Counting the Days

We are at 38 weeks! It's hard to believe we're that close to the end of all this!

We had a doctor visit Monday. He said that I'm not dilated, but I have begun to efface. The baby is in position and is at -1 station. Babies begin entering the birth canal after zero station, so I think that just means she's all ready to go. We're measuring at 33 cm, and the doctor guessed that she'd be approximately a 6-pound baby. That's about all the updates from Monday, I do believe.

My mom and I toured the labor & delivery unit at St. Francis on Sunday. Really, we just went and looked at a room since you labor, deliver and recover in the same place. We learned that they don't take babies to the nursery overnight anymore (sigh), but they will take her to the nurses station if I want to get some sleep. Not sure how I feel about that.

This week, Emma Grace is producing surfactant, a substance that helps prepare her lungs to function after birth. She's packing on a little more fat each day, and her nervous system and brain are continuing to develop. Other than that, she's just about fully cooked! I thought she was settling down and getting ready to be born, but the past few days she's been very active, squirming, kicking and wriggling lots. I keep feeling little elbows/knees sticking out of my sides. She's not going to let me forget she's in there! When I lay down and give her some room to move, she likes to give me a couple good kicks every once in awhile. Makes you wonder what she'll be like outside the womb, huh?

That's all our updates for now! We'll keep you posted as Emma Grace's due date draws ever nearer!