34 weeks!

Finally!

The end of this pregnancy is moving so slow. Or maybe I'm just getting excited and want her out so I can meet her. I'm getting uncomfortable!

All the baby things this week say that Zoe is around 5 lbs. She gets her next measurements taken at 36 weeks (on my birthday!) to see how big or small she is. Babycenter says she's the weighs as much as a canteloupe. I think she feels more like a bowling ball!

Babycenter also says 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.

AND she got moved up again on the March of Dimes site!

Are babies born at 34 to 36 weeks gestation (late preterm) at risk for medical problems? Late preterm infants are usually healthier than babies born earlier. More than 99 percent of these babies survive, though they are (16):

• 6 times more likely than full-term infants to die in the first week of life (2.8 per 1,000 vs. 0.5 per 1,000)
• 3 times more likely to die in the first year of life (7.9 per 1,000 vs. 2.4 per 1,000)

Late preterm babies often weigh between 4� and 6 pounds, and they may appear thinner than full-term babies. These babies remain at higher risk than full-term babies for newborn health problems, including breathing and feeding problems, difficulties regulating body temperature, and jaundice (17). These problems are usually mild. Most of these babies can breast- or bottle-feed, although some (especially those with mild breathing problems) may need tube-feeding for a brief time.
A baby�s brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 40 weeks (17). Because their brain development is not complete, these babies may be at increased risk for learning and behavioral problems (17). Most do not develop serious disabilities resulting from premature birth.
A recent study, however, found that late preterm infants are more than 3 times as likely to develop cerebral palsy and are slightly more likely to have developmental delays than babies born full term (18). Another study found that adults who were born at 34 to 36 weeks gestation may be more likely than those born full-term to have mild disabilities and to earn lower long-term wages (19).