Thirty-Eight Weeks

Today Nick is 38 weeks old. Only 14 days to go! I really hope Nick drops soon - his (probably adorable) butt keeps digging into my left lower ribs. Quite uncomfortable! His movements are still frequent and strong, but it's mostly his butt and his feet and hands.

At my midwife appointment on Wednesday, Nick's heartrate was 154 - he was wiggling again. My midwife guessed Nick's weight to be about 6 lbs 12 oz - I am hoping she's a little off! I'd like him to be under 7 lbs when I have him :) My weight gain is still good, and my blood pressure was 118/73.

According to The Cradle, at this point in development, the average baby weighs about 6 1/3 pounds (2,900 g) and measures almost 13 1/2 inches crown to rump (340 mm). I should use relaxation exercises such as deep breathing to help ease the pain of the contractions. (I'm not having contractions yet). Childbirth in Other Cultures: A number of tribes lubricate a laboring woman’s birth canal with saps or oils to make the delivery easier.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Nick weighs about 6.5 to 7 pounds and is approximately 19.5 inches in length. I have been full term for a week now, so I might want to start addressing those birth announcement envelopes while I still have my hands free! My long wait will be over any time now. Since I am carrying a boy, I should be deciding whether or not we will have him circumcised. There is growing debate among parents and health care providers over circumcision but ultimately it is a personal decision for each parent.

According to Baby Center, Nick has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which I'll soon be able to test when I hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color Nick's eyes will be? We may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

We had our hospital tour last Sunday. It really seems like a great hospital! As of that day, they'd had 22 births, 8 of which were C-sections, but 7 of those were scheduled - so out of 15 births, one was an "emergency" C-section. I like those odds :) We saw the menu for this week - oh my goodness, I can't wait to eat that hospital food! I plan on ordering a buffet as soon as Nick is delivered :)

We still have to have our car seat bases checked, and Jeff is going to put up the co-sleeper. Other than that - we're ready! I don't think I've felt the nesting instinct - our house is actually a little cluttered right now - but as long as the baby's things are ready, I'm ok with that :)