39 Weeks

A healthy range of weight is between 5 pounds and 11 ounces and 8 pounds 5 ounces. Your baby is probably somewhere in this range now. The umbilical cord doesn’t have any nerve endings (this means that you and your baby will not feel any pain when it is cut!) and is about 20 inches long and about ½ inch thick. It’s pretty common for the umbilical cord to get knotted at this point, because things are so crowded inside the uterus.

All of your baby’s organs, including the lungs are ready for birth now. Your baby’s immune system is gaining strength at this point. Right now, you are probably very uncomfortable and can hardly stand the wait. Try to take it easy and rest when you can, long naps and reading can help you through the last few days of your pregnancy. Remember that very few babies are born on their due date.

I am blessed to not be uncomfortable, swollen or impatient about baby's arrival. I feel pretty much prepared and I am excited, but not increasingly desperate for the time to come. So far!

My energy levels are good, my sleep is interrupted more by the other kids than by being so pregnant, and while I do get some aches and pains they are intermittent and not overly bothersome.

Baby is moving well. I notice movement after most meals/snacks, and generally between 11-11:30pm. This baby seems to like to stretch his or her legs which makes for fun belly shapes. Wee3 also likes to punch. The punching doesn't feel so great.

I seem to have a pattern of getting a series of stronger contractions in the evenings. I like them because it makes me feel like things are happening behind the scenes.

I have been doing some emotional/spiritual preparation. Today I spent some time with A Celebration of Pregnancy booklet. I got it through a wonderful ministry called Blessing God's Way. The booklet lists a whole bunch of scripture which is particularly encouraging for pregnancy and childbirth. I have also been imagining how I see the birth going and how I see myself coping with the unexpected. I have also been talking to the baby about the birth and how a nice anterior position would be most comfortable for both of us.

Napping has been a bit tricky. Micah is starting to grow out of naps, so in the interest of a decent bedtime experience we have been taking power snoozes of about 30 minutes. I get a glimpse of teen-Micah when I try to wake him up after only half an hour.

Did I mention that Dr. Lopez said he and Lucia are not expecting a big baby? He figures long, but not "big". We will see shortly!!

Speaking of expecting, Andrew and I realized last night that we would both be very surprised if this baby were a girl. That said, we were convinced that Eva would be a boy, too. Got talked into it by people's predictions. I'm getting really excited to learn all about Wee3!!