Full Term

Baby Helms is officially full term! So -- yay! -- bring her on. Jarrett and I are ready anytime. :) At 37 weeks, BabyCenter says that if the baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though the due date is still three weeks away.

She 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 we are not to be surprised if our baby's hair is not the same color as ours. I do wonder if she will have a full head of hair like I did when I was born, but I know even if she does have hair upon birth, it is always subject to falling out. Mine didn't, but who knows. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz, which I think is very cute as well. I am convinced she's going to look like a red, wrinkly prune when we first see her (as most babies seem to), but I don't care -- I can't wait to meet her!

I met with Dr. J. yesterday, and she adjusted my back as well as my supplement schedule. According to her, despite the amount of water I am drinking (because I'm thirsty all of the time), my kidneys are still working overtime (and she proved this by pushing on them -- ouch!), filtering for both me and the baby, and she thinks this is part of what is leading to the afternoon/nighttime swelling of my ankles/feet. But all I can do is keep drinking as much water as possible... and she suggested eating celery. I made another appointment with her in three weeks (actually on the due date) because she said it is definitely beneficial to get adjusted as close to the delivery as possible, but it's weird to think that I might not see her again before Baby Helms makes her debut.

We also met with the doula last night to go over the birth plan and discuss how things should play out once I do go into labor. Basically we contact her as soon as I am fairly certain that labor is for real, no matter how early on. This helps her organize things on the homefront so she can be ready to come over as soon as we want her to be there. So she will come over to the house when it seems contractions are getting more intense and closer together, and will help us decide when it's time to head to the hospital. Or, depending on how things progress, she might also just meet us there! I still don't truly know what to expect, of course, but I am still feeling calm about labor and delivery, so let's hope it stays that way.

How am I feeling physically? Definitely more tired, and I am feeling more and more Braxton Hicks contractions, which cause the pain in the right portion of my rib cage to be a bit more severe. But they're still just that -- Braxton Hicks. They come with no real regularity, no real pain, and I can usually change position to help ease them. But they're still obviously getting me ready for the real deal. Overall, I am doing really well. I have enjoyed pregnancy. But -- at the same time -- I totally would not mind if she decided to come early. And I know Jarrett is excited too.