34 weeks!

Every week I get these e-mails from BabyCenter.com sharing a little about our baby girl at each stage of pregnancy. They always compare her weight to some fruit or vegetable and this week, she is the size of a cantaloupe! So, for those interested in learning more about a 34-week old fetus, I included the e-mail I received this week below.

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers-which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born-are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever.

Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.