35 Weeks

So it hit me on Sunday night that I hit full term in a mere two weeks! Little miss Kaylee Bria could be here in as little as TWO weeks! But in as many as five. Ahhh! Very exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I am so much looking forward to meeting my little girl. But at the same time I think I am going to miss my bump and all the little movements. I know she will be very much loved and spoiled by all of those impatiently awaiting her arrival.

Chris and I had our baby party over the weekend. I really want to sincerely thank all of you who came. It was so nice to see you all and we appreciate all of you who wanted to come and celebrate with us.

On Sunday, Chris and I went on a baby shopping spree at Babies 'R Us to get the rest of the stuff we still needed before Kaylee's arrival. Wow, babies are expensive. But it was fun picking out all the stuff again and knowing all the stuff would soon be in full use!

I spent Monday washing everything and putting Kaylee's nursery together. That was fun, but a lot of work, since I am now finding the little things that I used to do so easily a little harder and more taxing. I run out of energy so much more easily now. But her nursery is almost completely done! Here are some pictures of the mostly finished product:

http://picasaweb.google.com/CJGrau/Nursery

Thursday evening, Chris and I have a childbirth basics class. That should be interesting. I have experienced a live birth, as I was present when my best friend gave birth to her beautiful baby boy. So I won't be completely in the dark as to what happens during the birth process. Hopefully both Chris and I will learn a lot of new and interesting things that will help us on the big day.

Oh! Some of you asked me to set up a poll on the blog so we can all guess what color hair Kaylee will pop out with. So by popular demand, the poll is up and open! Have fun guessing!

Update on Kaylee —

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While we will know more about Kaylee's weight and measurements after my next ultrasound, the average baby at 35 weeks weighs in at about 5 1/2 pounds and stretches out to around 20 1/4 inches as they approaches full term.

Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help her regulate her body temperature. It also provides those cute little dimples on her elbows and knees! Most of her growth over the next couple weeks or so before we meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (Kaylee's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Back in the middle of the pregnancy, Kaylee's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent (and will increase to 30 percent at term).

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is Kaylee's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain—the skull—remains soft. Her kidneys are completely developed, and the liver is beginning to process waste. Stem cells in the bone marrow continue to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to maintain a healthy immune system, but there is not really any development remaining for arms, legs, brain or organs. From this point on she will simply continue to grow in size as she readies for her big debut.

She is also experiencing active and quiet wakefulness where she continues to explore the environment around her and her hearing is now fully developed.

Week 34

Another week is upon us. It is going to be an interesting one. I had my usual bi-weekly doctors appointment today (Monday), Thursday Chris and I have our infant CPR class, and Saturday is the baby shower. Should be fun, though. I am looking forward to it.

Today's appointment went well. Kaylee is growing, her heartbeat was nice and strong and she continues to be a busy little bee with her constant moving around, despite her lack of space. My vitals were all good, blood sugars are still awesome. But I have again lost weight, making my total pregnancy weight gain at only nine pounds total, at 34 weeks. According to the pregnancy weight charts, since I started out in normal weight range, I should gain between 25 and 30 pounds. That's just not going to happen. My doctor talked to me about what the induction would entail, should I make it to 40 weeks. It did not sound pleasant, so I would like to avoid that. She told me she would like me to go into labor around 38 weeks, if I can. So that's only about 4 more weeks! Yikes!

My next appointment will be at 36 weeks, then I start seeing my doctor once a week. I also start the non-stress tests twice a week at 36 weeks. My next ultrasound is at 37 weeks to check Kaylee's growth. I believe that is all for the appointment updates.

My contractions on Sunday were interesting. I could literally tell the time by the contractions. The human body is amazing. I was getting them every half hour on the exact hour and half hour. Chris and I were walking back to the car from beach and I said, "Oh it must be 8:30." Chris pulls out his phone to look at the time and says, "Wow, yeah it's exactly 8:30!" It was funny.

Update on Kaylee —

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At 34 weeks the average baby weighs between 5.2 and 5.6 pounds and is around 19.8 inches long (about the size of a medicine ball). Her fat layers, which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born, are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever.

Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Kaylee is no longer floating around. She now rests right on the uterus, head down. She has learned to blink, and can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on mommy's tummy, and probably has the outlines of all of mom's organs memorized!

Kaylee's lanugo hair is now starting to disappear. She now acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. She also may be settling into more of a routine for sleeping and awake times.

