39 weeks...and counting

February 22-27

To begin this, I thought I'd include a link to the March of Dimes where they discuss why at least 39 weeks gestation is best for your baby.  Now, if a baby comes naturally before that "magical" 39 week mark, it's probably because it was ready.  But this follows my 37 weeks - full term post nicely and since I just wrapped up my 39th week and am now working on my 40th, I thought it was a good time to include it.

All of the mainstream "fetal development" websites that I check have begun talking about caring for a newborn and how to recognize labor (which isn't happening yet).  So I'm forced to look at recent research which states that baby just continues to grow a little bigger this week. And, the most important items, the brain and lungs, continue to develop (although I know that brain of hers won't be fully grown and developed until her early 20's).

I can tell that baby is getting bigger and longer.  I'm starting to get little feet underneath my ribs which hasn't been an issue so far this pregnancy.  She seems more solid this week and more ready to enter the world.  I still think she's smaller than Big Brother, but the longer I'm pregnant the more confident I am that she will be a healthy average to above average size.

So what are the odds Baby Girl will arrive soon? I posted the odds chart here, so let's just look at the bottom line.

There's a 20% chance the baby will come within the next week or February 28 to March 6th. 

More realistically, there's a 75% chance that Baby will be here by March 15th and a 95% chance she'll be here by March 20th. (Sometimes I think I do like statistics...)

As much as I sometimes think it will happen, I won't be pregnant forever!

Big Brother

When I was 39 weeks pregnant with Big Brother, we were playing the waiting game, just as we are this time around.  The big difference this time is that Mommy and Daddy are both a little more busy and less able to dwell on the fact that Baby Girl has yet to make her debut.  Big Brother is a big reason for Mommy being so much more busy!

Daddy
This week Daddy had his first scrimmage game.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it out because Mommy is just a little too pregnant to be chasing around an active 2 1/2 year old and trying to keep him out of the dugout and off the baseball field during the day.