Day 21: 30 Weeks!

Baby Boy and I made it to 30 weeks today!  Yea!  Now on to the 31 week mark and beyond!  These last three weeks of bed rest, contractions, and hospital visits have been crazy, but even with that Baby Boy and I have managed to hang in there (and so have J and B).  I do not actually have a goal to make it X amount of weeks, I'm just trying to keep this baby cooking for as long as I can.  I'm comforted to know that if this baby were born now, he'd do a lot better than he would have at 26-29 weeks, when I started having issues.  We're just getting through one week (and sometimes even one day) at a time and then we go from there.  Three weeks ago, 30 weeks seemed a LONG ways off, but it's here, and so now we can work toward the next weekly milestone.   31 weeks, here we come!

Highlights of Week Thirty (28 week fetal age):

Baby's length is 15-16 inches and baby's weight is about 3 pounds. The head is almost 3.5 inches (8cm) in diameter. The feet are nearly 2.5 inches (6cm) long. The wrinkled skin is becoming smoother now. Brain is developing wrinkles and looking more like a mature brain. Brain cells forming The baby controls its own body temperature. Bone marrow is now responsible for red cell production, not the umbilical cord. These red blood cells will continue to service Baby's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes. Baby begins storing iron, calcium and phosphorus. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. Head and body are now proportioned like a newborn. Hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing.