Dear Baby Bean #6

Week #6
11/8/11
 
Dear Baby Bean,
You are now 23 weeks and 2 days. Your ears are developed, along with your fingernails. Your lungs are just beginning though. I think one of the scariest things about premature births is that the lungs are so important but they’re one of the last things to develop in the womb. It makes sense, of course, because you get your oxygen from my blood, not by breathing, so you don’t need them until late. Still, it’s frightening.
 
I’ve learned that aside from babies here being generally smaller than babies born at lower altitudes, it’s not uncommon for babies here to need oxygen for a while after they’re born. I do wonder how that will affect you as a baby and later on as you grow up. I was born at about 100 ft. above sea level, and only because the hospital was one of the highest points in my town. It’s been hard for my body to adjust to living closer to 6,250 ft. above sea level. Maybe by being born here in the mountains, it will be easier for you to adjust to different altitudes. And even though you’ll probably be smaller than you would have been otherwise, I think it will even out to about average, since your daddy and his brother were both pretty big babies.
 
I’m missing your dad quite a lot lately. He’s been at training since late October and won’t be back for another couple weeks. I suppose I should get used to it. You should too, since you probably won’t be meeting him until close to your first birthday. I wouldn’t be surprised if your first thoughts about Daddy were that he lived in the computer screen. It sucks, but there are a lot of advantages to being a military brat. I think it’ll make you a stronger person in the long run.
 
Love,
Mommy