34 Weeks Pregnant

Your pregnancy: 34 weeks
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How your baby's growing: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.

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 pee 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). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy.

If you notice itchy red bumps or welts on your belly and possibly your thighs and buttocks as well, you may have a condition called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP for short). Up to one percent of pregnant women develop PUPPP, which is harmless but can be quite uncomfortable. See your practitioner so she can make sure it's not a more serious problem, provide treatment to make you more comfortable, and refer you to a dermatologist if necessary. Also be sure to call her if you feel intense itchiness all over your body, even if you don't have a rash. It could signal a liver problem.


Things have been going pretty well for me besides being tired from lack of sleep, too many bathroom trips and my hips hurt a lot during the night, so I switch from one side to the other. Everyone has been telling me I am carrying so high, so of course that leads them to beleive we are having a girl. We had the Wood Memorial Day picnic today and everyone said how high I was carrying and how can I breathe.

Work was crazy this weekend and that definately wears on me. I am glad they decided to not put me on the June schedule at all, so I have one more night on call this week and then not again until after I return to work in the fall. You must wonder, how can she possibly be making removals yet while being 7 months pregnant. We have an intern right now at work and he needs much experience, so he is on call with me always and he takes care of the physical work for me. But I have to admit, waking up in the middle of the night and going out is hard. I think I will be happy to wake up in the night and not have to leave home. Feeding the baby in the night has to be better than embalming.

Only 6 weeks until my due date, ahhhhhhh.