How your baby is growing this week
Pear size — 5.1 inches. Cartilage skeleton hardening to bone from the center outward. Umbilical cord thickening and strengthening. Sweat glands forming. Baby is practicing sucking and swallowing.
What your partner is going through
Vivid, bizarre dreams — the brain is processing anxiety about parenthood through sleep. Balance issues emerging as center of gravity shifts forward. She may grab walls and railings more.
What to focus on this week, dad
- 01Nursery Prep: paint the room now while she can still tolerate proximity to fumes. Use low-VOC paint and ventilate well. Walls dry in a day, the smell takes 3-5 days
- 02Order and assemble major furniture — crib, dresser/changing table, glider. Delivery takes 4-8 weeks. If you wait until month 8, you are speed-building at 11 PM