Welcome To Week 35

Your Baby: The Final Touches

Nearing the ninth month, your baby weighs approximately 5 1/2 pounds (roughly 2495 g), and measures approximately 20 inches from head ttoe. The baby will continue to grow, putting on about a half a pound per week until delivery.

Over the next few weeks, the organs (which are all present), are just putting on the final touches before birth.

Your Body: Picking A Pediatrician

Now that you're in your last trimester with only a few weeks to spare, you should choose a medical caregiver for your baby-to-be (unless you go to a family physician who can provide the care). If this is your first baby, you need to understand the importance of this decision. A good pediatrician is more than a person to call when your baby has a fever. It is someone who will chart your child's development, address your concerns, and answer your questions about your child's health. And it is someone you will see regularly for sick and for well checkups.

The best place to begin looking for a pediatrician is with your family physician, obstetrician, family, friends, and colleagues. Ask them for recommendations and start gathering a list of names. After you collect a few numbers, write up some questions and call to set up interviews. When you interview a physician, you should take into account:

• Professional qualifications (the American Academy of Pediatrics - AAP -- will provide you with a list of board-certified pediatricians if you ask for it).
• Health care viewpoints on various issues such as proactive/preventive medicine, nutrition etc.
• Office hours (weekend appointments, evenings, emergencies).
• Doctor cross-coverage (who are the other doctors covering when your doctor is unavailable?)
• Location -- more than one office?
• Office environment and general feel and personalities of doctors and staff.
• After hours -- answering service/returned phone calls
• Triage system?
• Health coverage issues/ HMO/PP -- delay of reimbursement etc.

On a Different Note: Passing Your Child's First Test

Immediately after you deliver your baby - and often before you actually get to see or hold her -- you will see the doctors and nurses whisk her away to weigh, measure, and bathe her. She will also undergo her first test, called the APGAR, to assess her color, heart rate, muscle tone, respiration, and reflexes at one minute and five minutes after birth. To learn more about APGAR, click here.

Weekly Tip

As you near the end of your pregnancy, you should pack your hospital bag and put it by the front door so that you're ready to go - carefree and calm. Aside from your personal items, make room for these must-haves: a watch with a secondhand to time the contractions, a video recorder or camera, toiletries, and an outfit to wear home - for you and your baby. And don't forget food and drinks for Dad (or at least small change for the vending machines)!