Her gums now have ridges, which may look like teeth. Her fingernails now reach the end of her fingertips and may even curl over the tip, making a manicure one of the first things mommy will need to do shortly after birth, so she doesn't scratch her own face.

Less than 50 days to go!

Not much to report on me this week. Just trying to get stuff done, but of course the more pregnant I get and the hotter the weather, the less I feel like moving around and getting stuff done! Oh, the irony!

We finally got a crib! Chris put it together on Saturday after we picked it up. I must say, it looks really nice. I am very happy with it, so far. Chris also hung some shelves in the nursery. Kaylee's room is coming together quite nicely. It still has a long way to go, but it will be finished eventually.

I also started putting stuff together for my hospital bag. It's almost time to pack it up!

My blood sugar levels are still good and Kaylee is still moving around. A LOT. Which is good and bad as the movements are starting to get painful at times. Poor thing is running out of room and apparently the only place for her feet to go is into my ribs! The level of amniotic fluid has reached its maximum, making it likely that I have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why I am probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes—there's less liquid to cushion the blows!

Update on Kaylee —

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By now most babies measure about 19.4 inches and weigh around 5 pounds! And by this stage in fetal development, Kaylee could grow another full inch more this week alone—especially if she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

Kaylee's head size has increased 3/8 of an inch due to rapid brain growth, and the bones in her skull remain soft and pliable for the journey of birth. While the rest of her bones are all beginning to harden.

The uterine walls are becoming thinner, allowing more light to penetrate the womb, helping her to differentiate between day and night (now, if only that continued on after birth!).

Kaylee has reached an important milestone about now: The development of her own immune system that (along with antibodies from me) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

If she were born now, she would be considered "pre-term" rather than premature. This distinction is based on fetal maturity, particularly the maturity of the fetal lungs. A pre-term baby, unlike a premature baby, is likely to have well-developed lungs and is less likely to need intensive care.

Week 32

This has been a busy week for us, which is why I am not updating with the 32 week entry until today!

Tuesday, we had an appointment for Kaylee's 32 week fetal growth scan to see how she was growing. Fetal growth is a major concern in women with gestational diabetes. Often, the baby's
rib cage and shoulders will grow too fast and large, making delivery a dangerous thing. The baby's head would deliver fine, but then the shoulders would get stuck. This is called Shoulder Dystocia.

So they wanted to make sure Kaylee wasn't getting too big too fast. She certainly is not. We found out she is a little thing! Only weighing in at a whopping 3 lbs, 17 oz. Putting her in the 19th percentile compared to other babies her age. At 36 weeks we will have another, more in-depth, fetal growth scan to check her size again closer to delivery. Along with the twice weekly non-stress tests.

Wednesday, I had my regular two week check up. My doctor is still shocked at my blood sugar levels being so low. In fact, she thought my glucose meter was broken, so she had her nurse come in and check my level. Still low! My blood pressure was good, Kaylee's heart rate was 136 beats per minute, so that's good as well. My weight, however, was not so good. I lost another two pounds this visit. I was scolded for it again, but honestly how do they expect me to gain weight when I am on a high protein, low carbohydrate—no sugar—diet? Anywho, I am supposed to up my fat intake, apparently.

I have also been having Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly. One or two per hour, right on schedule. My doctor says that is good news, it means my body is getting ready for "D"-day. She hopes I go into labor on my own before I reach my due date, otherwise she will need to induce labor.

Thursday, I kicked the cleaning into high gear (nesting perhaps?). I realized that it is already a full week into August and I need to have most, if not all, of the stuff I need to get done, done. I will be staying at my very generous in-laws' house for the month of September, since I will be having up to three appointments per week at that point, and for when I go into labor. Their house is much closer to the hospital, my doctor's office, and the outpatient clinic where I have the ultrasounds and the non-stress tests.

Update on Kaylee —

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At 32 weeks, the average baby weighs 4.4 lbs and is around 18.9 inches long!

By now Kaylee should be gaining about a 1/2 pound per week! In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next seven weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

As a preparation for breastfeeding, Kaylee has learned to root for the breast. She will turn her head if touched on the cheek and open her mouth if the bottom lip is tickled. By this time she can also suck and swallow in a coordinated way.

Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week survive premature births. So it's pretty much a done deal. Even if our little monkey's planning on heading out early, her survival odds are in everyone's favor. Time to celebrate! No, no; we have to wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne. I am talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch! Woohoo!

And in the latest womb reports, our amazing Kaylee has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means I would probably get a swift kick if I put a hot pad on my ginormous belly.