Thirty Two Weeks

How far along: 32 weeks as of May 8, 2012.
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 3 pounds 12 ounces (the size of a large jicama?) and is about 16.7 inches long.  However, I had a doctor appointment today, and he is measuring a week ahead.  So, again, it looks like he's going to be a big guy.  And, apparently, he will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of his birth weight in the next seven weeks, so the growing is going to keep on going!  He now has toenails, fingernails, and hair, and his skin is becoming soft and smooth.
Movement: Oh, boy.  This category is detailed today.  I'll describe at the end of the summary.
Sex of baby: Boy!
Sleep: Still fine.
Cravings: Sweets, salads from a local create-your-own salad place, Mexican food (shocker!)
Symptoms: Some swelling in my ankles.  Also, I can't believe I forgot to mention this for last week's post, but my right big toe has been numb for about two weeks!  It's apparently normal and nothing to worry about, just a nuisance.  It's the strangest thing, and it's only the one toe.
What I'm looking forward to: Our baby preparation class tomorrow.  We get a tour of the hospital where we'll deliver, and we learn some baby care techniques.  Also, we watch a birth video.  Here's hoping Mark doesn't pass out!


Here's the long story for Beansprout's movement: I had my 32 week appointment today.  The doctor was asking about how things are going, and I mentioned that I feel the baby move much more often during the day than at night.  I said it seems to be the opposite for most people.  I expected her to say, "Oh, that's normal, different babies have different movement patterns."  Instead, she asked whether I feel him move at least 5 times an hour at night.  I wasn't sure, and I haven't really been paying attention, because he's so active during the day.  So, then she orders a non-stress test, to make sure Beansprout is doing fine.  The real name of this test should be called the "stress test," because it is extremely stress-inducing for the mama!  They strap two monitors around your belly to measure the baby's heartrate and determine whether you're having contractions.  Every time the baby moves, you click a button.  The heartrate and contraction numbers are charted on a piece of paper that continually runs throughout the process. 
So, for 30 minutes, I lie there, anxious and worried, and Beansprout moves 12 times.  His heartrate was stable in the 140s.  I thought everything was fine, since he moved more than 5 times and his heartrate was stable.  But, once the nurse sees the pattern, she brings me apple juice and has me test for another 30 minutes.  The apple juice woke Beansprout up, and he went crazy moving, which made his heart rate fluctuate from the 130s to the 160s.  Apparently, that's what you want to see: that the baby responds to movement by experiencing changes in the heartrate.  If his heart rate hadn't fluctuated with the apple juice, they would have been concerned.  But, since it did, he received a clean bill of health, which was a huge relief!  I do have to go in next week to repeat the test.  This time I will be drinking juice ahead of time!
We also learned that I am having no contractions, and that Beansprout hasn't dropped at all.  So, it looks like he's camping out for the long haul, and my fears of premature delivery were unfounded!