37 Weeks

Today brings two beautiful words: full-term. Now, whenever baby's born, he's likely to thrive. Also thriving? Your nesting instincts, which are behind those sudden urges to bake, clean, or embroider a onesie. (Feminists, take your issue up with nature, not with us.)

Baby's now the size of a watermelon!
Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).
Average size is around 6.5 pounds now! The baby practices breathing movements preparing for life outside the womb. His/her grasp becomes firm, and s/he will turn toward light.

Vaginal discharge may be heavier now and will have more cervical mucous in it as your body prepares for labor. What position is your baby in? Is it head down or butt first? Whichever position your baby is in now is generally the way s/he will stay. If your baby is breech, you may need a cesarean or your care provider might recommend an external version in which your abdomen is manipulated in such a way that it turns head down. This is successful 60 to 70% of the time.
If you're planning to return to work outside the home at some point after delivery, you can still breastfeed your baby. Many moms pump their breasts at work so that baby's careprovider can feed her with expressed breast milk in bottles. Other moms are able to visit the baby during the day for a few feedings while other others take their babies to work with them. Explore your options BEFORE you go back to work (preferrably before you begin maternity leave). Read our articles:

36 Weeks

Baby should soon descend into your pelvis, which will give your lungs a little room to breathe (literally). The bad news: This puts the brunt of baby's weight on your hips and pelvis, and will make them pretty sore. Add in your ever-loosening ligaments, and you may soon be taking on that oh-so-adorable pregnancy waddle.

With four weeks to go, our baby is almost ready. S/he could drop into the birth canal at any time now. This week, the fat is dimpling on the elbows and knees as well as forming creases in the neck and wrists. The baby's gums are very rigid.

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

About a month to go ~ you'll probably be visiting your care provider once a week at this point. The average weight gain now is between 25 and 30 pounds. You should be consuming about 2400 calories per day. Make them count! Your body is working hard now and needs quality fuel.

Here are some of the signs that labor is approaching. You may not experience all of these symptoms or be aware of them.

• Lightening ~ aka the baby dropped
• Bloody Show ~ aka the mucous plug
• Rupture of Membranes ~ aka your "water broke"
• The Nesting Urge ~ aka you want to clean everything in sight
• Effacement ~ aka ripening of the cervix
• Dilatation ~ aka opening of the cervix
• Diarrhea ~ aka you know this one
• Contractions ~ aka OUCH those labor pains!

35 Weeks

With baby's head pressing squarely on your bladder, you're probably clocking some quality time in the bathroom. On a similar note, if you're finding it tough to poop, load up on the fiber. Whole grains, veggies, and dried fruits (but not all at once!) should loosen things up.

Your care provider may begin regular checks of your cervix some time in the next few weeks for signs of effacement and dilation and to see what position your baby is in. Your baby cannot pass through a normally closed cervix. The process of labor is the stretching, thinning (effacement) and opening (dilation) of your cervix to allow the baby to pass through. Your cervix is fully dilated when the opening measures 10 centimeters.

From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department -- though he won't get much longer, he'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. (He's about 15 percent right now and will be about 30 percent by full-term.) His hearing is totally developed (tip: baby responds best to higher pitches), and if he really is a "he," his testes have probably completed their descent.

The average sized baby is around five and a half pounds now! The fat accumulations plump up the arms and legs this week. The baby has gotten big enough to take up most of the uterus, and there's less room to move around.

34 Weeks

No, it's not (just) the lack of sleep that's making your vision fuzzy. Pregnancy hormones and fluid buildup can affect your eyes' curvature and tear production, making them extra-itchy and sensitive. No matter what your vision's like, take a look toward the light -- less than two months to go!

You've probably felt some Braxton Hicks contractions for the past several weeks but they may intensify now. They are usually painless and non-rhythmical. These are preparing your body for the real thing.

Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready!

The baby responds as a newborn with its eyes open while awake and closed while sleeping. She is developing immunities to fight mild infection. Those sharp little fingernails are at the ends of the fingertips already, and you might need to clip them during the first few days after birth.

33 Weeks

At this point, the amniotic fluid is at the highest level in the pregnancy. The amount will remain constant until delivery. Rapid brain growth has increased the baby's head size approximately 3/8 of an inch this week. Fat continues to accumulate which turns the baby's skin color from red to pink.

You'll be gaining about a pound a week. Mild edema is normal but if you experience severe headache; seeing "spots" or "flashing lights" while at rest; sudden increase in swelling, such as over 2-3 days, especially of the face; abdominal pain; and nausea, vomiting, and feeling sick, contact your caregiver immediately. You could be developing pre-eclampsia which is characterized by swelling, high blood pressure and protein in the urine. It is a very serious complication of pregnancy.