Day 49: 34 Weeks, The Countdown Begins

Today I am 34 weeks pregnant and the countdown is officially on.  I have 14 more days of bed rest (if all goes well and the baby doesn't come before that).  After seven weeks of bed rest so far, two weeks seem very doable (though I doubt they'll pass any quicker than previous bed rest days).  I'm also looking forward to a wheelchair field trip this week (after I get the doctor's OK tomorrow).  I'm still not completely decided on where I want to go, but I'm thinking that on Thursday night, we'll be going to our favorite Mexican food restaurant and to check out car seats (our infant seat is nearly outdated) and Pack N Plays at Babies R Us.  I'll report on the field trip later this week, but I'm definitely excited.    

 

I'm glad that my contractions haven't become regular and that my cervix has stayed stable for the last six weeks and thus Baby Boy has stayed put.  34 weeks is a great milestone because Baby has an excellent chance of survival and will likely face few health effects.  Right now the baby is putting on weight, learning to suck, and developing his lungs.  This pregnancy is still going strong, and I'm not giving up anytime soon, as I don't want to deliver a second premature baby.  One preterm baby was hard enough, and Bryson was only mildly premature.  B came at 35 weeks, just one week from now.  At that point I'd gone back and forth from the hospital several times because I  was already dilated to a 4 1/2 and had been having contractions one to two minutes apart all week.  The doctor broke my water because my labor was progressing so slowly and I was in A LOT of pain.  B had jaundice and was in the NICU for five days to learn to eat.  Having a premature baby in the NICU was a very difficult experience that I do not want to repeat, so That was a very difficult experience that I do not want to repeat, so I wouldn't get my water broken this time around, thus giving this baby as much time as possible. I'm hoping that given a similar situation this pregnancy, doctors will be able to control my pain until this baby is actually ready for delivery.  Each day counts, so as long as Baby Boy is willing to hang out, so am I.  Now it's on to 35 weeks, and then AT LEAST 36.    

Highlights of Week Thirty-Four (32 week fetal age):

A baby at 34 weeks gestation (not our baby)   Baby's length is 17+ inches and baby's weight is between 4 3/4 and 5 pounds (about the size of a bag of sugar) Baby sleeps in 20-40 minute periods and could be dreaming in utero. Baby is moving around less frequently, mostly because of the cramped quarters.  I can feel even the slightest movement since Baby Boy is right up against the uterine wall, and I'm getting pretty good at guessing which body part (foot? elbow? arm?) is protruding. Regardless of the eye color Baby Boy will end up with, right now his eyes are blue. The pigmentation process in his iris won't be complete until his eyes have been exposed to light for several weeks after birth. His final eye color may not be evident for years. Baby is head down in pelvis to prepare for delivery. His testicles are now descending from his abdomen into his scrotum (a reason Baby Boy needs to get through this week). Baby will gain about half a pound this week and fat tissue is accumulating so Baby's arms and legs are starting to fill out.  Fat accumulation will help him regulate his temperature after birth. Hearing is fully developed (We've been talking to him for weeks now, and B always tells him goodnight). Although Baby's central nervous system is still maturing, his lungs are nearly fully developed (boys' lungs do generally take longer to develop than girls' however). Eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. Fingernails are almost completely formed. Lanugo, the baby fuzz that protects baby's skin in utero is starting to disappear. The cheese-like coating on baby's skin, vernix caseosa, is getting thicker to keep Baby moisturized for the big day. Hair (or peach fuzz) continuing to grow on head.  The baby’s skeleton is hardening (though skull bones won't fully fuse together until early adulthood, when brain and head has done all is growing).