2011年12月1日（星期四）
Week 20:Half-way to the finish line!
This week you're carrying around 10.5 inches and 10.5 ounces of solid magical baby goodness!
Your fantastic fetus' fragile tiny bones continue to ossify and toughen while their itsy bitsy finger and toe pads (and unique finger prints) are finishing up.
Your little womb-dancer also has teeth buds sprouting beneath their gum line.
And finally! Your wee one's limbs have reached their relative proportions — no more bobble-head!
Their little pink lips are more defined, and might be helping out in a bit of prenatal thumb-sucking.
If you have a little boy: their tiny testes are descending, though they have not yet passed the abdominal wall.
And in a final anti-alien development: the first of their tiny eyelashes and eyebrows are now present.
Essentially, your little one really does looks like a miniature baby — and we do mean miniature - your little swimmer currently weighs a mere eighth of their birth weight.
Good work mama! You're bakin' a beautiful baby and you're already half-done!
And how's mom doing?
Not that we need to tell you, but your baby is starting to seem like a kick-boxer in training with no appreciation for your exhausted-pregnant-momma sleep needs.Trying to push your baby out while flat on your back makes gravity work against you (and your baby) as your belly compresses your pelvic cavity - effectively making it more difficult for your baby to pass through the birth canal. in or out of bed.
Unfortunately for your sleep schedule, your little independent thinker will continue to operate on their own time table (remember: they're being lulled to sleep by your body's movement during your waking hours) throughout the rest of pregnancy.
Labor & Birth Basics
If you're like most women, your notion of labor and birth has been shaped by the media's depiction of a screaming woman whose water breaks dramatically, followed by her laboring on her back screaming and panting and straining until the baby pops out.
Hollywood - as usual, is almost completely wrong.
Actually, water breakage is rare and is usually only a trickle when it does occur. Many women think they accidentally peed themselves!
Secondly, a woman can easily labor at home for the majority of her labor and should make a concerted effort to stay upright throughout labor by walking and leaning, stretching and bathing, while tracking the rate and intensity of contractions
Lastly - and most importantly: one of the worst positions for laboring or pushing a baby out of your vagina, is on your back. You might as well try to give birth standing on your head!
Trying to push your baby out while flat on your back makes gravity work against you (and your baby) as your belly compresses your pelvic cavity - effectively making it more difficult for your baby to pass through the birth canal.
Typically, women are told to lie down in the hospital because it's the best position for the doctor to get "in there" and see what's happening with the baby.
Alternate positions that open your pelvic cavity and work withgravity include squatting (typically with the assistance of your partner), sitting, reclining, leaning, and laying on your side.
When the time comes to push, do not let others direct you to lie flat on your back, instead opt for an upright position that feels stable, opens your pelvic cavity and works with gravity.
Critical Issues To Research & Resolve
We cover many of these issues in the upcoming weeks, but recommend exploring the various available sources for a broader and more in-depth perspective.
- Understanding & planning your labor and birth
- The many benefits and challenges of breastfeeding
- For parents of boys: the risks of circumcision
- Your infant's vaccine schedule
- The cost & impact of cloth diapering vs. disposable
- Normal infant & toddler behavior & development
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