34 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

You are now up to a whopping 5 pounds, 7 ounces! That puts your estimated weight at delivery at 8 pounds. The ultrasound can be off one pound either way, so we shall see! If we were going the full 40 weeks, you would probably tip the scales at over 9 pounds! Our NST was great again, so that is good news! Also, I am going to get to attempt a normal birth. If something changes or complications arise, we will do a c-section.

We toured our hospital yesterday and I am so pleased with the choice we made! Everything is so nice and the rooms are big and new and just great! I was also impressed with the security features. The only area accessible to the public is when you first get off the elevator, and it is a waiting room. The NICU, and both wings of rooms are locked and you must be buzzed in to get past the doors. Also, the nursery is in the north wing of rooms. We are very happy with all the features of the floor. We are now pre-admitted and ready to check in on the date of my induction, which was officially scheduled this morning! Just a tad over 4 weeks away. We will check in and get started at 5:30 that morning, and hopefully everything will go smoothly and not last too long!

We are thankful that my placenta had moved out of the way for delivery! We made the decision yesterday to have your kidneys looked at after birth. The fluid is still there, and our doctor recommended it. This will consist of having an ultrasound done on your kidneys while we are in the hospital. Even if the fluid is gone by the time we have it done, we still think it is best to monitor it and make sure everything is okay. We will continue to pray about this. At next week's appointment we will have another NST and then the week after that an NST and ultrasound. That week school starts, so it will be a busy time for me!

This last week was also busy, as my mom, dad, and brother all came to help your daddy finish his building. We have a little bit left to paint, the garage door needs to be installed, and a couple of things left to do inside the house and then we are finished!!

Your latest pictures are added as well, but we only got one that I think is good because your head is so low! They tried to move you, I laid on my side, they tilted me almost upside down, all to no avail. You are lodged in there and waiting to arrive!


Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her 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.