Date of checkup: 18 May 2002

We have a breakthrough this week: Mom hits the 70-kg mark while I hit the 2.6-kg mark. No worries now about being underweight when I make my grand entrance. :-)

But still, the doctor believes that I will become a "giant" baby of some sort and therefore asked that Mom's blood be tested for diabetes. Although Mom thinks this is somewhat unnecessary, it wouldn't hurt to take precautionary measures.

During this week's checkup, Mom had the first-time experience of being hooked up to an external electronic fetal monitor (EFM). This is a device that monitors the baby's heartbeat as well as the mother's uterine contractions. They usually hook women up to this device when they're in labor, but in this case, Mom was made to lie on a bed whie they take the measurements. This composes the non-stress test where the fetal heartbeat is monitored for possible abnormalities. By the way, this test isn't painful in any way, except for the lying position that made Mom very uncomfortable! Try lying on your back with a 10-kg pack of rice on your tummy, and see if it's any fun.

On some other developments, Mom's blood was tested for hemoglobin count, and hurrah, she's finally back to the normal level. She can stop taking those Fe tablets now.

Mom's maternity leave starts this week! She can now drop all concerns about work and focus on the more demanding job ahead. While she isn't scared at all about the birth process and all, she is quite worried about what happens when I arrive. The usual anxieties of a first-time mom.

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In the know:
From this point on, the baby has the maturity to adapt to living outside the womb if born. This is reassuring news, especially since some babies apparently can't wait to leave their cramped quarters!

Even though the baby's eyes can now process visual informaiton, it's difficult to imagine what the baby's world must look like to it, especially since their focusing ability is poor. Even after birth, babies usually see primary colors most clearly for a while.

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