Four Days, Four Updates...

This photo is a picture of a baby born 7 weeks premature, or roughly what Billy would look like if he were born today. This baby is a few days old and is resting peacefully in his Father's hands. Notice that the little guy is essentially fully developed. He's just really small.

The fourth update in four days kicks off Week 33 and gets us caught back up before Antoinette's Mom gets to town. Billy is about 4.5 lbs. now. His total length is around 19 inches. He's reached another major milestone. With the exception of crying, he's now able to do everything that a newborn baby can do. While he is still restricted in his tight quarters, he's still fully capable of kicking, punching, and drawing his arms and legs across his Mother's belly. Feeling those movements with your hand is very interesting. You can feel the strength he already possesses in his small frame.

Billy is still sleeping away the vast majority of the day. He only wakes up about 3-4 times a day for 10-30 minute intervals. His little brain already contains billions of neurons with trillions of connections. Its likely that he has shifted himself into the proper birth position already, but we'll have to wait until Antoinette's appointment tomorrow to see if the doctor can accurately determine that.

The homestretch is beginning. Antoinette has just four weeks to full term. At this point, the sizeable uterus has begun putting increased downward pressure on the bladder, which will mean even more trips to the bathroom than what already seems like every 15 minutes. Consider that the uterus has already expanded 500 times its original size and you'll know why this is happening. Red blood cell production is beginning to catch up to plasma production in Antoinette's body, which means fatigue may finally begin to fade away. Billy's eye color is likely a shade of blue at the moment. His real eye color (87% chance it will be brown) may not be determined until he is 3-12 months old (they'll be brown). The final stages of eye pigmentation development involves actual contact with light. Hence the reason it takes a few months after birth to determine.

Babies that are born at 7 weeks premature have issues primarily revolving around size, feeding, and growth. Since babies pack on the beef in the final three or four weeks leading up to full term (37 weeks), babies born at this stage tend to be small, sluggish eaters. The reason is that it takes so much energy to actually feed that the little guy runs out of gas after barely taking in enough nourishment to break even. The result is slower weight gain in premature babies born at this stage. Extra calorie and vitamin rich formulas are often used to help the little fella maximize his food intake in the limited time he has the energy to feed. One of the biggest issues for a baby born at this stage is apnea, which is where babies (or adults) literally stop the physiological process of breathing or respiration for a given period of time. Ultimately, the problem typically works itself out and is not a major issue for the baby.

Antoinette's Mom arrives tomorrow, so we'll put off the next Baby Blog update for at least a few days.