Photo Caption - Creative Commons: Jon Ovington
Well we’ve successfully crossed the metaphoric “full-term” Rubicon for our baby boy.
He’s officially at 37 weeks gestational age, which means he can join us at anytime now.
The time has passed so quickly since we discovered our pregnancy and decided to share it here.
Throughout this journey we’ve shared developmental milestones that have been provided courtesy of BabyCenter.com. Here’s one of the final posts they’ll provide regarding what exactly is going on inside my wife’s innards.
- 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 is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel.
- 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 her nine-month amniotic bath.
- Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions resulting in a blackish mixture called meconium, which will form the contents of his first bowel movement.
- 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.
BabyCenter likes to have a little “foodesque” fun using common fruits and vegetables as measurements for the baby’s weight and length over time. Here’s the palatable progression to date:
Week 37 – A Large Swiss Chard Stalk – 6.3 lbs, 19 inches
Week 36 – A Crenshaw Melon – 6.0 lbs
Week 35 – A Honeydew Melon – 5.25 lbs
Week 34 – An Average Cantalope – 4.75 lbs, 18 inches
Week 33 – A Pineapple – about 4.0 lbs
Week 32 – A Large Jicama – roughly 3.75 lbs
Week 31 – A Bundle of 4 Navel Oranges – about 3.3 lbs
Week 30 – A Head of Cabbage – about 3.0 lbs
Week 29 – A Butternut Squash – about 2.5 lbs
Week 28 – A Chinese Cabbage – about 2.2 lbs
Week 27 – A Head of Cauliflower (NOTE: switched from measuring length to weight – the baby is now about 2 lbs.)
Week 26 – English Hothouse Cucumber (what the heck kind of veggie is that???)
Week 25 – Rutabaga
Week 24 – Ear of Corn
Week 23 – Mango
Week 22 – Spaghetti Squash
Week 21 – Carrot
Week 20 – Banana
Week 19 – Heirloom Tomato
Week 18 – Bell Pepper
Week 17 – Turnip
Week 16 – Avocado
Week 15 – Apple
Week 14 – Lemon
Week 13 – Medium Shrimp
Week 12 – Lime
Week 11 – Fig
Week 10 – Kumqut
Week 9 – Grape
Lastly, the boy’s nursery is nearly complete with all his baby clothes washed and stowed away. Just a few finishing touches this weekend and then we’ll be ready to receive the esteemed guest whenever he decides to arrive.
Question: Any last minute suggestions of things that every baby nursery needs?
