Week 36 - Almost to 37

Although I'm almost 37 weeks (full term --- EEK) I'm going to back up to Week 36! Tomorrow we have another ultrasound to determine whether or not Ms. Molly has turned her little booty around and is no longer breech. Last doctor appointment, he said she still was breech, but I have been working with my chiropractor trying to make conditions better for her to turn around. So we will see (fingers crossed). We also have our last Lamaze class tomorrow night. Could it be??? I think we are actually ready! (Or as ready as we can possibly be I suppose!) Thank goodness it is almost time. Momma is finally feeling uncomfortable and swollen... hey one month out of 9 (well 10) isn't too bad!!!

Your baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his or her little body. Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey as your baby squeezes through the birth canal at delivery (and less prodding and poking for Mom along the way). At 36 weeks pregnant, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

So your little bruiser (who you've now learned won't be bruising you all that much with those soft bones) is now about six pounds in weight and measures slightly more than 20 inches in length. Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he or she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

By now, many of your baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms — and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him or her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that? Inside his or her little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system — though developed — hasn't been operational. So your baby will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.