Week 35

Week 35: Hey! It IS getting cramped in here.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 35: Fetus in eighth month Congratulations! You’re now carrying nearly 6 lbs of baby not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. We’re impressed because that’s a LOT of work non-stop. Are you feeling proud of yourself yet? Well, get to it—you’ve done an amazing job! At this point, your little grower is almost busting out of the womb size-wise, which make their restricted attempts to move much challenging. Of course, your stubborn little sucker is still trying to move around as if they weren’t in a cramped space. And the accumulationg baby fat deposits are starting to level off so your little butter ball will be padded and warm when they head out of their super snug little home.

And how's mom doing? We’re sure you’ve noted that the contractions are picking up and despite the obvious appeal of getting the pregnancy over with at this point, try not to jump the gun too soon by declaring actual labor. Of course, if it’s getting to the point where you’re having contractions continuously— you’re in The pain experienced depends on several things including your own natural pain threshold, medication, birthing position, fetal position, previous births, your general health and the actual birthing environment labor and yes, it’s time for the "grab your bags we’re gonna have a baby" rush. For the rest of you not yet in labor, your watermelon-betwixt-my-legs waddle is as charming as ever, not to mention the glorious ongoing back pain and fatigue. Hang in there! Once you’ve got your miracle baby on the outside, this will all be a dim memory. So, catch the cat naps whenever possible and keep yourself hydrated with water and try to imagine how all of this will (hopefully) be much funnier in hindsight.

Your doctor or midwife should soon start monitoring cervical effacement (thinning of the cervix) and dilation in order to predict labor. If your cervix is already dilated labor is probably not far away—although there are some moms who walk around with a dilated cervix for a couple of days prior to labor. And if you haven’t heard about the joys of discharging the mucus plug (which protects the uterus from infection) along with some spotting, commonly called “bloody show”—both are signs that labor is around the corner. Should you discharge anything unusual in consistency and/or coloration, don’t hesitate to call you health care providor, it’s probably nothing, but you certainly don’t need the extra stress right now.

Let’s talk about pain. Reports on the intensity of pain experienced during labor and childbirth are widely varied from woman to woman. The pain experienced depends on several things including your own natural pain threshold, medication, birthing position, fetal position, previous births, your general health and the actual birthing environment. Of course, there are natural births, cesarean deliveries, spinals, IV’s and other pain medications, all of which also play into how you experience pain during child birth.

Ideally, you should attempt to be as relaxed as possible and willing to accept the pain as part of the birthing process. In reality, your experience of the birthing process is unique to your body and how you choose to respond to it. Pain is a two part process: the first part is the physical experience of the pain and the second is your emotional reaction to your experience—and that is the part you have the most control over. Choosing to accept and endure the pain of child-birth (with or without medication) can be an empowering experience for any woman, as well as making the birthing process notably easier for those assisting you.

Uhhh can I get a different mom?
by The Sarcastic Journalist

When I was a teenager, it wasn’t uncommon for me to yell that “I didn’t want to be born! Nobody asked me if I wanted to be born!” Usually this happened right before I slammed my door and cried my eyes out into a pillow because my parents wouldn’t let me stay out past midnight.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, nine months seemed like a really long time. Anytime I had concerns about the baby or parenting, I’d remind myself that it was a long time away.

But here, at 35 weeks, having a baby isn’t that far away anymore! Considering that 36 or 37 weeks is when many doctors won’t stop you from going into labor, the actual having of the baby moment is getting pretty close.

I don’t know how many times I cried because I was sure my baby would “hate me.” I know I’m not alone. I have a friend who, at 38 weeks, worried that her baby would, in fact, hate her.

It doesn’t exactly make sense that our babies would hate us. I’ve never met a baby in my life that hated its mother. If anything, babies love their mothers more than anyone else in the world. We are the mamas! We are mommy!

I’m going to go out on a limb and blame it on the hormones. Let me tell it like it is: Your baby will not hate you. It is not going to want a different mom. It isn’t going to open its eyes, give you a once over and act embarrassed.

It will at least have the decency to wait until it is a teenager to do that.