39 Weeks

I can't believe it! We're at 39 weeks today! Just 1 week away from our due date! I seriously didn't think we would make it this far. Just like my sisters, I thought I would be at least 2 weeks early! But the good thing is I get to enjoy my maternity leave! Hee-hee! I'm getting so anxious! I can't wait to meet our little man! And...waiting for the day that I actually go into labor is so nerve-racking for me. I don't know when or where I'll be when it happens or how I'll even begin to be in labor...water breaking or contractions! But my contractions are getting stronger than they were last week and he's dropping. But I don't think he's dropped enough! I have no idea when he's ready to come out and meet everyone! I hope soon cause I can't wait to meet him!

Well, here's mine & baby boy's update this week:
(I wonder what our update will be about next week! hee-hee!)

Your pregnancy: 39 weeks

How your baby's growing:
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.

How your life's changing:
At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

Wow!! Look how much we've grown!!!