Friday, June 12, 2009

Week 36 Happenings

Elmo is busy this week:

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. With four weeks to go, our baby is almost ready. S/he could drop into the birth canal at any time now.

Well, I definitely feel like we are closer to the due date than 28 days. I really will be surprised if I'm still pregnant by July 10 (I'm sure every new mom says this but oh well). The bags are basically packed, the car seat is installed and we are ready to go. At least, as ready as we're going to be. I'm sure new parents are never really "ready" but we'll give it our best shot. I've been having lots of pains in my lower abdomen (supposedly this is the baby dropping into the birth canal) and the contractions have intensified. All signs that point to things beginning to happen.

Scott and I are definitely getting excited! Elmo may turn out to be a June baby afterall!

1 comment:

  1. You remember what Ty Murray used to say on "Dancing With the Stars?"..."You're never really ready, it just becomes your turn." :-)

    Elizabeth

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