39 Weeks!!

We had another weekly doctor appointment yesterday. His heart rate was in the 140's (normal), but the belly measurement (which for me has usually been equal number of centimeters to the number of weeks) was 40 cm! He jumped two centimeters in one week. So I think we're good now! However, he's not making much progress toward coming out. My cervix is softening a bit and has dropped a bit, but nothing major - but better than nothing I guess. He has one week to go before the 'due date'. We've scheduled an induction date for 8/19, in case he decides to be stubborn and stay longer. That would put me one week over due.

The doctor did another ultrasound, just to be sure he is still head down, and he is. It was fun to see him. I even got a picture looking up his nose and you can see his mouth. We saw his heart beating and his bladder - which is apparently full. The doctor even re-check is 'maleness' and everything seems to be where it should be (for boys). We're all ready on the home front for him! Just waiting...


BabyCenter.com ~ "Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath."

Baby at 39 weeks

Pampers Parentpages ~

"Hormone helpers. Your baby continues to prepare for his grand entrance. His endocrine system, which is responsible for hormone production, is gearing up for birth. Your little one will secrete more stress hormones during birth than at any other time in his life. Once he's out of the womb, those hormones will help manage his bodily systems without the help of your placenta. These tremendous changes demand lots of effort and energy, but he'll be ready.

Breath taking. Your baby's lungs continue to develop, too, right up until he's born. At the moment, the lungs are still working hard to manufacture surfactant, a substance that helps keep the many air sacs from sticking together when he takes his first breath.

Cry baby. "Here goes my first cry!" Right after that initial deep breath comes a wail worthy of an opera diva. The sound of your baby crying is a bittersweet experience; while no one likes to hear a child expressing fear or discomfort, a loud cry means he's breathing well. Don't expect to see tears yet; his tear glands won't produce tears when crying until he's a few weeks old. And if your baby doesn't let out that hallmark howl, don't fret: Some infants don't cry at birth. The important thing is that breathing gets started."