37 Weeks

(All photos are clickable) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- Baby is now considered "full term," even though my due date is still three weeks away.
- Baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard – eww, whatever that is).
- Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

Mom:

- They say the Braxton Hicks contractions should be coming more frequently now and may last longer and be more uncomfortable but mine seem to be back tracking. I had a day and a half where I had painful contractions all day but now they seem to be easing up. I still have them but they usually aren’t painful or as frequent as before. This may sound a little strange but I would rather have the contractions be painful/uncomfortable because I felt like they were doing something, making progress towards the big arrival or something. I do feel more “period” like cramping pains more often now though.
- It is harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well (or at all) at night.
- I currently have a cold so that doesn’t help the sleeping situation. When I lay down I can’t breathe through my nose! No fun!!
- Lots of big belly rumbling movements going on in there!
- Apparently I’m looking “ready to pop any minute” because anytime we go somewhere it never fails that someone is going to ask when I’m due and seem a little surprised to hear I still have a few more weeks.
- The swelling in my feet is still pretty painful but I try not to let it stop me from doing things.
- So far there have been NO signs of preeclampsia! Woo Hoo!! – I had to be induced at 37 weeks last time due to preeclampsia.
- I recently saw the perfect facebook status to describe the end of pregnancy, it said, “I feel like a ticking time bomb” and it is so true!! The unknown of when it will happen is so strange! To think it could happen at any time no matter what is going on.
- Our current “normal” will soon be gone forever and we will be searching for our “new normal”.
- My weight: 160lbs at my last doctor appointment on 8/27.
-Blood pressure: 112/77
- Baby’s heart rate: 145 bpm
- Measuring 37 weeks

  

Other News:

- My work had a casual baby shower for me on Monday. Apparently this shower was canceled a few times before due to people unable to attend and then I was in the hospital so it finally happened this week. It was nice.

- We are pretty much ready for his big arrival! Clothes are washed and put away, bags are packed (almost – mine isn’t finished but its just stuff I use everyday that hasn’t been packed yet), the room is almost complete, the last few things don’t really need to be completed before his arrival because he isn’t even going to be sleeping (or spending much time) in there in the beginning. Now we are just waiting, waiting, waiting.