Your baby should weigh between 4 and 5 pounds by this thirty-third week, and be almost 17 inches in length. As the fatty layers continue to build under the skin, all the bones (except for the skull) continue to harden. The reason the skull doesn’t harden is that it needs to remain flexible and soft in order to travel through the birthing canal.  As the lungs continue to mature, your baby is continuing to practice his or her breathing patterns for life outside the womb.

Your Body at Week 33

Insomnia- With the hormonal changes, midnight bathroom runs, leg cramps, heartburn and your basketball-sized belly, it’s no wonder sleep is elusive. Third-trimester insomnia strikes about three in four pregnant women (who may also be coping with anxiety about your upcoming birth and a mind that races all night long thinking about your to-do-before-the-baby-comes list). At 33 weeks pregnant, your body needs rest, so remember that worrying about it won’t help and neither will staring at the clock watching the minutes tick by. Instead, do your best to get comfy — before bed and when you get in it. Try a warm bath and perhaps a warm cup of milk before turning in, avoid exercising, eating or drinking too close to bedtime and solicit your partner for a massage (you deserve it!). If sleep still eludes you, read a book or listen to soothing music until drowsiness sets in. And look on the bright side: Pregnancy insomnia is great training for those sleepless nights to come!

TRY THIS: OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

OK. THAT’S ENOUGH OF THAT.

We should probably unsubscribe to the weekly pregnancy what to expect emails but it’s incredible to see how much Jack had left to do developmentally inside and is now doing on the outside for the past eight weeks. 

To measure up, Jack is currently-

Weight- 3 lbs 14 oz (we see you 4 lbs!)

Height- 17 inches 

Fatty layers are filling those adorable cheeks nicely and making them so smoochable. 

Skull still soft and Jack’s fontanelle is checked daily to track the fluid build up associated with his brain bleed. We have been taught how to check the fontanelle with the nurses supervision and its scary to touch such a vulnerable body part. 

Lungs continue to mature. Jack is still on CPAP since being extubated a few weeks back which is great for his lungs to rest from the month he was intubated and develop on their own. Now we are trying to wean him down on settings as to not have long term complications with eyesight and overall respiratory.

Mom’s Body- Insomnia. Check.  (Are there omega-3 fatty acids in XXL coffees?)

Welcome to the ninth week Jack! You’ve come a long way baby! What the above email update failed to mention is how unbelievably proud your parents would be of you at this point. There isn’t a moment we take for granted or forget how hard you are working to survive and grow. You are the strongest member of this family. 

We are officially past the two month mark of our stay at chateau NICU and just celebrated our third holiday. Along with many things happening in our lives right now, Christmas was slightly different. It was 60 degrees in New York and we opened gifts under a plastic isolette. It was different but perfectly ours.  

We did have a tiny Christmas miracle though- it was the day Jack surpassed the 1,500 gram mark and his temperature probe came off so he can learn to regulate his own body temp. Who cares? MOMMY CARES! That was the moment we were allowed to dress him in clothes…real clothes! For any first time Mom reading this, think about not being able to buy adorable little baby clothes for nine weeks. Some might find it nice to not have to think about it but I fall into the first timer category that enjoys overbuying clothes he will likely grow out of before wearing them all. His first outfit was on Christmas Eve and when we got the green light I sprinted back to our car (where I had a basket full of clothes on the ready just in case) to pull out the tiniest holiday onesie. If you’ve been following our journey, you can take a wild shot in the dark as to our reaction. Tears. So many wonderful tears shed to see a real baby boy swimming in his first preemie onesie. It was a very Merry Christmas.

Next stop: New Year’s Eve.  Bring it 2016, we are so over you 2015!