Week 38

We've reached week 38 and Ethan has given no indication that he is ready to come out anytime soon. Our doctor's appointment this morning went well and the doctor indicated that I'm about 1 cm dialated and he feels fairly confident that Ethan is going to stay put for awhile. His heartbeat is strong and my blood pressure is still normal. I lost a pound since last week (what????) but the doctor did not seem concerned and indicated that this can happen towards the end when your weight can sometimes plateau. As long as he's not worried I'm going to try not to worry either, but it does seem a little backwards. I'm going to indulge in all things junk food this week (the joys of pregnancy!) and hopefully next week I'll at least be back to where I was. So the official weight gain currently is 19.6 pounds - I want to make it to at least the recommended 25 so I guess it's a good thing that Ethan seems content to stay put. I'll probably regret this line of thinking here in a few weeks when I am struggling to drop all the excess pounds, but I want to ensure that I'm doing everything possible to take the best care of Ethan right now.

Here's the official word on week 38: "Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek.) He has a firm grasp, which you'll be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time. His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel grey or dark blue eyes, they may stay grey or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old."