36 weeks!

Had another regularly scheduled visit to the doctor this morning, and as usual she listened to PJs heartbeat and measured his size. She also felt around to determine his position, as she has been doing since about week 30 or so. He's been head-down for a while now, but today she was having a hard time figuring out which pointy hard part was the head and which was his bum, so she's sending me for another ultrasound on Monday to check. I am glad to get another look at PJs anyway - I certainly hope he's still doing his breakdancing moves on his head and hasn't turned himself around!

What PJs is up to:
By 36 weeks pregnant your baby is now right about 6 pounds and is about 20.6 inches or more long! Your little one will soon enter the ranks of heavyweight champs as you continue pregnancy week by week and he approaches delivery!

Your baby is still working on putting on weight during pregnancy week 36. While that may not seem very exciting, keep in mind this is his primary job from now until delivery. Round babies are healthy babies. This is probably the one time in your baby's life they can put on pounds with wild abandon. If you were to peak inside your womb, you'd probably see your baby giddy with glee.

Did you know that some researchers believe your baby actually releases a signal to trigger labor? There are actually several different theories. Some believe that when your baby's brain is completely mature it sends a signal to the fetal adrenal glands. These glands then start to secrete the hormone cortisol, which may alter the metabolism of estrogen and progesterone, resulting in labor.

Other researchers have postulated that the fetal lungs secrete signals indicating they are mature, as well as enzymes that result in the release of prostaglandins, which help the cervix ripen and help the uterus to contract. This is highly likely as the body does release prostaglandins around the time of birth.