34 weeks 5 days

Ahhh, the days are passing quickly! :)

Here's your weekly picture update:

34 1/2 weeks

And for what's going on this week:

Estimates for the baby's size are from 16.8 to 20.25 inches and 4.75 to 6 lbs.
(Krewson is estimated to weigh 5 lb 10 oz, which is supposed to be about the 54th percentile.  I think this matches up pretty well with these numbers.)

Most of your baby's growth over the next month or so before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department).

If you were to have your premature baby now, you'd be happy to know that there is a 99 percent chance of the baby surviving.

Lungs are almost fully developed, but if born now the baby would probably be put in an incubator. It still doesn't have enough fat deposits beneath its skin to keep warm outside your womb.

Your baby is drinking about a pint of amniotic fluid a day now and urinating the same amount.

Thanks to antibodies crossing the placenta the baby is developing immunities to mild infections.

As the mother's abdomen stretches thinner, light is visible inside the womb, helping baby to develop sleep cycles, reactions, and responses to her surrounding environment.

For me:

Braxton Hicks contractions may be getting more numerous and stronger, and discomfort and sleeping problems are common around this time. (Yup.)

Your blood pressure will probably be slightly higher than what is normal for you when not pregnant. (Yup.)

Before all this pregnancy stuff, your uterus was a small ball the size of your fist and was tucked neatly away behind your pelvis. Today your uterus is the size of a small watermelon and reaches all the way up to your ribs.

At this point in your pregnancy all the blood has gone to your belly ... literally. Nearly 1/6 of your body's total blood volume is chugging around in the vessels in your uterus. (Wow.)

In the United States, just 12 percent of companies offer paid maternity leave, and only seven percent have paid paternity leave, according to a report from the National Partnership for Women and Families. (I get a partially-paid maternity leave - I am very blessed!)