Pregnancy: Week 28

October 12-18
This week is the start of my third trimester–we’re in the home-stretch now! The final trimester! (Not counting that dreaded “4th trimester” of course, when I try to lose all the baby weight I’ve gained, all while breastfeeding, burping, and diaper changing non-stop–on zero sleep. But I digress…) The big baby developmental news this week is that our daughter is learning how to blink her eyes. She is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long, her lungs are almost fully formed, and her sleep now includes the REM phase, which means she could be dreaming (of how good of a baby she plans to be for her Mom and Dad, of course)!

G and I started our childbirth education classes this week. The first three classes are on labor and delivery and this week’s class consisted of watching birth videos. That’s right, I said videos. Plural. More than one. In fact, we got to witness multiple women giving birth–up close and personal–multiple times. That’s just a lot more vag than I care to see on a Thursday night when I could be home watching Grey’s Anatomy. Luckily the videos didn’t take up the entire class period–we also talked a lot about early labor signs, what to do about them, when to call your doctor, when to go to the hospital, etc. The class ended with some relaxation and massage techniques which was nice.

Now comes the part where I gloat about my husband: G was the star pupil of the class! He was one of the first to speak up when the instructor was trying to engage us, he studied the hand-outs, took notes, and when they split us up for small group discussion–moms on one side of the room, partners on the other–G took charge of the guys’ group and got everyone communicating. Not a small feat! I was so proud of him, although I really shouldn’t be surprised. Early in this pregnancy I overheard G telling someone that “we’re pregnant.” I corrected him and said, “No. We’re expecting. I’m pregnant.” Looking back, I couldn’t have been more wrong. He has been a true partner with me throughout every step of this pregnancy. He reads the books, gets weekly emails about our baby’s development as well as what I’m going through, is right next to me at every doctor’s appointment, and most of all, he’s just been all-around supportive, helpful, and understanding. He gives me foot rubs after a long day, cleans the kitchen when he knows I’m tired (which is pretty much every day!), doesn’t take it personally when I get short with him for no good reason, and reassures me when I’m anxious or worried. I pretty much cannot imagine anyone being more involved or more supportive. I might be the one carrying the baby, but as I look back over the first and second trimesters and ahead to the third, there’s just no doubt–we really are going through this pregnancy together.

Additional Week 28 Posts:
Melissa Oholendt Photography (Our Pregnancy Photo Shoot)