The Baby at 35 Weeks

(Ha! I wish out little guy was only 5.5 pounds ...)

Week 35: Soft in the Head

At about 20 inches and five and a half pounds (but with about five more weeks to grow), most of your baby's growth over the next month or so before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Accordingly, fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days (on baby, not just on your hips). Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent (and will increase to 30 percent at term). Which means your baby's once skinny arms and legs are now quite plump…and irresistibly, squeezably soft.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is your baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain — the skull — remains soft. And for good reason: A soft skull will allow your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal. (Mother Nature was really thinking this one through — imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head…ouch!)

And talking about that head, your baby has probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don't worry if your baby hasn't assumed the head-down position yet. There's still a good chance he or she will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.

Go Buffs!

College football is a big deal in our house. And by that, I mean college football is a big deal to Jonathan ... huge! I would be remiss if I neglected to post a blog about it after this weekend's game.

Jonathan's beloved unranked Colorado Buffs shocked the world of college football by beating third ranked and undefeated Oklahoma 27-24 in the last minute of Saturday's game.

As usual, I did my own thing while the game was on. In the last four minutes, I realized it was getting exciting (how could I not with Jonathan yelling things at the TV?). So I made my way downstairs watch the final minutes of the game (note: Jonathan and all the noise were upstairs). He came rushing down to tell me about the game, only to discover I was actually watching, too. I find myself always rooting for the underdog ... and Colorado was definitely the underdog this weekend.

A co-worker of mine is a HUGE Oklahoma fan and took the loss really hard. I expressed confusion to Jonathan about the guy's devastation. After all, its just a game. But, football is never "just a game" for die hard fans. Never.

So what does all this have to do with a blog about Baby Lucero? Well ... everything! The baby is a "Baby Buff" in the making and at his anticipated size at birth, Jonathan is hoping a ready-made football player will pop out. Well, if nothing else, Jonathan will have his very own college football buddy for years to come. (And sorry, Honey ... we're not naming the baby after CU's quarterback, Cody Hawkins. Its just not going to happen ...)

Go Buffs!

Jennifer

The Latest Dr. Appointment and Ultrasound Photos

We got some interesting news about Baby Lucero on Friday: He's already 6 pounds 10 ounces (according to the ultrasound computer ... which is just an estimate). If the conception date was unknown, the computer would estimate a due date of October 19.

But we know the conception date and the large size of the baby doesn't change it from November 9th. The Dr. is a bit concerned about the large size of the baby (heck, I was only six something when I was born a week early!), so I had to take a blood test this weekend to detect whether or not I have gestational diabetes. Its a common condition in pregnancy ... I just hope I don't have it.

If he keeps growing at this rate, and I go to term, its possible he'll be just about a 10 pound baby. YIKES!!!

So here are the latest ultrasound photos (for more, scroll down the page a bit). They aren't very good and he looks like an alien with a big ol' mouth. But, he's our little alien. :)

We're in week 35 now. Wow, time sure does go quickly when one is pregnant!

Jennifer