Week 38

Tuesday marks the beginning of the 38th week, so here you are:

• If she is the "average baby," she weights 6.8 pounds (3083gm)and is 19.6 inches (49.8cm) long.
• Have you noticed she hiccups a lot? Because there is no air around her, those breathing exercises cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe. The result? Hiccups!
• Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. Meconium takes on the role of being your baby's first bowel movement -- removing the waste that has accumulated.
• She may have a full head of hair now -- an inch or more long! Don't be surprised if it's an unexpected color. Some blond couples have dark haired babies; some dark haired couples have red-haired babies; some couples have babies with only peach fuzz! It may just persuade you to take a closer look at your family tree!
• Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby. No wonder it's so hard to get a t-shirt over a newborn's head!

Addie is still plenty active, and Ame has been having more and more contractions (Braxton Hicks and otherwise) to get her body ready for the baby coming out. Don't let the wording of that sentence fool you; the contractions aren't voluntary or anything. They're happening to Ame, not something she's doing, but she seems to be handling it well. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be much to report on at the moment, so until next time...