How your baby's growing:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long.
She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.
How your life's changing:
Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs!
You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes.
Even if you're enjoying an uncomplicated pregnancy, it's best to avoid flying (or any travel far from home) during your final month because you can go into labor at any time. In fact, some airlines won't let women on board who are due to deliver within 30 days of the flight.
Update:
- So.. it's a little hard to remember back this far (7 weeks) but I am going to do my best! :)
- I have been eating smaller meals lately. Saturday morning at work we had donuts and at lunch the pharmacy ordered Papa John's..while both were good I was very full and had very little room left for seconds or the meals or snacks I brought with me.
- I switched my reading material from "What to Expect While Expecting" to "Caring for your Baby and Young Child" I figured I might as well prepare for what is to come.
- Sunday 7/15 I went and organized all the clothes in your closet according to size and hung the majority of them up..you have A LOT of clothes!!
- It has remained VERY hot this week (temps in the high 90's and low to mid 100's!) we have been taking it easy inside, because even just walking to my car or to the mailbox is a lot of work!
- I got adjusted by Dr Fitz on 7/16..I have been having a lot of back and leg pain and it's been getting harder for me to sleep at night.
- I have a meeting with the Maternity Care Coordinator on Wednesday 7/18. We are going to go over my birth plan, hospital stay, insurance and any other questions I may have.
- My 36 week appointment was this morning 7/17 at 10:15 My doctor was out on a delivery and they asked if I wanted to wait or see another doctor. I said I would wait.. figuring it wouldn't be that long. They checked my blood pressure and it was very high. They said they would check it again after a few minutes to see if it had come down and it hadn't. Finally at 11:30 my doctor arrived, and I was seen. After an internal exam ( I had only thinned out, no dialation) and a Group B strep test (GBS) they sent me next door to the hospital to be monitored closer since my blood pressure was so high..and now here is where the story of you begins...
You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes.
Even if you're enjoying an uncomplicated pregnancy, it's best to avoid flying (or any travel far from home) during your final month because you can go into labor at any time. In fact, some airlines won't let women on board who are due to deliver within 30 days of the flight.
Update:
- So.. it's a little hard to remember back this far (7 weeks) but I am going to do my best! :)
- I have been eating smaller meals lately. Saturday morning at work we had donuts and at lunch the pharmacy ordered Papa John's..while both were good I was very full and had very little room left for seconds or the meals or snacks I brought with me.
- I switched my reading material from "What to Expect While Expecting" to "Caring for your Baby and Young Child" I figured I might as well prepare for what is to come.
- Sunday 7/15 I went and organized all the clothes in your closet according to size and hung the majority of them up..you have A LOT of clothes!!
- It has remained VERY hot this week (temps in the high 90's and low to mid 100's!) we have been taking it easy inside, because even just walking to my car or to the mailbox is a lot of work!
- I got adjusted by Dr Fitz on 7/16..I have been having a lot of back and leg pain and it's been getting harder for me to sleep at night.
- I have a meeting with the Maternity Care Coordinator on Wednesday 7/18. We are going to go over my birth plan, hospital stay, insurance and any other questions I may have.
- My 36 week appointment was this morning 7/17 at 10:15 My doctor was out on a delivery and they asked if I wanted to wait or see another doctor. I said I would wait.. figuring it wouldn't be that long. They checked my blood pressure and it was very high. They said they would check it again after a few minutes to see if it had come down and it hadn't. Finally at 11:30 my doctor arrived, and I was seen. After an internal exam ( I had only thinned out, no dialation) and a Group B strep test (GBS) they sent me next door to the hospital to be monitored closer since my blood pressure was so high..and now here is where the story of you begins...
Really kicking myself now for not getting that 36 week photo!! ( or for not taking weekly photos past 32 weeks!)
No comments:
Post a Comment