Week 37

Today marks week 37 of our pregnancy and medically speaking our baby is now considered full term. It's definitely an exciting feeling to know that any day now our lives will never be the same. We met with our doctor this morning for our weekly check-up. We found out that my Group B Strep test was positive which means I will receive antibiotics at the hospital once I'm in labor. At this point in our pregnancy our visits are actually pretty short. The doctor asks how I'm feeling, if I have any concerns and then checks my cervix for progression. The weeks are flying by for us and sometime we feel like we're constantly at the doctor's office! Our doc said that I have not dilated at all, but that the baby's head is very low (remember the bowling ball reference?) and that my cervix is 70% effaced or thinned. Basically, nothing is happening in terms of having a baby any time soon. I am having an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions which are not painful and help my body get ready for the real thing. I have also been feeling a lot more aches and pressure and I'm certain the baby has "dropped". This luckily has given me a little more lung capacity back and I don't feel out of breath all the time.
Our doctor will be out of town next week so we are meeting one of her colleagues and we will also get an ultrasound to get an idea of how big our little guy is. We're very excited that we get another ultrasound to see the baby since it will have been 18 weeks since our last view. I'm interested to see what position he is in because it has become a regular game at our house to "guess the body part" when my belly moves. Having an ultrasound to predict the size of the baby will also give our doctor a good indication of how long she can let me go overdue before inducing me. She does not feel that I will be early at all (official due date is April 8th), but hopefully she'll have a little sympathy for me and not make us wait too long!
Week 37 has also made us both realize what we have left to do to prepare for the baby. The nursery is almost ready and our hospital bags are packed. I have had a couple of days of good energy, but I haven't quite hit full "nesting" mode!
This adventure has been so exciting for us both and we are very ready to meet our little guy. Every day that passes is one day closer bringing our son into the world. We still haven't decided on a name for him, but hopefully once we see him we'll know what to call him!
Check out some pictures of the nursery. Our crib has not arrived yet, but you'll see where it will go. You'll also see two eager nursery helpers that aren't quite sure what to make of all the changes!