29 Weeks

The baby now weighs about 2.5 pounds, and is measuring about 15 inches from head to toe. The sex organs are starting to mature, for a boy, his testicles are starting to descend from near the kidneys en route to the scrotum. The baby's head is getting bigger, and the brain growth is very rapid at this point. Nearly all babies will react to sound by 30 weeks. During the third trimester, the baby's nutritional needs will peak. Protein, Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Iron and Calcium are all very important - about 200mg of calcium is deposited to the baby's skeleton every day! The baby's skeleton is hardening more and more every day, as the brain, muscles and lungs are continuing to mature.

So, tomorrow I go for part 2 of the glucose test. My results we a tad high for the one hour test, which apparently quite common, so I need to go again. This time, I'll fast for 10-16 hours before the test, they'll then take my blood for a baseline. Once this is done, I'll drink the awful orange sugar drink and wait. They'll then take my blood again after an hour, and again after 2 hours. This will show the rate at which my body processes the sugar.

Gestational Diabetes occurs when my body can't process the glucose I'm ingesting. It's not because of diet, although a change in diet is used to help control it - it's caused by the hormones the placenta is secreting. If my body doesn't produce enough insulin for the glucose I'm ingesting, then the glucose can be absorbed through the placenta by the baby. This can cause macrosomia - which is other terms is just a big baby. But a big baby presents it's own risks when delivering - shoulder dystocia being one (when the baby's shoulders are pulled when trying to get out.)

So, I'm trying not to get myself worked up - I'll know before my appt next week what the results are, hopefully...