38 weeks
I send these updates to Chris every week. I get them from three different Web sites. In honor of reaching 38 weeks today, here is the 38-week update:
Site 1: You may begin to feel electrical buzzes down your legs. This is caused from the baby hitting nerves as s/he settles into your pelvis. A lot of time and effort has been spent educating mom about the process of labor, we are going to talk about a common fear for men this week: BEING IN THE BIRTH ROOM!
I highly encourage men to go in to watch the partners give birth. It is one of the most amazing experiences you will ever be able to have. As a doula, I am constantly in awe of birth, even though I see it on a routine basis.
Be assured that you will only have to watch or participate as much as you feel comfortable with. For some men this will be little more than holding your partners hand and gazing into her eyes. Let me assure you that this is a great thing to do! If you wish to take a more active role this may include labor support (breathing, massage, heat and cold packs, etc.), cutting the cord, helping to catch the baby. These are all fine, but should be discussed with your practitioner ahead of time, so that they know your preferences.
A note about cord cutting: The umbilical cord contains no nerves, so neither the mother nor the baby will feel the cut. The cord is also a tough, fatty substance (this protects the cord from compression inutero) so expect to give it some effort to cut it.
The baby may be gaining as much as 1 ounce (about 28 grams) a day at this point! However, your weight gain has slowed or stopped. Hang in there! If you haven't written a letter to your baby, now would be a good time to do so.
Site 2: The average newborn has a length of 21 1/2 inches and weighs 7 1/2 pounds. She is fully developed, though still adding connections between neurons in the brain (this continues well after birth). Her nails have been growing and now reach to the ends of her fingers and toes. Her movements are quite restricted by her close quarters.
Site 3: Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test with your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)
Site 1: You may begin to feel electrical buzzes down your legs. This is caused from the baby hitting nerves as s/he settles into your pelvis. A lot of time and effort has been spent educating mom about the process of labor, we are going to talk about a common fear for men this week: BEING IN THE BIRTH ROOM!
I highly encourage men to go in to watch the partners give birth. It is one of the most amazing experiences you will ever be able to have. As a doula, I am constantly in awe of birth, even though I see it on a routine basis.
Be assured that you will only have to watch or participate as much as you feel comfortable with. For some men this will be little more than holding your partners hand and gazing into her eyes. Let me assure you that this is a great thing to do! If you wish to take a more active role this may include labor support (breathing, massage, heat and cold packs, etc.), cutting the cord, helping to catch the baby. These are all fine, but should be discussed with your practitioner ahead of time, so that they know your preferences.
A note about cord cutting: The umbilical cord contains no nerves, so neither the mother nor the baby will feel the cut. The cord is also a tough, fatty substance (this protects the cord from compression inutero) so expect to give it some effort to cut it.
The baby may be gaining as much as 1 ounce (about 28 grams) a day at this point! However, your weight gain has slowed or stopped. Hang in there! If you haven't written a letter to your baby, now would be a good time to do so.
Site 2: The average newborn has a length of 21 1/2 inches and weighs 7 1/2 pounds. She is fully developed, though still adding connections between neurons in the brain (this continues well after birth). Her nails have been growing and now reach to the ends of her fingers and toes. Her movements are quite restricted by her close quarters.
Site 3: Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test with your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)
posted by Amy Ewert @ 1:50 PM
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