Date of checkup:20 April 2002

Sorry, this time we didn't get any copies of the ultrasound images, although my BPD, abdominal circumference, and femur length were routinely measured by ultrasound to determine my estimated weight. In two weeks I have gained a hefty 500 grams (weighing at 1.8 kg now). My position has been verified to be vertex (head down), hurrah! I'm really getting bigger by the week.

From last time's checkup, the doctor found out that Mom is becoming anemic (quite prevalent among pregnant women), and therefore prescribed some supplementary iron tablets for her to take starting this week. Baby gets what baby needs -- I'm afraid I'm sucking all the iron out of her system, haha.

Mom and Dad have been taking "belly pictures" since the pregnancy started, it's just that Mom doesn't want to have her pictures posted in this site (at least not yet). Anyway, all this time she thought she was having the breeze of this pregnancy: no hemorrhoids, varicose veins, or even stretchmarks. To her horror, when she closely examined this week's belly pictures, she noticed some reddish streaks across the lower part of her belly. Que horror!!! She was pretty upset about it, I think mostly it was because she had prided herself at having avoided them this far. She later learned that Grandma had those stretchmarks when she was pregnant with Mom. I guess that's genetics for you. :-)

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In the know:
The baby's brain begins to take on a wrinkled appearance because of its rapid growth. The wrinkling of the surface of the brain is normal and necessary. The wrinkles are called convolutions. A convoluted brain contains more brain cells than a smooth, nonconvoluted brain and is potentially more powerful. During this month the baby will actively absorb and store nutrients the mother's body makes available: calcium for its developing skeleton, iron for its red blood cells, and protein for its growth.

Since the baby's eyes are now unfused, they can open and close. Much of the time, the baby's eyes are open and the eyes are practicing "looking" movements.

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