Weekly Update - 36 Weeks

How your baby's growing: 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. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

How I am feeling: BIG. I feel big. Moya is still moving a round a lot despite the fact she must be running out of room in there. I wear out easier but am nesting so it is a battle constantly.

But mostly this week I feel nervious. We had a snow storm this week that has us snowed and another storm is coming in tonight. Now I know I still have 4 more weeks before my due date but being unable to get to the hospital easily if I went early makes me very nervous. I'm trying to not think about it, rest some, and also use the time to get things in order here... and constantly talking to Moya saying "don't come out yet please."