A Little About Nora at Week 37!

Baby2See.com
Week Thirty Seven: Pregnancy is considered 'at term'
You are 37 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 35 weeks)

• Typically, baby now measures 19.5 inches (50 cm) from the head to the heel.
• Baby weighs up to 7 pounds or 3 kilograms.
• The head diameter is over 3.5 inches (9cm).
• The water could break at any time.
• If it does happen, see a doctor immediately.

Gaining one ounce per day, your baby is growing rapidly. Keep up those exercises, especially your Kegels. Keeping your pelvic floor muscles toned will aid in a quicker recovery from the birth. An elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when baby stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.

Even though you are three weeks from your due date, you are now considered 'at term'. In most cases, nothing will be done to stop your labour once it starts, even if it is before your 40th week. You may notice a bit more vaginal discharge and/or cervical mucus.

If you go into labor at this point your careprovider may not try to stop it.
So what are the signs that your labor may be starting?
Regular contractions that grow longer, stronger and closer together.
Contractions that are not affected significantly by a change in your activity level.
A trickle or gush of fluid from your vagina.
A regular, rhythmic backache.
If you have any of these signs, contact your doctor/careprovider immediately.
Fewer than 5% of births occur on the due date; 50% of births are within a week of the due date, and almost 90% within 2 weeks.

Have you packed a bag ready for the birth?

Pregnancy Today
By now your baby may have moved well down inside your pelvic cavity. As well as ensuring she's in the right position for birth, it gives her some space for her legs to continue to grow. She may have hair on her head (although she's likely to lose most of it after the birth). Any lanugo, the fine downy hair that covered her body and kept her warm earlier on, has all but gone, although you may see traces of it on her shoulders and the back of her neck when she's born. Some of the vernix (the white, waxy substance that coats her skin in the womb) will still be present, but this also lessens with time. Babies who are born after their due date often have very little still on them. Not only will your baby's lungs be able to function without any assistance were she to be born today, but she's likely to have enough fat stores to be able to keep her body temperature stable outside the womb.

Baby Center
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her 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.

The Bump
Baby's now the size of a watermelon!
Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting her first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. She's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).