36 Weeks- 27 Days to Go?

Baby now weighs as much as a crenshaw melon!

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your 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. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, his gums are rigid, his liver and kidneys are in working order, and his circulation and immune system are basically good to go. His lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day he gets a little closer to breathing on his own.

How far along? 36 weeks 1 days
Pregnancy Symptoms: I feel different. I can't really describe how, just different. When i get up in the middle of the night for one of my bathroom runs i feel more pressure going from the lying to standing position than i have before. I don't really seem to be as hungry as i was all of a sudden, yet i'm going to the bathroom twice as much. I've just felt like something is changing...
I Wish I'd Known...: That the internet is an awful, scary place to look up medical advice, especially when you're a hypochondriac. Oh wait, i DID know that. So why did i get myself all freaked out again?! You'd think i'd have learned my lesson during first trimester when i was fretting over all those test results.
Best moment this week: I got an impromptu ultrasound! I have had so many more ultrasounds than is standard...and loved every single one more and more!

Worst moment this week: Stupid cramping and back pain.

Movement: Movements are smaller and less noticeable the more and more squished he gets. Put your hand on your cheek, then run your tongue along the inside of your cheek. That's *exactly* how baby movements feel at this point!
Food cravings: The past 2 days i've been feeling "different" and have also not had much of an appetite or eaten as much as i have been. I get full faster and don't get hungry again for longer it seems. Not sure if this is just a temporary thing or my new norm.
What I miss: Time! All of a sudden since my doctor's appointment things are moving faster than i was expecting. Why did i procrastinate??

What I am looking forward to: Ryan making an early appearance! I was completely shocked at what i was expecting to be a standard check-up today.
In Other News:

  Baby Ryan is up to TWENTY-FOUR burgers now! Little Peanut measured 5 pounds 15 ounces on the ultrasound today. Since he's gaining about an ounce a day that now puts him right about 6 pounds. Grow, Peanut, grow!
  Today was my 36 week check-up. I was expecting it to go as usual: a quick in-and-out where they measure my blood pressure, get a urine sample, torture me with my weight and say "see you next time". But i was in for a surprise. It started off completely normal. Blood pressure =120/62, iron has gone up to 11.3, heartbeat sounds good, belly measurement good. But now since i'm less than a month from my due date i get to have a cervical check every week. Fun times. Since i had *just* had one a week and a half ago after the cramping/pressure started i was expecting the same report. Imagine my surprise when the doctor says "You're 1cm dilated and 70% effaced!" (Effacement is the thinning of your cervix, it has to reach 100% to be completely thinned) I, of course, asked if he was being serious. He said "You're not going to make it to your due date. I expect you'll be having a baby in the next week or two" What?! He was pretty sure Ryan was still head down, but he let me get an impromptu ultrasound just to be sure.
  The ultrasound was so neat! Peanut's head is massive...or at least it seems that way. Right away he was wiggling around. He opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and stuffed his fist inside! It was so cute. I asked the tech to check where the umbilical cord was (i'm paranoid about it wrapping around him) and she checked and it's not near his neck. (Whew!) She showed me my bladder. It is, quite literally, smushed like a pancake. On the ultrasound it was just a flat line because Ryan's big 'ole head was pressing down on it. That definitely explains a lot! She did several baby measurements. Ryan's head and belly are both measuring right on at 36 weeks. His heart looks good, still with 4 chambers and valves and things. However, the one concerning thing was that both his leg bone (femur) and arm bone (humerus) are measuring 2-3 weeks behind. The doctor didn't seem concerned by this, but of course i came home and googled it. Short arm and leg bones are markers for things like Down Syndrome, dwarfism, and other bone defects. So i've got myself all worried again and i'm so mad that i did it to myself! I guess since he'll be making his appearance sooner rather than later we'll find out soon enough. Crossing my fingers that he's just a shorty like me. Right now i've got too much to do to get ready to meet Baby Ryan! :)