40 Weeks

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. 

His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.

Yes, I am past my due date and still no baby! I think a positive aspect of still being pregnant is that we had plenty of time to move into our new home and get somewhat settled. 

I saw the doctor on Tuesday and he said that I was a good 4 cm dilated. The doctor stripped my membranes to try and help things come along a little faster. He told me that if nothing happened by this Friday that I should just go to the hospital saying that I am having contractions. He said that he will try to have them admit me because I will almost be a week overdue. He scheduled an induction Tuesday the 5th just in case the hospital won't keep me. We can't wait to see our new little one and hold him!

Baby Shower...

Showering Dylan James Bolin! 

On Sunday June 5, David planned a surprise baby shower for me. Between David, my Mom and his Mom, they pulled it off and over 35 people were here to help us get ready for our little boy. Thank you everybody for coming and for showering Dylan and me with your gifts and love.

39 Weeks

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

Not too much has happened since last week.  Tuesday is my next doctor's appointment if I don't go into labor by then. We are just hoping right now that I don't go into labor when David is at work. He is about two hours away but he can't leave work until someone comes to relieve him so that puts him at least three hours away!

38 Weeks

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I had my doctor's appointment today. The baby is doing great, his heart rate was around 142 beats per minute. The doctor told me today (I see a different doctor every week) that the baby was measuring around 37 weeks. We can't wait until he comes out to see how big or small he really is. 

I am progressing really well. I didn't think that I would change much in my dilation over a week but I went from 1 to 2 cm dilated to 3 to 4 cm! The doctor said that I could sit at this for a while but I think that it might go a little more quickly since I am not taking it so easy. We are officially moved into our new home so it is a little hectic with trying to get things put away and in an order so we can bring this little guy home.

37 Weeks

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

A lot has happened this week. Last Thursday I had a doctor's appointment. The doctor told me that I was dilated to 1 1/2 centimeters. David really wants to be able to deliver this baby so he talked to the doctor and the doctor said that if everything goes well that he will let David deliver the baby. 

I just had another doctor's appointment on Tuesday. This time I saw the nurse practitioner.  She told me that I was about 1 to 2 centimeters dilated. When she was measuring my belly she asked how big Jeffrey was when he was born. I told her that he was two weeks early and that he was 8 pounds 4 oz. She told me that she wanted to order an ultrasound for this baby because she was a little concerned about his size. She said that he was measuring one centimeter smaller than he should be. So we scheduled an ultrasound for that evening. Even though we were all a little worried, the ultrasound showed that he is perfectly healthy. They checked to make sure that he was a boy and he is definitely a boy! They also checked the size of his head, his spine, his femur, his kidneys, his bladder, and his heartbeat. Everything seems to be perfect! On Tuesday, I was around 37 weeks and 3 days and he was measuring 37 weeks and 1 day. The technician told us that he was around 6 pounds 15 ounces and that he might gain 1/2 a pound a week. We weren't able to see his face because he had his arms folded around his face. It is very comforting to know that our little guy is healthy!