w 39 - Merry Christmas!

It's quite weird to think this is the last week really. I mean, at Christmas last year I was quite depressed and very un-pregnant and we decided to take a break from everything even remotely connected with making babies. When I think about it we only had sex once under those fertile days and that was enough. Especially since we did our best to have as much as possible before we took the break and it didn't work. ;-) It took eight months to create this miracle that is now growing under my heart. Now all that is left is to see when it decides to grace the world with its presence. ;-) I rather hope it will be fashionably late and come after new years. I have promised my mother in law, who is working for the hospital driving ambulances around here not to go into labour while we are here. She has never gone on a labour call before. And seriously, I don't wish her to be there when I go into labour, my darling will be just enough. ;-)

My feet has gone hobbit-size now. It's not a pretty sight I promise you. But I'm ok. I try my best to sit with my feet up to prevent them from getting bigger. My hands are also larger than usual. But I'm ok with that as long as Peanut decides to stay inside until after New years. ;-)

My darling bought the first Christmas gifts for Peanut today. One of them is a bear which will be packed in the bag we're taking to the delivery room, the other I don't know because I had left the store when he bought it. I'm sure it's something cute.

Your pregnancy: 39 weeks Peanut: Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

Me: At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.