Week 23

I just don’t understand how I can go from a papaya last week to a grapefruit this week?  I have never seen a papaya smaller than a grapefruit?!  Speaking of papaya (how many times can I write papaya in one paragraph anyways), ugh...not for me!  That was the first (and last) fresh one I’ve ever purchased and would say it’s definitely an acquired taste!! :s

Here I sit in my 23^rd week, eating a handful of mixed nuts at work...and wondering to myself if I could possibly trigger an anaphylactic reaction in my unborn baby!? Oh the things I think about...so let’s ask Google.  No where could I find any literature that spoke to causing a reaction in utero so there must be some sort of protective mechanism in place.  (Probably Immunoglobulins) However, there were many contradictory articles about whether eating tree nuts protected or promoted allergies after birth.  In fact, one website published “Eating Peanuts while pregnant may up allergy risk”, then followed that up with “Eating more nuts during pregnancy might help prevent allergies in kids”!? lol  So I guess I’ll just keep eating my nuts!  ;)

In an attempt to fully prepare myself for breast feeding this time around, (as I wasn’t too successful the first time), I’ve been researching various supplements and foods to eat to ensure a healthy milk supply post partum.  (This seems to be a very food oriented blog entry this week!?)  As I mentioned previously, there is placenta encapsulation, fenugreek supplement, nutritional yeast, as well as lactation cookies and Mothers Milk Tea.   But, there are also “normal” things to eat that I’ve been adding (or increasing) in my diet.  Like good old fashioned oatmeal, spinach, hummus, salmon, apricots and brown rice.  They are all considered to be “Lactogenic” – lactation stimulating.  Guess what other food was on the list??  PAPAYA!  I kid you not!  Ugh!

What’s happening with baby this week? “Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking (Hear’s a lot) or the roar of the vacuum cleaner (Doesn’t hear a lot! lol) — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb. “