37 Weeks (January 4 - 10)

This pregnancy is now considered full-term! To be honest, I am so thrilled I finally reached this week. I was just too scared I wouldn't reach this far. Anyway, I took this pic last Monday and I actually love the way it came out, hehe! I think I will print this out and frame it one of these days.

Had my doctor's appointment and I gained another 2lbs! So, I now weigh 136lbs. The doctor thinks I'm doing fine and the weight gain is just about right. Baby's heart rate this time is 152. I am however, disappointed that she didn't check me for dilation this time. I just remember that I was already 3cm dilated at 37 weeks with my first child so it kind of freaked me out not being able to know for sure especially that this is my third one. Well, in a way I also don't like to be checked because it's never comfortable for me anyway. In the last few days this week, I have been feeling so much pressure when I go to the bathroom even when I just go #1. I know I have mentioned this a lot in my previous entries but I think this week it has gotten really worse that's why I have been worried that my doctor didn't check me for dilation this week. I am hoping that I'm wrong and all of these are just part of my being paranoid. I sure hope so. Well, I think this is all for this week. I'll be back next time to update you all. Thanks for reading!

How my baby's growing:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36 Weeks (December 28 - January 3)

Happy New Year! January 1st was also our wedding anniversary. Hubby and I have been married for seven years now! Anyway, speaking of those things, it means food for me again, lol! I had two yummy slices of strawberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory this week. They're really good but I know it means another weight gain for me. Starting this week, my doctor's appointment will be every week. I had my appointment yesterday. Everything went fine except that I gained 5lbs in 2 weeks! So, from 129lbs, I now weigh 134lbs. The doctor didn't say anything bad about it though. I think she understood the fact that people just really gain weight during the holiday season. Baby's heartrate this time is 162.

Anyway, I have been preparing things for the baby's coming. I already finished washing the baby's clothes and folded them as well. I got quite a few new cute stuffs for the baby that I am actually having a hard time which one to pick for the baby's homecoming, lol! I haven't packed my hospital bag yet though so I should do that in the next few days. I have ordered a couple of handmade hats for the baby online. Got this two from Lisa's Handmade Babywear. Aren't they cute? I just love it. She makes them nicely and I am very satisfied with what I got. I can't wait to put it on the baby, hehe! Can you tell that I am very excited? I am but there are actually times that I am scared as well. I don't know but I just get paranoid sometimes. I just pray everything's gonna be fine with the baby and me during delivery.

How my baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.