Day 63: Bye, Bye Bed Rest (36 Weeks)

Today my bed rest sentence issued exactly nine weeks ago was finally revoked because Baby Boy and I made it to week 36!   Baby Boy is growing and weighing in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce and is about 17 inches long.  The ultrasound technician commented on his short little legs, but having another baby who is on the short side is no surprise to J and I who aren't very tall ourselves.  My stomach is measuring around 35 weeks because baby is low in my pelvis, but I'm still growing and Baby is still moving even in the very cramped conditions my bicornuate uterus provides!  Because he's so low, some of these ultrasound shots have part of his forehead cut off, and he kept moving his hand in front of his face (no, that's not a foot in the third photo below), but I liked being able to see my baby's little face and knowing he's doing OK.

I have also been taken off of Procardia and Progesterone which help to prevent early contractions and cervical change.  Some women go into labor within hours of stopping the medications and others last 10-14 days or more.  So we shall see what happens from this point.  Right now besides some back pain and feeling completely out of shape (after only getting up to go to the bathroom and the table for two months, even walking or sitting is fatiguing), I'm pretty asymptomatic.  Who knows when the contractions will start and send me in to actual labor?  People ask me when I think this baby is coming, and honestly, I have absolutely NO idea.  

 

Highlights of Week Thirty-Six (34 week fetal age):

• Baby weighs just over six pounds and doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's about 17 inches long. 
• Baby is head down in pelvis to prepare for delivery.
• Most of his basic physical development is now complete - he'll spend the next few weeks (hopefully) putting on weight and developing fat layers.   Baby will put on about half a pound a week from here on out. 
• Lungs should be just about fully developed (boys' lungs do generally take longer to develop than girls' lungs, however).  Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.
• Skin is getting smooth and soft and his gums are rigid.  Baby's bones and skull are still relatively soft to make for an easier delivery and will harden after birth.
• His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. 
• Baby's reflexes are coordinated.  He can turn his head, grasp firmly, and respond to sounds, light and touch. 
• Eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping.
• He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair (lanugo) that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that has covered and protected his skin so far.  Baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.
• Baby is sporting full-length fingernails and toenails and hair is growing on head.
• Baby is now developing daily activity and sleep cycles.
• Brain development continues to advance quickly.
• Baby’s digestive system is putting on its finishing touches in preparation to take baby’s first meal in a few weeks’ time.