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.

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.