Week 24: Stats

Another month has past and Baby Allison is getting BIG!! I have been gaining a bit of weight which is a relief and my belly measures 26"! (It should be approximately the same as the number of weeks gestation +/- 2", so I'm a bit on the big side.) She is still as active as ever and her heartbeat is really strong. While she still has quite a bit of cooking to do, her survival rate would actually be pretty good if she were born now. I find that very reassuring because I keep joking that she is trying to bust out of my belly with her strong kicking! Some other fun facts:

Week Twenty-Four

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• Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
• His body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
• Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
• Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved as he sucks his thumb.
• Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
• His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
• This week your baby is officially considered viable.
• Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

As for my health, I think it's safe to say that I will be stuck on the steroids until delivery. Best guess is that my last flare was caused by tapering off the meds too quickly. This can be a common response when the disease begins to go through withdrawal. I have to be very aware of everything I'm eating to monitor the effects each has on my digestive function. As well as I have eliminated most processed foods which has helped quite a bit. Besides that, I'm taking it day by day, anxiously awaiting Spring when we get to meet our little gymnast!