40
Weeks
It's hard to say for sure how big
our baby will be, but the average newborn weighs in at a little over 7 pounds
and is about 20 inches long. I’m guessing he’s going to be 9 lbs 12 oz and
about 23 inches. Anybody else care to
guess? Email
us! Our baby will continue to grow
with every passing day (his nails and hair will continue to get longer, too).
Our baby's skull bones are still separated and they'll stay that way to allow
the bones to compress enough to fit through the birth canal during labor
(you'll notice soft spots or "fontanels" on our baby's head for a
year or more after birth).
Despite medical advances, there's
still no way to know for sure when a woman will go into labor. I may not be as
late as I think, especially if our baby wasn't conceived exactly when we
thought (this happens more frequently when your due date is based only on the
date of your last menstrual period and you haven't had an ultrasound in the
first half of your pregnancy). But even with reliable dating, some women still
have prolonged pregnancies, and experts don't really understand why.
I still have a couple of weeks before I'll be considered "post-term."
But to be sure our baby is still thriving, this week — or by the start of 41
weeks at the latest — our practitioner will want to begin special testing to
monitor our baby.
A biophysical profile (BPP) consists
of a detailed ultrasound to look at our baby's overall movements, breathing,
and muscle tone (whether he opens and closes his hand or extends and then
flexes his limbs), and the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds him
(important because it's a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting the
baby). It may also include 20 minutes or more of heart rate monitoring.
Alternatively, I may have what's sometimes called a modified BPP, which
includes monitoring our baby's heart rate with a fetal monitor, and an
ultrasound evaluation of the amount of amniotic fluid. These tests are usually
done twice a week.
This
is what the baby looks like now:
Info
taken from BabyCenter.com
I
found this picture of the synechea and thought you
might like to see it:
At
the doctor’s appointment this week:
I
am measuring 41 weeks.*
I
am fully effaced and dilated 2 cm.**
The
baby’s head is not engaged.
*Coincidently,
the measurement from the top of your pelvic bone to the top of your fundus is roughly equivalent to your baby’s gestational
age.
**In
labor, a woman’s cervix must efface/soften/ripen and then
dilate to 10 centimeters before she can push a baby out. Active labor is considered 4 cm on.
Here’re
some pictures of the nursery:
Our
baby has a name!
Finnegan James
We’ve
had some inquiries about a baby registry.
We are registered at Babies
“R” Us.
Note that, for the purposes of this chart, babies are
measured from the crown (or top) of the head to the rump (or bottom) until
about 20 weeks. After that, they're measured from head to toe.
|
Gestational
age |
Length
(US) |
Weight
(US) |
Length
(cm) |
Mass (g) |
|
20
weeks |
10.08
inches |
10.58
ounces |
25.6 cm |
300 grams |
|
21
weeks |
10.51
inches |
12.70
ounces |
26.7 cm |
360 grams |
|
22
weeks |
10.94
inches |
15.17
ounces |
27.8 cm |
430 grams |
|
23
weeks |
11.38
inches |
1.10
pound |
28.9 cm |
501 grams |
|
24
weeks |
11.81
inches |
1.32 pound |
30 cm |
600 grams |
|
25
weeks |
13.62
inches |
1.46
pound |
34.6 cm |
660 grams |
|
26
weeks |
14.02
inches |
1.68
pound |
35.6 cm |
760 grams |
|
27
weeks |
14.41
inches |
1.93
pound |
36.6 cm |
875 grams |
|
28
weeks |
14.80
inches |
2.22
pounds |
37.6 cm |
1005
grams |
|
29
weeks |
15.2
inches |
2.54
pounds |
38.6 cm |
1153
grams |
|
30
weeks |
15.71
inches |
2.91
pounds |
39.9 cm |
1319
grams |
|
31
weeks |
16.18
inches |
3.31
pounds |
41.1 cm |
1502
grams |
|
32
weeks |
16.69
inches |
3.75
pounds |
42.4 cm |
1702
grams |
|
33
weeks |
17.20
inches |
4.23
pounds |
43.7 cm |
1918
grams |
|
34
weeks |
17.72
inches |
4.73
pounds |
45 cm |
2146
grams |
|
35
weeks |
18.19
inches |
5.25
pounds |
46.2 cm |
2383
grams |
|
36
weeks |
18.66
inches |
5.78
pounds |
47.4 cm |
2622
grams |
|
37
weeks |
19.13
inches |
6.30
pounds |
48.6 cm |
2859
grams |
|
38
weeks |
19.61
inches |
6.80
pounds |
49.8 cm |
3083
grams |
|
39
weeks |
19.96
inches |
7.25
pounds |
50.7 cm |
3288
grams |
|
40 weeks |
20.16 inches |
7.63 pounds |
51.2 cm |
3462 grams |
|
41
weeks |
20.35
inches |
7.93
pounds |
51.7 cm |
3597
grams |
|
42
weeks |
20.28
inches |
8.12
pounds |
51.5 cm |
3685
grams |
|
43
weeks |
20.20
inches |
8.19
pounds |
51.3 cm |
3717
grams |
