37 Weeks: Happy Full-Term Point!

Your Growing Baby (from Fit Pregnancy)

Your baby is now 20-21 inches or so and weighs about 6-7 pounds; he looks very much like a newborn. In the vast majority of pregnancies, the fetus begins to move into delivery position.

Your baby is practicing her breathing, but she has increasingly less space to practice stretching and kicking. Your baby' intestines are also building up meconium, a greenish-black substance made of baby by-products such as dead cells, shed lanugo, and amniotic fluid. It'll become your little darling's first bowel movement, hopefully after she is out of the womb.

Your Growing Belly

This week, you may expel the cervical mucus plug, aka "bloody show," at any time. If you're worried about stretch marks, be patient. They'll begin to fade a few months after you deliver. Stretch marks are caused by broken collagen fibers under your skin's surface. The strength of your collagen is genetic, so if your mom got stretch marks, you probably will, too.

The hormone relaxin is causing all of the smooth muscle in your body to unclench. You'll feel like you have loose "rag-doll" joints. You're probably having Braxton-Hicks contractions, which you may or may not notice. How can you tell these contractions from the real thing? If you have to ask, they probably aren't. Real contractions grow progressively stronger, more intense, and more regular.

What About You? 

I'm still trucking along. I had my 37 week appointment today.  My exam revealed no progress.  Still at 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  The baby is at position -2 so I won't be sharing a birthday month with her, that's for sure.  But that's fine because I'm still only 37 weeks.  The longer the baby stays in there, the bigger and cuter she becomes! I'm still measuring right on target so she's probably 6-7 pounds just like the info says.  

But honestly I just keep growing.  They say right on target but it feels like one giant belly. It's really sticking out there, huh? I broke out the old American flag tank.  I think I'm close to busting through it! 

Fits a bit different now huh? (23 Weeks? Nearly half my pregnancy ago! Crazy!)

I definitely wasn't sticking out as much last time, was I? I was a lot more excited to hop up to the 37 week mark.  

It doesn't seem that long ago but it was almost 3 years ago.  Cannot believe it.    

 I tried to do something similar to show my excitement for reaching the 37 week point but it just doesn't come across the same.  :-)  Happy Full-Term Week! Very excited! But more excited to meet this baby!