We have crossed the halfway point and are well into it now. Overall, I feel great. No more nausea, no more headaches. But here’s the thing…
I’m exhausted.
Perpetually tired. Always half asleep. In bed every day at 8 o’clock and asleep by 8:02 kind of tired. Even after 11 hours of sleep, I am in a mild coma.
I go down every day to this little room on the second floor called “The Quiet Room”. It’s a room filled with couches and chairs that does not allow food, drink, cell phones or conversation. It’s supposed to be a sanctum of quiet for you to rest for your break. There are lunchrooms and amenities rooms for your unwashed masses…those of us that need quiet though can find it on the second floor. And anyone that has a toddler understands the fact that the Quiet Room is filled with harried young parents, desperate for JUST FIVE MINUTES OF QUIET. Yesterday, I almost slipped under my desk and fell asleep so I went to The Quiet Room to rest. I said to myself “I just need 15 minutes.” 45 MINUTES LATER, I woke myself up…with my own snoring. I was snoring so loud that I woke myself up. Every other parent in the room was glaring at me like “this is supposed to be the QUIET ROOM, you snorer.” And then I dragged myself back to my desk in disgrace and attempted for two solid hours to write a business case but when I was finished, it didn’t even resemble a complete sentence.
The baby has been very active lately by contrast. Evidently any energy that I was supposed to get in the second trimester has been diverted to this little gymnast. It’s very busy and we are having a good time getting to know each other. I like this baby already. They’ve got spunk.
The fetus now weighs about three-quarters of a pound/ 360 grams. Up until now she has been measured from crown to rump but from this point on the measurement will be from crown to heel. And from crown to heel she is approximately 10.5 inches/ 27 centimetres long. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and the fingernails cover the fingertips.
Your baby can now hear your conversations. If you talk, read, or sing to your baby, expect her to hear you. Some studies have found that newborns will suck more vigorously when read to from a book they heard frequently in utero. If you want to try, pick a book now and read it out loud. Make sure you won’t mind reading it over and over once the baby is here. It may be your baby’s favourite bedtime story for a long time after birth.
