37 Weeks and Still Dilating

We have hit the magic 37-week mark. If Charlotte comes now, she will be considered a "term baby", and she will probably not need any special care. It's still better if she continues to "cook" for another three weeks though just to ensure proper lung development and to get some more fat on her body (to help with body temperature regulation). According to Dr. Bell's measurements, I'm measuring as big as a 38-week pregnancy, but that's within the 1-week margin of error that is considered absolutely normal. My weight gain is right at 20 pounds (yea!).

I also progressed slightly on the dilation to about 1.5 centimeters. Effacement is still holding steady at 50%. We asked Dr. Bell is anyone ever really regresses in their progress, and she said no. We forgot to ask if Charlotte still seemed to be head down, but since Dr. Bell didn't mention anything different we're just going to assume that this is the case.

Only 20 days left until the due date and a week until my last day of work. Everything seems to be winding down smoothly and now we're just waiting. It's hard to be patient when you're waiting for your life to completely change!

Here's what's happening with Charlotte this week:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

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.

Swiss chard? REALLY? If that's the best analogy they could come up with, then they are watching a little too much of the Food Network.