39 Weeks - My Last Week

Well, this is it. My last week being pregnant. As you have probably guessed, I have a ton of different emotions running through me right now. I'm excited to meet my baby girl—this little girl who has been constantly kicking me in the side and ribs, this little girl who has been baking inside me for the last nine months. I'm excited to see who she is and what she looks like. I'm nervous, since she seems to be stubborn and I think she is going to make the doctors come in and get her. I am not nervous about the actual labor, yet. I am looking forward to eating again, and not pricking my finger four times a day due to gestational diabetes. I'm looking forward to not having something like five medical appointments in one week. And I'm looking forward to having my body back to somewhat normal conditions.

So here is just a little update on my appointments over the last few days. I had a repeat ultrasound with the perinatologist in fetal genetics to check on Kaylee's growth and possible heart problem. Nothing but good news there. Kaylee is fine and has actually put on quite a bit of weight in the nine days between ultrasounds. She weighed 5 lbs, 6 oz at the first one and this time she weighed just about 6 whole pounds. So by birth she should be about 6.5 lbs or thereabouts. My OB appointment went well. I am finally progressing and have dilated more since my last appointment. So yay for that news. However, if Kaylee decides to stay put they will be going in after her. My induction is scheduled for Monday, September 29. Yikes! Now time is running out and getting closer and closer to the day we will be meeting Little Miss Kaylee Bria. The non-stress tests are still going well, too. Fluid is still good, her heart rate is still reacting as it should. I think I might actually miss hearing her little heart beat twice a week. Along with the little glimpse into her water filled world. She always does something interesting or funny. This last time she was moving her little fingers up and down, tapping them, almost as if she were plotting something. Hmm.

Update on Kaylee —

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The average baby weighs about 7.25 lbs and is about 20 to 21 inches long. But as I have mentioned before, we already know Kaylee is a lil' munchkin, weighing about 6.5 lbs by now.

Weight and height have probably increased only a little from last week. But her brain is still developing rapidly, with changes we will be able to recognize firsthand as her skill-packed bag of tricks expands almost daily.

Whether I give birth tomorrow or next week, it's pretty much all the same for our Kaylee, who is now truly R-E-A-D-Y to face the big, bright world outside of my womb. Her skin has now finally changed from pink to white, because a thicker fat layer has been deposited over the blood vessels. All her organs have put on the finishing touches. She is already in the birthing position and basically just "hanging out" waiting for that elusive moment when all systems synchronize in my body to trigger the labor process.

And did you know that tear ducts don't function until about a month after birth? So even though she will cry directly after birth, there wont be any tears shed.

Week 38 - Still No Baby

I have apparently made our little Kaylee bug too comfortable. She does not want to come out! She is exhibiting all the signs that she is ready, and I am certainly ready. As is everyone else, who are impatiently waiting for her debut into the world.

The non-stress tests are still going well. Fluid is still good, she's still practicing her breathing, and her heart beat is good. Her movement has slowed down a smidgen. In fact the nurse made me drink some cold water at the last one, because Kaylee had fallen asleep during the test. The ultrasounds have been fun, though. I get new things pointed out to me all the time. The last two times I found out that she has a lot of hair and that she likes to make faces, and doesn't like those hiccups any more than I do!

I had an appointment with my doctor today and she checked me to see if I was progressing. Unfortunately these contractions are doing nothing for me. She reported to me that I am exactly the same as I was two weeks ago. Yes, that's right, no change in two weeks. *sigh* So the doctor put me in the books at the hospital for the induction. She said she is scheduling it for Monday, September 29 at 7:00 AM. So, if this stubborn child of mine does not decide on her own to come before then, her birthday will probably be September 30.

Come on out Kaylee!!!

Update on Kaylee —

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There really isn't a lot to report on Kaylee this week, so let's do a quick recount of where we are. All internal organ systems are fully matured and pretty much ready for the outside world. She has a meconium stockpile building up, lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that will continue to mature until Junior is a teenager, at which point she'll know it all—or at least she'll think she does), and she has more or less reached official baby status. All she needs to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world, and especially her ready-to-pop momma.

Most babies have just about reached the average birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they're a boy or girl). But again we know she's on the smaller side. Some of my antibodies have crossed the placental barrier to give Kaylee her immune system a boost to get her started until hers is fully functioning.

She could be born any day now. Really!

