36 Week Update

Oh my word!!!!! We have made it through the 35th week and into April. I cannot believe it is April already! My absolute least wish was to make it to April and here we are. We go to the doctor tomorrow morning and I am anxious to see what Dr. Evitt has to say. She said last Monday that she would be really happy with one more week and she has said all along that by 35 weeks we would be in really good shape to have them and they both be ok as far as development and being able to be with us without a NICU. I still don't want her to take them just to take them so who knows what tomorrow will bring. If we make it through this week here is what the boys will be up to. Keeping in mind that Dr. Evitt has told us that even though the boys may be smaller that a singleton baby, twins do develop faster than a singleton baby in terms of the lung development and such. So as this coming week talks about some developing systems it is possible that the boys have already been through this coming weeks stages of development....Hopefully.

Week 36:
Your baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his or her little body. Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few years of life) - allowing for an easier journey as your baby squeezes through the birth canal at delivery (and less prodding and poking for Mom along the way). At this stage, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

So your little bruiser (who you've now learned won't be bruising you all that much with those soft bones) is now about six pounds in weight and measures slightly more than 20 inches in length. Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he or she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

By now, many of your baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms - and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him or her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion - which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that? Inside his or her little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system - though developed - hasn't been operational. So your baby will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.