My Pregnancy: Week 37

Baby's now the size of a stalk of Swiss chard!

Congratulations--your baby is full term!  This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.  Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard).  Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.  But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours.  Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blondes or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes.  And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

This was one of the longest weeks of my pregnancy to date!  Of course, I think it was just a long week in general, not necessarily because I'm pregnant.  Complete exhaustion has settled back on me which makes waking up at 5am EXTREMELY difficult.  The fact that there has been little to do at work lately isn't helping my motivation.

But it hasn't all been bad, here's a run down.  Good news: you have dropped somewhat making it loads easier to breathe.  Not-so-good news: the change in position is causing a whole lot more back pain.  Good news: I got a surprise ultrasound today and got to see you again!  You were being shy and covering your face with your hands the entire time.  Not-so-good news: I had to have the ultrasound because my tummy is measuring a bit small.  Good news: You are still healthy, just a smaller baby currently weighing in at approximately 6 pounds (about 1 week behind).  Granny D says this isn't a surprise since all of her babies were small (I was the biggest at 7 pounds 3 oz--and I was 3 weeks late!).  Good news:  I am still progressing and am still not looking like I will make it all the way to October 13th.

I did get a little down after my doctor's visit today.  The appointment itself was stressful enough as I was waiting for the ultrasound to make sure that everything is okay with you.  For the rest of my appointments, I will be bringing your dad just in case something like that happens again--or they don't let me go home but sent me straight to the hospital!

I also felt like the doctor made me think your birthdate was a whole lot more imminent last week.  He was so surprised at how much I was already progressing that it made me feel like I'd be rushing to the hospital any day.  That made for one loooooooong week of anticipation/anxiety.  This week he was all professional again and put me "at ease" that while I continue to progress, I probably wouldn't be running to the hospital right away.  The only trouble was that I had already accepted an early delivery in my mind, making the next 3 weeks seem like an eternity.

But when push comes to shove, you'll come whenever you are ready.  I am just grateful that you are still healthy and growing.  You're also officially considered full term now, so if you do decide to come soon, you'll most likely thrive.