Four weeks left, mama!! FOUR!! Wahooo! You, are a rockstar. Seriously, you have been growing a human for almost 9 months. Don't give up on yourself now. These last four weeks will likely be the sloooowest and most uncomfortable, so think positive thoughts! More than anything, you are grateful for the miracle happening within you, right?!
Are you feeling a bit more like a duck waddling along when you walk these days? Although it may be annoying, this is something that lots of moms-to-be experience. You are waddling because the connective tissue in your hip and pelvic area is releasing so your pelvis can expand. A few weeks of waddling is definitely worth having a pelvis ready to push a baby through, right?!
You have been pregnant for 36 weeks! It is no surprise that every part of you feels just plain exhausted sometimes. As your pelvis loosens and expands, pelvic pain might be a new addition to your list of symptoms. Great ways to combat this unwanted pain are to get a massage, stretch, take warm baths, and use warm compresses. Those methods probably aren't new to your pregnancy, but they may still help with these new pains.
Little one is dropping farther into your pelvis in preparation for birth! Your doctor or provider will refer to this as "lightening" or "dropping." Although this is a step towards labor starting, it is not an indicator. Keep breathing easy and thank your lucky stars that your baby is still inside growing stronger! She will be on her way out soon!
Your baby has all of his skull bones, but they aren't completely fused together yet for good reason! They are going to have a tight entry into this world, and their skull needs to be able to adapt to conditions on the way out. Because of that, the skull bones are all connected by a fibrous tissue called a "suture." Once they are born, we refer to them as soft spots. It may be surprising, but all of your baby's bones are still very soft right now. Like mentioned earlier, being born is not the most spacious task!
Baby's sucking reflexes are quite strong at this point! Most babies are ready for their first milk feeding very quickly after they are born. However, their digestive system still needs some developing. The digestive system actually won't be fully mature and developed until after birth. So, even though you are feeling like baby should be ready to come out of you right now, let's hang on for a bit longer!
Do you have your car seat? If the answer to that question is no, then you will want to get one right away! You have to have a car seat purchased and installed in your car correctly if you want to leave the hospital. So you definitely don't want to forget about it! Not sure what you want in a car seat? This guide offers some great advice and tips on choosing!