34wks- The Cantaloupe

I had an appointment to meet with the other pediatrician who had been recommended to us, Dr. Pilgrim-King, on Wednesday. Jeff ended up having a meeting he couldn't get out of, so I went alone. I waited about 30 minutes or so, then the office manager came over, introduced herself, gave me a written statement about their vaccine policy, and told me they would hopefully have a room soon. I read the vaccine policy while I continued to wait. Basically, it said they wouldn't see patients who were not vaccinated or vaccinated on their schedule. While I do plan on ultimately vaccinating, probably the complete schedule, I do not appreciate being told I have to in order to be seen at that practice. I just think it's my decision not theirs. So, I told the office manager that their policy was a deal breaker for me and I didn't want to waste any one's time meeting with the doctor. Dr. Sweet it is! I was pretty sure that was going to be the case anyway, so I'm not really upset about this. We did have one other recommendation we're going to try to check out if we have time.

I don't have much else to report this week. The baby's been moving a lot. Jeff finally got to see when she moves so much my whole abdomen shifts. He's very impatient about waiting to see or feel movement, so he usually misses it. I've been having some very mild contractions. Actually, I've been having them for a while, but they've gotten a little more frequent lately, usually two or three an hour. They don't hurt at all, just get my attention. Sleep is getting a bit more elusive, but I suppose that's pretty much par for the course at this point. I have a feeling that will be getting a lot worse before it gets better!

This week's update:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her 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.