37 Weeks - FULL TERM!

Woohoo! After months and months of waiting I have finally reached full term! Kaylee can safely arrive at any time now! And I know most of us are impatiently awaiting her arrival. It's just a matter of weeks—or days. Who knows?

Last week, I had my second non-stress test (NST) on Thursday and it went well. Kaylee is still head down, and low. The fluid around her looks good and the technician showed me her face. She was making fish faces at us—too cute! Her ribcage was moving again, which is a great sign. It means she's practicing breathing. Her heartbeat was perfect. I was still having steady contractions. I hope the contractions were doing something, besides being annoying. I had my regular OB appointment on Friday. My doctor checked Kaylee and me, and I was happy with the news. The contractions are indeed working. She reported to me that I am effaced and Kaylee's head is at +2 station. No wonder I was feeling so much pressure! Unfortunately I was only 1/2 cm dilated. I still need to get to 10 cm—eventually.

This week is going to be hectic. I have five different appointments scheduled. I had an NST on Monday. Everything still looked good. Fluid levels are good, Her heartbeat responds to her movements, which is what the doctors are looking for. I'm still having contractions that are graphed by the machine. Hopefully they are doing something for me. I have another NST scheduled for Thursday, along with an appointment with my obstetrician.

Today I had my appointment with a perinatologist after another ultrasound. Mostly good news to report here. The only "iffy" news is he saw what might be fluid around her heart—or an ultrasound blip. He wants me to return for a follow up appointment in 10 days (if I am still pregnant) to check again. Also, Kaylee is measuring very small for her age. We were told that her size and weight put her at the typical measurement for only 34 weeks—a tiny 5 lbs 6 oz. However, her growth curve is normal. That is, the rate at which she has gained size and weight from the ultrasounds at 19 weeks, 31 weeks, and now at 37 weeks is normal—she's always measured small.

Well, we are finally ready for her arrival. The bags are packed and ready to go. The car seats are now installed in both vehicles. Her nursery is ready for her. All we have to do now is wait.

Update on Kaylee —

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Babies at this point are around 6.5 lbs and about 21 inches long. Although, after today we know little Kaylee is only around 5.6 lbs, and probably not that long either.

Changes in her height and weight have leveled off, with only a few ounces of fat added this week and from now on.

As far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world, although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within her physical capacity when our little fighter is born.

So what's keeping our little one busy while waiting it out until D-day? Practice, practice, practice. Kaylee is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling, sucking on her thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side—one day I feel her tushy on my left side, another day it has swung around to my right side. All of these are skills needed for her next gig—starring as everyone's favorite newest little family member!

36 Weeks - The Craziness Begins!

This week marks the beginning of many, many, many doctor, specialist, and non-stress test appointments. I have my regular OB appointments once a week now. The NSTs are now twice a week. Next week we meet with the perinatologist (a high-risk baby doctor), and Kaylee gets a really high-tech ultrasound to make sure she is growing okay.

I had my first NST on Monday. It was interesting. I had two different sensors strapped to my belly. One measures Kaylee's heartbeat, and I was instructed to press a button every time I felt her move or kick. We were looking for her heart rate to go up any time she moved. Which it did, perfectly. The other sensor tracked my uterine activity. Anytime I had a contraction it would be charted on a strip of paper. I was having contractions every two to three minutes, but they were pretty mild. Then I was taken to another room where the nurse performed an ultrasound to measure fluid levels around the baby and where the placenta is located. Everything looked good and I have another NST scheduled for Thursday.

As some of you could tell by my most recent belly pictures, Kaylee has dropped. It's a good thing though. This means she is getting ready to come out and meet us all fairly soon. However, her head being that low is making life interesting for me. It's harder to walk, stand, sit, move—basically to do anything comfortably anymore. I just keep telling myself that this is a good thing!

Update on Kaylee —

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She now weighs almost six pounds and her length probably has not changed much since last week, since most of the changes are in putting on those cute baby pounds! In general growth will experience a slowdown now, so she will be able to fit through the narrow passageway to the outside and also so she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

Most of the bones (soft skull aside) in her little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which she can now make her grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: her muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and we'll definitely be impressed by her steel-like ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs when a finger is laid in their palm).

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.

By now, many of her systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms—and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and her immune system has matured enough to protect her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. One notable example: digestion—which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why is that? Inside her little gestational cocoon, she has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system—though developed—hasn't been operational. So she will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.