from babycenter.comHow your baby's growing at 34 weeks:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
How your life's changing:
By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent bathroom breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond).
The last two weeks I've been experiencing a lot of contractions--sometimes up to 5 an hour. My doctor has 'suggested' that I take it easy. Easier said than done!!! For a short month, February has lasted an eternity! Keeping busy helps time go faster. I hate sitting still!!! The following is information about early contractions--more to help me remember than anything...no obligation to read :)
What are Braxton Hicks contractions?
Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.
As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they'll probably remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.
Play it safe and don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. If you haven't hit 37 weeks yet and you're having more than four contractions in an hour — or you have any other signs of preterm labor (see below) — call your caregiver immediately.
By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your due date, your contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and they may cause some discomfort. Unlike the earlier painless and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions, which caused no obvious cervical changes, these contractions may help your cervix "ripen" — gradually soften and thin out (efface) and maybe even dilate a bit. This period is sometimes referred to as pre-labor.
What is false labor?
As you approach your due date, the painless and infrequent Braxton Hicks contractions that you may have been feeling since mid-pregnancy sometimes become more rhythmic, relatively close together, and even painful, possibly fooling you into thinking you're in labor. But unlike true labor, this so-called false labor doesn't cause significant, progressive dilation of your cervix, and the contractions don't grow consistently longer, stronger, and closer together.
False labor contractions can be a real drag, interfering with your sleep and making you tired and cranky. (haha! Now at least I have an excuse!) (Taking warm baths and drinking plenty of liquids can sometimes help.) You might also feel anxious, wondering when true labor will start.
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
How your life's changing:
By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent bathroom breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond).
The last two weeks I've been experiencing a lot of contractions--sometimes up to 5 an hour. My doctor has 'suggested' that I take it easy. Easier said than done!!! For a short month, February has lasted an eternity! Keeping busy helps time go faster. I hate sitting still!!! The following is information about early contractions--more to help me remember than anything...no obligation to read :)
What are Braxton Hicks contractions?
Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.
As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they'll probably remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.
Play it safe and don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. If you haven't hit 37 weeks yet and you're having more than four contractions in an hour — or you have any other signs of preterm labor (see below) — call your caregiver immediately.
By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your due date, your contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and they may cause some discomfort. Unlike the earlier painless and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions, which caused no obvious cervical changes, these contractions may help your cervix "ripen" — gradually soften and thin out (efface) and maybe even dilate a bit. This period is sometimes referred to as pre-labor.
What is false labor?
As you approach your due date, the painless and infrequent Braxton Hicks contractions that you may have been feeling since mid-pregnancy sometimes become more rhythmic, relatively close together, and even painful, possibly fooling you into thinking you're in labor. But unlike true labor, this so-called false labor doesn't cause significant, progressive dilation of your cervix, and the contractions don't grow consistently longer, stronger, and closer together.
False labor contractions can be a real drag, interfering with your sleep and making you tired and cranky. (haha! Now at least I have an excuse!) (Taking warm baths and drinking plenty of liquids can sometimes help.) You might also feel anxious, wondering when true labor will start.
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