40 Weeks Pregnant

This is it…the week your baby is due. Although your due date has arrived remember that your labour may begin one or two weeks either side of his date. All the preparation and plans should be done, so now it is just time to wait. Enjoy this rare time in your life, your last days of your pregnancy, the last days of it being just you and your baby 24/7

MOM

Go ahead and let people pick up things for you and do the bending as it becomes more difficult to  manoeuvre with your full size belly. You’ll get a few weeks of restrictions while you recover from birth and then there will be plenty of work you will be able to do again.

As far as size, there probably hasn’t been much change. The position of the baby may have become lower as he or she drops further into your pelvis.


BABY

By full-term, your baby should weight about 2.7 to 3.5 kg, although full-term babies can weight anything from 2.5 to 5 kg, and measure 35 to 38 cm from crown to rump and 44 to 55 cm from the baby's head to its toes. These are just average figures, and there can be wide variation in the measurements.There is not much change in size at this point. Your baby should be about birth weight now. Since baby’s usually loose a little weight right after birth, the extra ounces provide a cushion to accommodate the weight change without stressing the baby.

As much as you are ready for the birth to happen, the baby is feeling cramped and crowded and ready to enter the world.

 LIFE

Even if you don’t feel ready and there are things to work out with your job and home to prepare for the baby, it just doesn’t matter any more because you are so tired and so uncomfortable from the pregnancy and SO ready to meet your son or daughter. You are ready to share your baby with others.

As your teen son or daughter is running off with friends you will be glad you took these last days when it is just you and your baby to appreciate the privilege of creating your son or daughter. When you remember these last days, the memory of the discomforts will be pale and faded. What seemed like an eternity to wait for labor to begin will suddenly seem like the pregnancy was over in a blink of an eye.

Review the stages of labor and any other information that may be helpful. You probably already know it, but the review can build some confidence in your ability to get through labor and delivery. Though it will be easier without your belly, practice putting up and taking down the stroller and securing the car seat. Be prepared to do it one handed because you may find yourself in that situation when holding your baby.

Remember there are no “grades” when it is all said and done. Everyone does a great job. No matter how your labor and delivery go, it is an intense moment in your life that only brings out your best effort. Each woman and her labor are unique, don’t bother comparing….it’s like comparing apples to oranges.

Post Term Pregnancy

39 Weeks Pregnant

Baby names and meanings