Thirty Five Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Got iron?
It's very important to eat lots of iron-rich food in the third trimester. Your baby absorbs this crucial mineral from your body to build up iron stores in her own body, mostly in the form of red blood cells. The majority of the absorption takes place in the final months before delivery.
Heads or tails.

"Should my head be up or down?"
The head-down, or vertex, position is the ideal position for birth. Labor goes more smoothly when the baby's head, the largest body part, comes through the birth canal first. About 3 to 4 percent of babies haven't flipped to this position by 35 weeks. If something other than the head appears first, the delivery is called a breech birth. Amazingly, despite the tight quarters in your uterus, your little acrobat may turn several more times before she's born.

Measuring up
Your baby's arms and legs are getting chubbier as she continues to gain weight. By the end of this week, she may weigh up to 5.5 pounds and measure around 16.8 to 18.5 inches long.

What Mommy is Doing:

What you should know about Cesareans
No matter how much thought and preparation you put into it, childbirth (like parenthood) can be unpredictable. There's always a chance your doctor will decide that there is some risk to you or your baby and, as a result, will deliver your baby by Cesarean section. A Cesarean birth is one in which the baby is delivered through a surgical incision in the mother's uterus.

Nearly one quarter of the births in the United States are Cesarean births. So even though the odds are that you won't have the procedure, learn about it now so you'll know what to expect if it's needed. Ask your doctor which circumstances he or she believes call for a Cesarean: Would he perform one if your baby were in a breech position, for example, or if your labor had stalled? Also ask your doctor to describe how he performs a Cesarean—the procedure can vary slightly from doctor to doctor.

The ABCs of GBS
Sometime between now and 37 weeks, your health care provider may test you for the Group B streptococcus (GBS) bacterium. About one third of pregnant women carry the bacterium, which is harmless to you but can cause an infection in your baby if he contracts it during delivery. The test is simple: Your doctor will take a swab from your vagina or rectum or will perform some tests on a urine sample. If you test positive for the GBS bacterium, you may receive antibiotics intravenously (through a vein in your arm) during labor and delivery.

While We Are Waiting:

Mommy and Daddy are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby.

When will it be?

What will the weather be like?

Will it be at night?

Will labor begin at work or at home?

Will it happen on the weekend?

Will the baby be early or late?

We hate waiting!