7 weeks to go!

Hope everyone is liking the new, neater blog.  I really enjoy writing it.

I now have 49 days approximately until this little one comes to meet us!  (Let's hope he cooperates and comes on time!).  I am still going through phases of feeling like I wish the 7 weeks would go faster and then feeling like it will be here in no time at all!

There is not much change in his development.  He is definitely getting bigger and now weighs approximately 4.2lbs and is nearly 18 inches long!  He is head down now and has a very healthy heartbeat!  His little bones are hardening and his skin is looking less red and wrinkly and more like it will look at birth.  I am expecting him to move into my pelvis anytime now and this will hopefully alleviate some of the pressure on my ribs because he will be lower and have a little bit more room.  Apparently I should have put on almost 1 1/2 to 2 stone during the pregnancy but I haven't had the nerve to weigh myself recently!

The baby can now do evertything he will be able to do at birth (with the exception of crying!).  He sleeps most of the time but when he is awake he can listen, feel and learn.  He notices the difference between light and dark but won't have a proper sleeping pattern until he is born

I have reached a milestone now that if the baby were to come this early he would most likely be ok.  His lungs should be strong enough and although his organs might not be quite mature enough... there is so much that hospitals can do.  It's a relieving thought to know that if anything were to happen now he would be ok.

I am thinking more now about labour and am still not scared exactly... I have been thinking about how I will cope with the pain and am going to try to refrain from having an epidural even though it has always seemed to be the easiest option to me.  At our antenatal class all it too was the midwife to say that I wouldnt have any feeling in my legs and would have to stay in bed for the duration.  I knew I wouldn't have feeling but it took someone to actually say it to put me completly off the idea.  I think in my panic of going into labour... losing feeling of the lower half of my body might make me panic a bit more.  I also like the fact that if I refrain fro having it I can walk around freely for as long as I want and can take as many baths and showers in the labour ward as I think will help.  Walking helps labour because of gravity hehe.