Week 37: Baby Predictions

We are officially full term! This means that if Max is born before his due date he will no longer be considered a premature baby. It's hard to believe (or maybe not so hard- ha!) there is pretty much a full sized baby in my belly! In preparation for his arrival we installed the car seat this week, I started doing some extra cooking to freeze food so we can have some meals and snacks on hand, just about finished prepping the labor bag and recovery bag for the hospital, and ordered the last few items we want to have on hand before Max arrives. Unexpectedly, we also ended up having to replace the rear brakes and battery in Ben's car! At least it happened now instead of when I call him to say, "Come home now! I'm in labor!"

As we close in on Max's due date we thought it might be fun to record our predictions about his "stats"! We got all the grandparents involved, too, so we can see what everyone has in mind. There are no prizes or awards, of course. Just some fun!

	Mom (Laura)	Dad (Ben)	Grandmommy (Peggy)	Granddaddy (Ben Sr.)	Amma (Nancy)	Grandpa (Bob)	GrammaJoy (Joyce)
Arrival Day	Sept. 3	Sept.2	Sept. 1	August 28	August 22	August 22	August 26
Arrival Time	7:00pm	6:00am	10:59am	8:54am	8:00pm	8:00pm	11:30am
Weight	7 lbs.  8 oz.	7 lbs.  8 oz.	7 lbs. 9 oz.	8 lbs. 7.5 oz.	8 lbs.  5 oz.	8 lbs.  10 oz.	8 lbs. 8 oz.
Length	20 inches	20 inches	20.5 inches	19.5 inches	21 inches	21 inches	21.5 inches
Amount of Hair	Peach fuzz	Full head of hair	Full head  of hair	Full head  of hair	Cue ball	Cue ball	Cue ball
Hair Color	Dark Brown	Dark Brown	Black	Black	Brown	Brown	Auburn
Eye Color	Hazel	Brown	Brown	Blue	Brown	Brown	Blue

Fun guesses! Time will tell what he's actually like, I suppose.

My midwife appointment went well this week and everything continues to look good and remain on track. I had a Group B Strep test done last week which fortunately came back negative (you can read a very basic overview of Group B Strep here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/group-b-strep/DS01107/). If it had come back positive I would have had to go to the hospital earlier in labor so I could get an IV of antibiotics which would help prevent the baby from getting it as he comes down the birth canal. Having a negative result will allow us to labor at home for a longer period of time which is what we were wanting!

Here is what Max is up to this week:

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. Your baby 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 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.