(parenthesis)

Thirty-four weeks and six to go until the due date. It's amazing me still. But it sort-of isn't. I mean, I feel great, haven't had anything happen to make me wonder if something was not right. I feel a great sense of peace that can only come from God about this baby. He's right on track an there's no reason to worry.

My doctor is a family practictioner (resident) who is being supervised by a high-risk OB because she wants to be an OB herself. She told me at her last visit that none of her other OB patients worry her as much as I do, based on my last experience with pregnancy. Her other patients must be a cakewalk, because the only non-routine thing I've had to endure was an ultrasound to check for incompetent cervix (which is not the case) a while back.

So, here's the lowdown on how the average 34-weeker is doing these days...

* Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is close to 18 inches long.
* His fat layers are filling out.
* His central nervous system is still maturing.
* His lungs are well developed by now.
* If he were born today, he'd have a 99% chance of survival outside the womb.

(source: babycenter.com)