Pregnancy Updates

Life has been pretty busy around here, so even though I took a picture at 36 weeks & 4 days, I never got around to posting it, and now here I am at 38 weeks & 4 days.  So this post will have to serve for both pictures.  First, a quick baby update for what’s going on with her…

From 37 weeks: 

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away.  (How is that fair?  She’s ready to come out, but we have to wait 3 more weeks to meet her?)  If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard—anyone know what that is?). 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 blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

And 38 weeks:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek—again, this is not a very good comparison for me). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she'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 she'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.)

My hair & eye prediction is that she’ll have blonde peach fuzz for hair and brown/gray eyes. 

How Far Along: 38 weeks and 4 days

Total Weight Gain: I’m right around 35-40 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight!  YIKES! Again – I can’t believe I’m posting that for all the world to see – but I do want to be able to look back on this and remember where I was at each point in the pregnancy…

Maternity Clothes: Even my maternity clothes are getting uncomfortable.  I wear leggings and t-shirts pretty much every day

Best Moment this week: Since this post is covering the last 4 weeks since I posted, I’m just going to say pretty much all of Christmas time.  Everyone came to us this year and it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy spending time with family.

Gender: Still a girl for all we know!  - Hadley Ann :)

Movement:  I can feel her all the time now – in addition to the jerky little kicks, I can feel her rolling around and squirming in there.  She also gets the hiccups a couple times a day (and night).  They’re cute at first, but when they’re waking you up at 3am they lose a little cute-ness.

Food Craving: No real cravings, and I haven’t been quite as hungry lately either.  Hadley is definitely taking up more room so I can’t fully enjoy a big meal. 

Sleep: Still not too much trouble here – I wake up once or twice a night still, sometimes because of Hadley kicking, sometimes to go to the bathroom – but I typically don’t have too much trouble getting back to sleep.

What I am looking forward to: Finally meeting our baby girl!

Belly Button: Half in-half out.  If I’m lying down, it’s in, but pretty much any other time it sticks out a little.

Symptoms: We had our first visit to labor & delivery just before Christmas because I had a fever and chills and my doctor’s office was closed, so they wanted me to get checked out.  After almost 5 hours there, they basically said I was fine and sent me home.  I’ve also had a bad cold the past 4 or 5 days, which has NOT been fun, but thankfully Matt has been off work and able to pick up the slack around the house so I can rest.  Other than those things, I’m not feeling *too* bad yet – just getting tired quickly and have a hard time getting up/walking around too much. 

And here are the latest belly pictures: