Day 77: Ready When He Is (38 Weeks)

We're at 38 weeks. This boy is welcome to come any time now. I've been having inconsistent contractions for the last few days,but am still not in labor yet. Whenever Baby Boy does decide the time is right, we're ready when he is.

 

Highlights of Week Thirty-Eight (36 week fetal age)  *Photo shows a baby at 38 weeks, but is not our baby.

Baby is close to seven pounds and is about 18-20 inches long, and he doesn't have much room to maneuver now.

Baby is head down in pelvis to prepare for delivery.  The head diameter is over 3.5 inches.

Most of Baby's basic physical development and systems are now complete - he'll spend the two weeks putting on weight and accumulating more body fat, at the rate of about an ounce a day, to help him keep his temperature and blood sugar stable.   

Although lungs are one of the last organs to mature, they should be basically developed by now and are now secreting surfactant which will keep them from sticking together and help Baby breathe outside the womb.  I figure since Baby Boy got the steroid shots for his lungs months ago, his breathing should be fine once he's born.

Could have a full head of hair, of an inch or longer.

Brain is continuing to develop and mature.

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 during 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’s digestive system is putting on its finishing touches in preparation to take baby’s first meal in a few weeks’ time.