During week 40, your baby is resting lower near your pelvis. You are at the largest point in your pregnancy as your baby is ready for childbirth. The head of your baby may have already traveled into the birthing position in your pelvis. This could change your walk to a struggling waddle.
Week 40 Of Pregnancy
Only 5 out of every 100 women gives birth on their due date so labor can start at any time. The baby is losing its fine layer of hair on its body and practicing turning its head and grasping. On average, a baby this far into the pregnancy should be around 18 to 20 inches and weigh 7 pounds.
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1 AnswerA
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answeredThe beginning signs of labor could make you feel nervous and anxious. Water breaking is a scary time for a lot of new moms. It is not always a gushing, and could be more of a trickle. If you think your water could have broken, contact your doctor for further instruction. Just as nerve-racking is when labor does not start in week 40. Do not worry; you are not considered post-term until after 42 weeks. Your doctor will examine you and decide when and how you should go into labor. -
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredThis schedule will help you stay organized: Here's what you need to do on week number…
5 – Call your doctor and schedule your first prenatal visit for between weeks 7 and 12. Stop smoking and discontinue all alcohol use.
6 – Schedule a dental check up. Keep a pregnancy diary to chart aches, discomforts, and pains.
7 – If you haven't already, start taking DHA. Practice some daily meditation. Mood swings are common now.
10 – The diagnostic test CVS, which can detect genetic abnormalities, is performed between now and 12.
12 – Shopped for maternity clothes yet? Assign him more chores
14 – Drink more water to avoid constipation. You should be walking every day. Confirm your next prenatal visit for between weeks 16 and 20. Ask about your ultrasound and glucose challenge test.
16 – Start a baby journal.
17 –Your cravings are surging, so he's going to need to be on standby at 2:30 a.m.
18 – Are you eating five or six small meals?
19 – Your libido is increasing. Are you doing Kegel exercises?
20 – The 20-ultrasound! Do you want to know boy or girl?
22 – Start looking into local birthing classes and schedule one for you and your partner.Ideal time: Right around 25-27 weeks. Get feedback from friends and register early.
23 – Confirm your next prenatal visit for between weeks 24 and 28.
24 – Still doing those Kegels?
26 – Start asking about pediatricians and, if necessary, child-care providers.
29 – Try a prenatal yoga class – it's a great way to meet other moms-to-be.
32 – Baby's room all ready?
33 – Visit a baby store and register for items. Tour the hospital where you're going to deliver, or make an appointment with a midwife to come to your home.
34 – Make sure all doctor appointments are scheduled. You'll have one every two weeks from weeks 36 on out. Your Group B Strep test will also be around 36.
36 – Picked names yet? Get your partner going on making some meals and freezing them.
37 – Pack your hospital bag.
39 – Take 10 – and breathe. Practice your relaxation techniques.
40 – Baby hasn't come yet? Time to start talking about induction.
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1 AnswerA
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
Your baby is ready to leave the womb! Enough fat has been stored beneath the skin to protect the baby from changing temperatures. The placenta is important for forming an immune system equipped with antibodies to face possible infections in the next 6 months. You may go into labor this week, but about half of women get through week 40 without labor.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
Your baby is at a good birth length and weight, though this size varies by baby. On average, the baby is between 19 and 21 inches now weighs, on average, about 7.5 pounds. Do not worry if your baby is not exactly this size; your doctor will tell you if the baby's size is something to be concerned about.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answeredSee All 2 Answers
You should now be going to the doctor every week. At the exam, your doctor is going to do an exam of your abdomen to find out your baby's size and position. To find out if your cervix is ready for birth, your doctor will do an internal exam. They will check to see how dilated you are. Keep an eye on how your body changes and keep track of your baby's movements to notice any decrease in action. If your pregnancy goes past 40 weeks, your doctor will do additional tests and possibly induce labor.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
You are probably feeling especially anxious as childbirth is coming soon! Try to relax. You might also feel indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, back and pelvic aches, and problems with hemorrhoids. You may also have more Braxton Hicks contractions as your uterus practices for labor.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
Your body will change as your pregnancy nears its end. Your "water breaks" when the membranes that hold amniotic fluid rupture, but this does not always happen before labor begins. Contact your doctor if you think you are going into labor.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
You should be going to the doctor this week. Talk to your doctor about any signs of labor you are having. Ask any questions you have. Also, you should talk about how you want your delivery to go.
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1 AnswerA
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
It is important to know the signs of labor as you go into week 40. Some babies come at this time, and it important to seek the appropriate medical care if you think your water has broken, or anything else that indicates labor. It is also important to track your baby's movements. Any slow-down of activity could mean that your baby is naturally restricted in the (now) small womb, or it could indicate something more serious. Talk to your doctor about any changes you sense in your baby's movements.