36 weeks = 9 months!

Your baby is still putting on weight — about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. She’s shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that has protected her skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, and they’ll stay in her bowels until birth. This blackish mixture, called meconium, will become her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Babies born between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 weeks is post-term.) Most likely she’s in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery, but if she isn’t head-down next week, your provider may suggest scheduling an “external cephalic version,” which is a fancy way of saying she’ll try to turn your baby manually, by pushing her from the outside of your belly.

You may begin to feel an increased pressure in your lower abdomen and notice that your baby is gradually dropping. This is called lightening or engagement, and your lungs and stomach will finally get a chance to stretch out a little — breathing and eating should become easier. However, walking may become increasingly uncomfortable — some women say it feels as if the baby is going to fall out. Also, you may still feel as if you need to go to the loo all the time. Stock up on those last minute nutrients.

Source: BabyCenter

Ugh! This belly of mine is getting pretty heavy by the day. I’ve been experiencing backaches more frequently these days and I often find that my feet are killing me by night time. It certainly helps a lot that J massages the aches away. Sleeping is also a challenge (which is something that isn’t new really). My dreams are now all about giving birth even in the most weirdest of scenarios.

I have gained a couple of pounds this past week. I presently weigh 62 kilos and my waist is 41 inches thick! I feel as if I’m about to burst any moment now. My fears about labor and giving birth though have actually lessened and am much more excited to see our baby. It’s all just a matter of time now. 🙂

How we are at 35 weeks

Your baby now weighs about 5.25 pounds/ 2.4 kilograms and measures approximately 18 inches/ 45 centimetres from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.

This week, your little one is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.

There’s much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. You’ve probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds/ 11 and 13.6 kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your second home, don’t drink any less water — your baby needs the fluids. But you may like to cut down on diuretic drinks like tea and coffee, which will make you have to urinate even more often.

Source: BabyCenter

There have been changes lately in my pregnancy. It all started last Saturday night when J and I were having one of our late night conversations in bed. I had around 4-5 Braxton-Hicks contractions at 10-15 minute intervals. It was a major change for me because I only had the BHC’s once or twice a night prior to Saturday. Now the episodes are more frequent and happen also during the day but are still at 10-15 minute intervals.

That’s not the only thing new these days. Yesterday, after lunch and doing my thing in the toilet, I may have had my first “bloody show.” I noticed my discharge had a pinkish tinge and the amount of discharge seemed quite a lot. I told J about it and he advised me to call the Delivery Suite immediately. I was quite hesitant to call the hospital because I was afraid to find out and confirm if it really was a sign of early labor. After some time, I was able to muster the courage to ring up the DS at the Canberra Hospital. A friendly midwife named Debbie patiently listened as I told her the entire story. She said what happened was perfectly normal and she asked me to just wear a pad in case any amniotic fluid leaked. If there is any leakage, then that’s the time I should call back the delivery suite.

Phew! What a relief! That really gave us quite a scare! Nevertheless, this prompted me to pack my bag just in case the time came for us to rush to the hospital. It is a bit too early though for me to give birth at this point so i’m trying to take it easy now and cut back on any strenuous activity. I need at least 2-3 more weeks to keep this baby in. We’re crossing our fingers (and toes) once again.

Ultrasound Scan at 34 weeks

Your baby now weighs more than 4.7 pounds / 2.2 kilograms and is 18 inches / over 45 centimetres from top to toe. She’s filling out and getting rounder — she’ll need her fat layers later to regulate her body temperature.

If you don’t already talk to your baby, this is a good time to start — at 35 weeks her hearing is fully developed. Don’t feel ridiculous if you’re already chatting in baby talk. Some evidence shows that newborns pay closer attention to high-pitched tones.

If you’ve been nervous about going into premature labour, you’ll be happy to know that 99 per cent of babies born at week 35 can survive outside the womb — and most have no major problems. Although your baby’s central nervous system is still maturing, her lungs are nearly fully developed by now.

Many women start to notice a tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvic region or pain as they walk. This may be caused by the pelvic joints loosening, ready for labour.

Source: BabyCenter

We had our ultrasound yesterday. You could say I was a bit anxious of the results, though deep in my heart, I knew that our little bub was really just fine. The procedure took almost 30 minutes of our time because the technician had to measure all Baby’s little parts once again as well as check on the baby’s heart rate, blood flow within the umbilical cord and the amount of amniotic fluid that was present in the womb. The technician’s conclusion? Everything was found to be normal. Baby was of the right weight and size (estimated to weigh 2.5 kilos at 34 weeks). There was really nothing to worry about at this time.

It was soooo good to see our little angel once again. This time Baby is well developed now and we could see that the face is truly fully formed. In a few more weeks, we will be seeing Baby in the flesh. Can’t wait! 🙂

33 weeks and counting!

How your baby’s growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches from the top of his head to his heels. His skin is becoming less red and wrinkled, and while most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. This will help him ease out of your relatively narrow birth canal.

By now it is likely to have adopted the usual head-down position, known as vertex or cephalic, in preparation for birth. Prods and kick will be more pronounced and may even hurt.

How your life’s changing:
You may be feeling some aches and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can swell, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this “tunnel” end up pinched, creating numbness, tingling, shooting or burning pain, or a dull ache. Try wearing a brace or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or assembly line, for example), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks.

If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, try wedging a pillow between your legs and behind your back. If that doesn’t help, try sleeping in a semi-upright position, with several pillows behind your head (or sleep in a recliner!). If frequent trips to the bathroom are robbing you of your zz’s, cut back on fluids by late afternoon or evening. Your bladder may also be squashed so you will probably need to wee more often. If its head is pressed on your bladder, you may find yourself leaking urine when you laugh or sneeze.

Source: BabyCenter

We went to see both our GP and midwife yesterday for another check up. All was found to be well, except they found my belly to be a bit little. When I say ‘a bit,’ they said it was 1-2 centimetres smaller than the norm. Our GP found it not to be of a concern really considering both J and I aren’t big people to start with. But just to be on the safe side, the midwife suggested for us to have another ultrasound scan next week to rule out any abnormalities with my pregnancy.

Maybe it’s really nothing. We’re crossing our fingers that all is really well with the baby and that it’s just the way things are with us petite people.