How fitting is it that this week she is now the size of an average size pumpkin?
(Halloween is Saturday.)
At about this point you have probably begun to obsess over labor and delivery. (Uh ya...especially since my friend Wynne had her baby last night and she is only 5 weeks ahead of me!!! It reminds us of how close we are to being able to hold and see Brianna!) You may have a vision of how you'd like the whole event to go: contractions are brief and painless and in one push out pops your baby to the background music of "Chariots of Fire." That fantasy is all well and good but it's important to be flexible and brace yourself for little surprises that may occur. Also, keep an open mind as far as medication and labor support go once you're in the thick of things.
The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are she'd be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from her friends (aka, the NICU). Some of the specifics are: Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once she's born and up all night screaming). Her pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, "Cut it out, Ma. You're soooo annoying."The bones in your baby's skull are soft and are not yet fused together. In other words, now is not the time to teach her how to do a headspin while breakdancing. This pliability allows the bones to overlap; making that trip down the tight birth canal possible (and resulting in that surprising cone head look your baby will sport for the first few days post-birth. Don't worry, it's totally normal and that's what hats are for.) Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.Your baby weighs about 4½ pounds, as much as a grownup duck, and is approximately 17.5 inches long, about the same as a collarbone-length pearl necklace. (Did somebody say push present?)
Nothing super exciting has happened this week. I am still getting over allergies (all the rain causes mold spores that I am allergic to = I get super sick) so I have not been feeling super hot. Eric and I are taking my maternity pictures Saturday (I am sure we will post some when we get them back). We are really excited. The only new news: 1) Looks like we will be buying a new fence sooner than later...our's is literally about to fall over...ugh builder's fences. We were hoping that it would make it through the summer, but that is not going to happen. 2) Looks like we might get some relief on my kindergarten team. I think we might be getting a 5th teacher (YEA!!!) which will make the numbers in our class go down quite a bit. I think we are going to ask for volunteers first and then it will be a lottery on who gets moved to another class....we will see. I will have more to update after next Thursday (my 34 week exam). Until then...
This is really an awesome article. Thank you for sharing this. It is worth reading for everyone and also Very informative article. Keep it up. 8 months pregnant
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