33 weeks--4 weeks to go!

Dates and numbers:
There are 48 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 232 days pregnant.
I am 7.6 months pregnant.
I am in my 8th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby weighs about 4.4 pounds at this point. The crown-to-rump length of my baby is approximately 12 inches and the total length is around 19.4 inches. Measuring from the top of my uterus to my bellybutton is 5.2 inches. Total weight gain at this point of pregnancy is usually 22 to 28 pounds.

With the exception of crying, my baby is capable of doing everything that a newborn baby will do. My baby is restricted now inside of the uterus, but still can kick and move. My baby sleeps a lot of the time, just as newborn babies do. My baby's eyes move in the manner of REM sleep and researchers believe that babies can dream vividly in utero. When my baby is awake, s/he is listening, feeling and learning. There are billions of neurons in the brain that make trillions of connections. My baby will probably have settled into the birth position by now and my caregiver can most likely tell which way my baby is presenting. If my baby were to be born now, the lungs would probably be strong enough to function properly, but my baby may still need extra care from specially trained doctors and nurses.

During these last few weeks of pregnancy, most women experience an increased urge to urinate. The uterus puts a lot of pressure on the bladder and can send me to the restroom frequently. My uterus has actually grown 500 times throughout my pregnancy! Red blood cell production catches up with the production of plasma and physiological anemia may begin to fade at this time.

My baby's eyes open during alert times and close during sleep. The eye color is usually blue, regardless of the permanent color as pigmentation is not fully developed. The final formation of eye pigmentation requires exposure to light and usually happens a few weeks after birth.