36 Week Pic

36 Weeks!!!

According to "What to expect" for this week, baby is about 6 lbs & measures slightly more than 20 inches in length.

Baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his or her little body. Most of baby's bones & cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few yrs of life) allowing for an easier journey as baby squeezes thru the birth canal at delivery. The skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver thru the birth canal.

Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he or she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

By now, many of baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation has been perfected & baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him or her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. One such example--digestion--which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that?? Inside his or her little gestational cocoon, the baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system--though developed--hasn't been operational. So baby will take the first yr or two to bring that system up to speed.

I washed a bunch of baby stuff a couple days ago. I don't know how many newborn and 0-3 month outfits to wash though in case we have a bigger baby and the newborn outfits don't even fit. I also bought a waterproof pad to put under me on our bed. We have a pillow top mattress and I wouldn't want it ruined if my water were to break during the night. That would be a disaster since I've heard it smells like ammonia. Yech. I guess u could say I'm preparing for this baby to come early now. I know women can walk around 2 cm dilated for a few weeks and nothing happens, but I'd rather be prepared. I'll be anxious to see if I've made any more progress at my next dr appt although I don't really look forward to the internal exam again. But I guess I just have to deal with it. Giving birth will be 10 times worse than an internal, I'm sure.

Dr visit

I went to the Dr today. I had my first internal exam. Not too fun, it was uncomfortable & it hurt. The good news is that I'm 2 cm dilated and the baby is head down! Progress for me! My swelling is still bad. She looked at my legs today and they are like big sausages. She said they are so tight. I've gained 7 lbs since my appt last week. It has to be water weight. I haven't been eating in excess at all cuz most sweet or salty foods taste really weird to me and leave a gross taste in my mouth. I guess that is a good thing, then I'm not indulging in a bunch of junk. But on the other hand, it stinks cuz of all the holiday goodies I'd like to eat! My blood pressure is still in the normal range. I did have a bit of protein in my urine again today. I got the results of my Strep B test and I tested negative, so that is good. Baby's heartbeat was in the 160 range.
I think the baby has "dropped". Three people have told me this. I feel a lot more pressure now too and a lot of tightness across my stomach. As nervous as I am to give birth, it will be nice not to have pregnancy symptoms. But then I'll be dealing with post partum issues in addition to caring for a baby. I have a lot of tingling in my right hand and still have heartburn like every day. Pepcid AC is a good friend of mine.

35 Weeks!!!

According to "What to expect" for this week-- at about 20 inches & 5.5 lbs, most of baby's growth over the next month or so will be in weight, not height (baby has pretty much reached the in-utero limit in that dept). Fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days. Back in the middle of my pregnancy, baby's weight was made up of only 2% fat, now that percentage has soared to closer to 15% (and it will increase to 30% at term). Baby's once skinny arms & legs are now quite plump.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds the brain, the skull, remains soft. & for good reason, a soft skull will allow the baby to squeeze more easily thru the birth canal. Imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head! Yeah, well, I'm still trying to imagine pushing out a soft skulled head.

I went to the Dr yesterday. I'm still swollen. My blood pressure was fine though. I might have some kind of urine infection though. They are sending it to the lab. I haven't noticed anything different though. I also got tested for Strep B. Will get the results for that next week too. I guess if you have it, you just need antibiotics during delivery. Baby's heartbeat was in the 140's.

Sneak Peek of photos

Nikki has a "sneak peek" of our maternity shoot on her blog. The address is http://www.nicolewelch.wordpress.com/ Check it out!

Maternity photo shoot

Today Jason & I did a maternity photo shoot with my good friend, Nikki. She does awesome work for anyone needing a photographer!! I don't have any photos to show you yet. I will post a link whenever she has a chance to work on them. I can't wait to see them!!! It was really fun and she did a lot of poses. She did quite a few pics with just me and then ones with me and Jason, even Rascal decided he didn't want to be left out and is in some of the pics. Silly dog! We took pics all around our house and even braved the cold and did a few outside. So look for these pics in the coming week!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to give a shout out to my husband, Jason. Today is his 29th Birthday! I hope you have a good day, J!! I love you!!!! :)