34 Weeks

Okay, so I'm a couple days behind on my weekly post. Due to a whirlwind of nesting, baby showers, regular doctors trips, and birthing classes, I've ironically slacked on posting about all of it. This past week, which is starting to feel like a blur, included a little of all of this: a baby shower last Saturday (see previous post) and another yesterday (we'll post on this later), a bi-weekly doctor's appt. where all was well, and a birthing class where we learned, gulp, what happens when things don't go as planned.

Yes, you know the instructor is about to deliver some ugly news when she starts by asking us to "tell her some good stories we've heard about birth"--you know, where all went well. After a few of us tepidly offered up our friends' and families' stories of blessedly brief labors, she proceeded to introduce us to what I'll call inductions, suctions, and sections. I'll let you all figure out the details on this one. At least now we've seen the diagrams and videos and know what could happen if the Short Stranger decides to be ornery. Only two more classes to go, and we're officially "educated" for birth! On this note, to complement Mike's continued musings on his impending role as a father, someday soon I'll muster up the time to try to put into words what it feel likes to be on the other side, as a mom-to-be. Which includes trying to wrangle with the myriad biological issues that have put me in a very different position than Mike.

On the baby front, we're now moving into the melon family in the Short Stranger's world!:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 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.