Little Billy is approaching 20 inches in length, meaning he is just about as long as he's going to get. His body weight should be close to 5 lbs. already as he continues to plump up for the main event. His growth this week means that he is no longer floating in his amniotic fluid filled home, but is now resting on Antoinette's uterus. The increased size and proper positioning of the baby (head down) means that we're going to see a gradual increase in the frequency and intensity of the Braxton-Hicks contractions. These contractions feel like a tightening in the top of the uterus that spreads downward and then relaxes. While many women confuse these contractions with actual labor, the differences are many. Braxton-Hicks contractions will subside if you get up and walk around and they should never be painful.
If he has hair (which I'm still thinking is unlikely except for maybe a thin layer), it is getting longer and thicker. The color is irrelevant since it can change various shades after the birth. The baby continues to shed the lanugo, or fine layer of tiny body hair that coats his little frame. The vernix caseosa, or waxy coating covering the skin, is actually increasing. An interesting fact is that no land mammal other than human beings produce this substance on their young in utero. However, many sea mammals do, including the harbor seal.
He's also begun to siphon off as much calcium from his Mother as he can in order to properly strengthen the bones that make up his skeleton. Prenatal vitamins and milk have to remain on the menu to account for this. His fingernails have grown to the point where they extend over the fingertips and he can now scratch his face, arms, and legs accidentally.
Billy is no longer considered a premature baby if he is born today. He has graduated to the pre-term phase. The difference is physical maturity, most importantly in the lungs. Pre-term babies are far less likely to need intensive care at birth due to increased lung development.
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