36 Weeks

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mom came with me to my 36-week doctor’s appointment. My blood pressure is still good (122/62), Bean’s heartrate is normal (144), and I am still not dilated. One glaring difference between this appointment and the last is that I apparently gained 5.5 pounds in a week! I think some of that was because I had jeans on, but who knows.

My doc also said that swelling could contribute to the extra weight, and I am certainly looking more puffy these days, both in my hands and my feet. It’s crazy how suddenly it started and how noticeable it is. But this week has been quite a busy one, and I haven’t been able to put my feet up as much as I had been doing. Bring on the relaxation!

Another big difference about this appointment was that my doc ordered another ultrasound. Up until this point, my belly had been measuring right on track, but this time I only measured 34 weeks instead of 36. My doc wasn’t really worried because she figured the baby had just dropped into my pelvis but decided it was worth taking a closer look just to be sure.

All is well! Bean is definitely in a head down position, the amniotic fluid volume is good, and Bean's estimated weight is 6lbs, 4oz. I was excited going into the scan since we hadn't seen the baby since 20 weeks, but he's so big now that we couldn't really see much. Oh, well. Still very cool technology! Here’s my 36 week belly pic. :)