BLOGSILOG

Your baby’s crown-to-rump length at this time is approximately 14.4 inches and the total length is approximately 21.5 inches. The average baby weighs a little more than 7 pounds now and is preparing for birth. You are probably as big as you are going to get and may be uncomfortable now. Most women gain between 25 and 35 pounds during their pregnancy. Your uterus is about 7-8 inches above your bellybutton now.

Although your baby continues to grow and develop inside of your uterus, there is not much room for him to move about. All of your baby’s organ systems are now complete and the lungs were the last to fully mature. Read more… »

Almost there! And it’s final - I’m giving birth via c-section end of this month.

How your baby’s growing: At the 38th week of pregnancy, the baby grows length wise also weights more. Mostly the baby would be between 17 to 20 inches long and would weight of about 6 ½ to 7 ½ pounds. Your baby would further continue to grow. All the organs of the baby are mature and are functioning completely by this time.

Only lungs and brain of the baby would not be completely functioning. Only these two organs are the organs that would only start functioning once the baby is out of the womb. The brain and lungs would continue to mature during the childhood of the baby. One can get a complete idea at how the baby would look like at the 38th week of pregnancy. He’s also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in his lungs from sticking to one another once he starts to breathe.

And how’s mom doing? For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby’s nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby’s born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.

Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain.

36 weeks down, 3 weeks to go! Earlier update HERE.

How your baby’s growing: The baby is putting on weight at a very fast pace during the 37 weeks pregnant stage. The fat is getting deposited on the cheeks, knees and elbows and these are becoming dimpled due to fat deposition. The baby is putting on weight at the rate of ½ ounce per day. The baby becomes rounder by the day. The skin is fast losing its wrinkled appearance and the skin colour is becoming pinker. The baby is breathing very well by now. The baby’s development is nearly fully completed and the baby is ready to be delivered at any time now. The baby’s approximate weight is about 61/2 to 7 pounds and the approximate length is 20 to 21 inches.

The most significant development at this stage of pregnancy is the positioning or presentation of the baby for birth. The mother experiences increased pressure in the lower abdominal area. This is called engaging or lightening. The baby moves or shifts downward and its head comes to rest in the mother’s pelvic bone bowl. This is the case in 95% of the deliveries. The baby might position or present in many other ways like traverse, breech, brow, knee and so on.

And how’s mom doing? You are in the full term or advanced stages of pregnancy in the 37 weeks pregnant stage. You are now due for delivery anytime. The baby delivered at this stage is a mature or a full term baby. You might be feeling very heavy now due to increased weight. You will continue to put on weight as the baby is still growing and developing. At this stage, the baby has come down in the pelvic cavity of your body and positioned itself for the birth. Your body will now start preparing for labor and this is done by dilation of the cervix. The mucus plug which acts as a protective sealant of the uterus begins to discharge from the body. Do consult your doctor about all types of discharges.

The other significant bodily change is the increased breast size. The breasts become heavier and fuller due to hormonal changes. The breasts may feel tender and uncomfortable. In the case of some pregnant women, the breasts start secreting colostrum. (in my case, it started on the 27th week) There could be cracks in the nipples. There could be increased itchiness of the stomach muscles due to extensive stretching. Other changes include increased restlessness due to tiredness, lack of sleep, frequent urination, high blood pressure, increased sugar levels, hemorrhoids, low back ache, headaches and so on.

I’m getting closer to the finish line!

But there’s a change of plans — I might deliver the baby via C-section. This is what my OB told me because the last time I went in for my prenatal check-up, we found out that lil munchkin is in a breech position - a footling breech to be exact.

FOOTLING BREECH: A position of the fetus while in the uterus where the feet of the fetus are nearest the cervix and will be the first part of the fetus to exit the uterus, with the head of the fetus being the last part to exit the uterus. Here’s how it looks like:

When Dr. L did an internal examination, he said he felt a hand or a foot so he dragged the ultrasound machine inside the room and voila - peeking through the monitor is munchkin’s foot! I was nervous when I saw how munchkin is positioned inside my womb but hubby and I couldn’t stop from giggling because I sleep in that exact same position. Mana talaga sa nanay. LOL! Read more… »

5 more weeks to go before D-day! I went to see my OB last Jan. 22 and everything turned out okay. I gained another 4 pounds in the span of 2 weeks but it’s still within the normal range. Dr. L even congratulated me for doing well in this pregnancy. And starting next month, I will be seeing my OB every week.

