37 Week Growth...

Full Term!

How your baby's growing: Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.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 are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Now Baby weighs almost 6.5 pounds and her total length is about 21 inches long. But she hasn't stopped growing yet; she'll continue to develop about a half-ounce of fat a day. Still, overall growth does slow from here on out. That's fortunate, since there is very little available space left in the womb as it is.
Here are a few final developments taking place in week 37:
*Baby's immune system continues to strengthen. Her immune system will continue to get stronger after birth, and will not be completely functional until early adulthood.
*Baby can now grasp with her fingers as dexterity improves

How your life's changing:
The next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps and catch up on your reading while you can.Have you noticed an increase in the frequency or vividness of dreams lately? Anxiety about becoming a parent can fuel a lot of strange pregnancy dreams.You may be getting a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions now, and they may last longer and be more uncomfortable. Sometimes — when they start to come frequently — you may even think you're in labor. You might also notice an increase in mucus discharge from your vagina. If you see some "bloody show" (the mucus plug tinged with a tiny amount of blood), labor is probably right around the corner! (If you have other spotting or bleeding, call your caregiver immediately.)

You may experience heavier vaginal discharge this week, with more cervical mucus in it. Sometime during this week, as the cervix dilates in preparation for the labor you may experience "bloody show." This thick, yellow blood-streaked mucus plug had sealed off your uterus from infection and bacteria. As your cervix thins, it may drop out. Although some women never notice its departure, you may see thick discharge or stringy mucus tinged with blood. This light vaginal bleeding is considered to be an early sign of impending labor and can occur a few weeks, days, or hours before contractions begin. You may want to visit the doctor just to make certain that everything is alright.
At about this time, your doctor may also perform a pelvic exam to evaluate your progress. To check for impending labor, some doctors may look for leaking amniotic fluid and will examine your cervix to see whether it has softened or thinned out.

Only three more weeks to go (can you believe it?). Actually, now that you're 37 weeks, your pregnancy is technically considered full-term — which means you can safely go into labor any day now. The big mystery, of course, is just when labor will actually begin. It's anyone's guess when your baby decides to make his or her appearance (sociably early, or fashionably late — or precisely right on time?), but that doesn't stop your practitioner from taking a shot at it. Unless you specifically request otherwise, most practitioners will perform internal checks of your cervix to assess your readiness for labor. Just what is he or she looking for? First, for dilation, or how far your cervix has opened (it needs to open to ten centimeters for the baby to pass through into the birth canal). Next, for cervical ripeness (making you wonder, perhaps, is this a cervix or a peach?), which is the consistency of the cervix. (It starts out being firm like the tip of your nose and softens to the same texture as the inside of your cheek.
Next he or she will check for effacement, or how thin your cervix is (it'll be 100 percent effaced before you push your baby out). The position of your cervix (it moves from the back to the front as labor approaches) will also be assessed, and last but not least, your practitioner will measure the station (or position) of the baby in relation to your pelvis (the lower down your baby is, the closer you are to delivery). Although it all sounds very scientific, it's actually not at all. Having a cervix dilated to three centimeters or being 50 percent effaced is no indication that labor is imminent. You can be very dilated and not have your baby for weeks. Or your cervix can be high and closed during an exam one morning, only to be open and ready for business — and labor — by noon.