of his best friend’s wedding last weekend. You got to come too! You sat in your favorite spot for a while which made your mommy a bit uncomfortable, but once we started to dance you found a new spot. It also seems you like reggae music, because when Bob Marley came on for the cake cutting you gave me lots of kicks and punches. You even gave others a big fist pump to say hi!

Your mommy has been pretty tired recently, because it’s beginning to get harder to get a good night sleep. If anything at all wakes me up I have to pee, and that normally happens about 3 times a night. After that, I have a little trouble falling back to sleep. I guess this is natures way of getting me ready for your arrival, because as great as you are Pooh Bear, I know you will give your mommy a lot of sleepless nights!

Pooh Bear 26 Weeks

How your baby’s growing:

The network of nerves in your baby’s ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner’s as you chat with each other. He’s inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he’s born and takes that first gulp of air. And he’s continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you’re having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Are you rushing around trying to get to childbirth classes and prepare your baby’s room while still taking care of all your other daily tasks? Make sure that you also continue to eat well and get plenty of rest. Around this time, your blood pressure may be increasing slightly, although it’s probably still lower than it was before you got pregnant. (Typically, blood pressure falls toward the end of the first trimester, and it tends to reach a low at about 22 to 24 weeks.)

Preeclampsia — a serious disorder characterized by high blood pressure and protein in your urine — most often shows up after 37 weeks, but it can happen earlier so it’s important to be aware of the warning signs of this condition. Call your caregiver if you have swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, or rapid weight gain (more than 4 pounds in a week). With more severe preeclampsia, you may experience other symptoms. Let your caregiver know immediately if you have a severe or persistent headache, vision changes (including double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, sensitivity to light, or temporary loss of vision), intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen, or vomiting.

If your lower back seems a little achy lately, you can thank both your growing uterus — which shifts your center of gravity, stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, and may be pressing on a nerve — as well as hormonal changes that loosen your joints and ligaments. Plus, the extra weight you’re carrying means more work for your muscles and increased stress on your joints, which is why you may feel worse at the end of the day. Walking, standing, or sitting for long periods, as well as bending and lifting can all put a strain on your back. A warm bath or hot compress might bring relief. (Some women, though, find cool compresses more comforting.) Try to maintain good posture during the day, avoid activities that require bending and twisting at the same time, take frequent breaks when sitting or standing, and sleep on your side with one or both knees bent with a pillow between your legs, using another pillow (or wedge) to support your abdomen.

Look at that! It says you can hear your daddy and I better now! You get so much stronger each week! I get so excited reading about how you are developing in there. I still wonder what you are doing when you are swimming around in my belly. You are definitely a busy boy in there!