Oh Baby: Week 32!

8 months!! It was very reassuring to hear the nurse say that although we want to keep the baby in for as long as possible, that if her were to be born now, he would be fine.

We are in single digit territory. Baby G. could come in the next 5-7 weeks.

Well this week Baby G. is the size of jicama! I had no idea what a jicama is but here is what one looks like.

Baby G. weighs about 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, and is taking up a lot of space. Baby G. will gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

Baby Class- the highlight of this week was the baby care class we took at the hospital. It was taught by a pediatric nurse with 33+ years of experience. I really enjoyed it. I felt it was the perfect balance of medical knowledge, and her personal experience as a mom. I probably really enjoyed it because my parenting/baby care ideas really matched up with hers. I learned:

How to diaper a baby, hopefully while not getting peed on!
The best way to clean and bathe the baby before and after the umbilical cord fall off.
As a rule of thumb, Baby always needs one more layer of clothing than you.
Crying is communication! She was a big advocate of checking out why the baby is crying and not letting him cry. She stated the most coming reasons for crying are: that the baby is hungry, wet, cold, bored or getting sick. She was very big on holding the baby as much as possible.
Make your life easier. Do what works and be flexible. Every baby is different, what works for one will not work for the other, so try different things.
Use a pacifier!
Soft music is good for calming baby.
The best ointments are: Balmex, A& D and Desitin( Desitin-only the creamy one- the regular one will not come off and irritate baby's skin)

Cool Fact- She said the baby will look around the room and be able to locate mom and dad as soon as being born! In fact she has seen sick babies that have not opened their eyes, finally open them when they hear their mother's voice.

Bump Report- Here are a couple of pictures at 32 weeks. I am noticeably bigger! Don't you think?