33 weeks (-7)

Pregnancy symptoms are about the same. It's gotten more difficult to sleep. This is the thing that will get me in the end. I've only been sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night. Thank God I can nap a little, but more sleep at night would be better. Most people start sleeping in a recliner at this point but we don't have one and aren't buying one for 7 weeks.

This kid is also so high that he feels like he's attached to my right lung. The back and hip pain isn't too bad. It's there, but I'm managing.

I've been told that I'm not allowed to exercise. I tried last week and would have ended up at the hospital had I called them. I didn't want to go so I didn't call. I had lots of braxton hicks contractions for several hours after. They said that after I get to 36 weeks I can exercise a little so only 3 more weeks to go. Until then I'll simply enjoy swimming.

This Week:

• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
• While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
• You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
• Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).