How your baby’s growing: Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that he’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, he isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

And how’s mom doing? Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you’d see that there’s more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you’re not grappling with these annoyances, you’re one of the lucky few.

I went to see my OB for my monthly prenatal check-up last week and guess what, I gained 8 pounds in just a span of 1 month! Well, it’s obvious that I’ve been pigging out over the holiday season. But my weight gain is still in the normal range though so there’s nothing to worry about. So far, I have gained a total of 20 pounds in this pregnancy (i now weigh 130 lbs) and it’s still safe for me to gain more according to Dr. L. But honestly, I don’t want to get any heavier because I was a big baby when I was born (8.8 lbs) and there’s a possibility that lil munchkin will also be BIG. And if he’s big, I’ll definitely have a hard time pushing him out. Yaiks! Que horror! So to prevent it from happening, I’m going to watch out my food intake and stick to my daily exercise routine from now on. (meaning no more lounging around our home theater seating and snacking the whole day) Wish me luck on this!

And since I am closing in to my due date (49 days to go!), I will start seeing my OB every 2 weeks. My next appointment is on January 22 and I’m praying and hoping that everything stays on a normal range until D-day. Read more… »

Another day… another ounce!

Fetal development on week 31:Your baby is continuing to grow each week that you remain pregnant. Your baby’s crown-to-rump length is nearly 11.2 inches and total length is approximately 18 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 3.5 pounds at this point. Your uterus is about 4.4 inches above your bellybutton and continues to get larger. An average weight gain at this point is between 21 and 27 pounds. The weight that you gain is made up of your baby, placenta, blood supply, uterus, breasts, fat, water storage and amniotic fluid.

Because the ligaments and muscles supporting the small of your back relax and loosen in order to get ready for childbirth, your back may be aching from now on. There is usually nothing that can be done to prevent backaches, only to make them more comfortable. Many women get heartburn during these last few weeks of pregnancy because the oversized uterus leaves less room for the stomach and the contents within the stomach. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help relieve the discomforts of heartburn.

This week marks an incredible milestone in your baby’s lung development. Before now, the air sacs and branches in your baby’s lungs were present but not functional. The lungs were not able to inflate properly. However, now there is surfactant being produced in your baby’s lungs. Surfactant prevents your baby’s lungs from collapsing outside of the uterus and the baby is able to take in air and breathe properly. The fetal ear is almost completely developed both inside and out. Your baby can hear your voice and other familiar sounds that he will recognize after birth. Your baby is putting on white fat under the skin and the skin’s color is pink instead of red at this point. Your baby’s fingernails have grown to the end of his fingers and he may scratch himself while he is in the womb. Read more… »

Research shows that pregnant women experience forgetfulness 15 percent more than nonpregnant women. Memory returns after delivery.

And you know what, I never believed it until this morning. Well, I had those “absent-minded” moments but it didn’t bother me as much as what I experienced early today as I was preparing my breakfast. Here’s what happened…

I took the bag of (Spanish) bread out of the fridge, got one piece and put it in the microwave. When it was done, I went to the living room, sat down in the couch and ate it while watching my favorite show on TV. But one piece of bread didn’t satisfy me so I went back to the fridge to get one more but the bag of bread was nowhere to be found! I checked all the compartments inside the fridge, checked the microwave oven, went to the living room and bedroom but still I couldn’t find it. So I gave up and just ate Piyaya instead. Then when it was time for me to cook lunch, I went to the freezer to get the pack of pork chop and I was so shocked to see the bag of bread there! I have no idea how it got there and I don’t even remember opening the freezer this morning. And why on earth would I put the bread in the freezer? It doesn’t make any sense. But well, I’m the only person left in the house so I must have done it myself and totally forgot about it.

So therefore I conclude, the research is TRUE.