Well, baby Cady and I made it this far, surely the last 6ish weeks can't be too bad!
Our ultrasound 2 weeks ago showed that the baby was perfect for his/her gestational age and my non-stress tests have been going just fine. Baby is still growing, and really learning how to kick hard. Hubby found that out last night! He had his hand on my belly when I was laying down and the baby kicked so hard it made the both of us jump a little! Now if I could only get baby to save those rib kicks for daytime : ) (yeah right)
I've been feeling good despite having a large lump on my belly. My legs are hurting a bit more than usual, and I've started to get tired earlier in the evening, but I think that is pretty par for the course. By belly has a little tender spot right above my belly button, which I really notice b/c I run it into the counter at work about 100 times/day, and often into the kitchen chairs, and my car door. Yes, I'm clumsier than usual.....and I drop everything. But I still haven't had any heartburn, major swelling, or any of the unpleasant pregnancy things you hear about.
We talked to our doc yesterday about how long he would let me go past my due date. He is a big fan of not inducing, so as long as the baby is going great, he will let me go 1 week past the due date (41 weeks). At that point, he will induce if I want it, but he would let me go a whole week more as long as baby is doing well. I'm not one that prefers an induction, but I'm not sure I could last that long! So, if all goes well, we should get to see baby in 3-7 weeks.
I have been getting a lot of questions on whether or not we are ready/prepared for baby to come. The real answer: I don't think I could do enough to ever actually be ready. Yes, we have the crib, bassinett, onesies, baby bathtub, etc. But none of those things actually help us take care of the little creature that we are going to be blessed with. But I don't get too worked up about it, I figured there have been millions of clueless parents throughout the ages, and look at how many of us survive!
How your baby's growing:
Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like an average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.
Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.