Dear Pooh Bear,

Well dear one it looks like we are starting our 6th month together! Can you believe we are rounding to the end of the second trimester? I really can’t believe it! This trimester has gone pretty fast. It’s not that I am wishing away this pregnancy, but I just can’t wait to meet you!

Your mommy is a bit short wasted, and it turns out your foot long frame is causing a ruckus in my belly sometimes. When you sit low my bladder feels like it could fall out at any moment, and when you are high up I feel rather stuffed! All seems to even out a bit better when I lay down, so luckily your mom is a champ when it comes to laying down. Your daddy seems shocked at the amount of trips I take to the bathroom. It’s been going on for a while now so I have to wonder when he will get used to it?

I am starting to get an idea of how different life is going to be once you are here. Don’t get me wrong, I am so ready for it all, but it is hard sometimes to wrap my head around it. Everything about our little life here will be different. Good different, but different all the same. Your daddy has been making sure he goes out as much as possible these days, but your mommy is getting used to staying in. I keep reminding your daddy that the days of sleeping till noon will soon be over, but I don’t think he gets the picture just yet. I am sure you will help him learn very quickly.

People are already starting to buy you things! How fun is that? Once you get here we will have lots of stuff for you to use and play with! Most likely we will have more stuff than we actually need, but nothing but the best for you dear Pooh Bear! That doesn’t mean we are going to spoil you. Your daddy and I want to raise a well behaved and appreciative little boy, and we will be quick to remind you. But right now we are just so super excited how can we resist???

My weight so far has been pretty stable. I believe I have gained 11 or 12 lbs so far. Kind of funny since you just weigh over 1 lb at this point. Sometimes your mommy doesn’t feel as pretty as she used to, but I guess that’s all a part of being pregnant. If you keep making me like fatty foods and baked goods I think the problem is only going to get worse!

Pooh Bear: 24 Weeks!

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.

Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby’s odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn’t mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you’ll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

Look at how big you are getting! Keep building those little lungs because we need them to be nice and strong when you come out. Let’s just hope your taste buds develop better than your mommy’s, and you aren’t a picky eater like me. Can’t wait to see what else this week brings!

Love, Mommy