You are now 40 weeks pregnant. Your baby is due and cooked to perfection! However, only 5% of babies are born on their actual due date. Most babies are born during the week after the day estimated. Birth weights vary greatly. In Australia, newborns weigh on average 3,300 grams (7lb 41/2oz), but this can range from 2,800grams to 4,500grams (6lb 3oz to 9lb 15oz). An average length is 50 cms (20 inches), however this can range from 46 to 56 cms (18 to 22 inches). Your baby's head circumference is also measured at birth and can range from 33 to 37 cms.
If your baby is born around this time congratulations!
If your baby has not arrived as yet - try and be patient and remember that the normal length of a pregnancy is regarded as any time from 37 to 42 weeks.
What is my body doing at 40 weeks?
The weight of your baby on your cervix will put pressure on the tissues, which helps to thin it (known as ripening or effacing), and open it up ready for birth. If your midwife were to do an internal examination now, she may discover you’re already a couple of centimetres dilated, even if you haven’t had any contractions.
Your doctor or midwife will also check plenty of other things: they'll do an ultrasound to look at your baby’s breathing movements, muscle tone and overall movement as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her, carry out a foetal heart monitoring test and they'll also check your cervix to look at its position, how soft it is, how dilated it is and how effaced it is.
If you don’t go into labour soon, you’ll likely be induced next week or the week after.
Common symptoms to look out for:
Although you’ve reached 40 weeks’ pregnant, there’s no guarantee that your baby will want to come out just yet. Very few babies arrive on their due date and in reality, she could turn up anytime between weeks 37 and 42. However, if you just can’t wait to meet her, there are a few things you can do to speed the process up. Here are just some of them…
Emotional reactions
Wondering if labour will ever start. It is very common to feel like your labour will never begin. As each day passes, it can feel like an eternity. However, in the whole context of a nine-month pregnancy and your baby's lifetime, these few days are really not that many, are they?
Feeling disappointed, upset or impatient can be compounded by others making comments like "Haven't you had your baby yet?" Often the phone starts ringing from well-meaning friends and family, adding to the stress of starting labour and feeling pressured to perform. You may wish to stay close to home now and perhaps place a message on your answering machine saying, "We have not had our baby yet, but we will let you know when he/she arrives."
Early parenting
Community Support Services
Once you leave hospital, or your caregiver stops home visits, your health services and sources for information and support start to come from various community services. What is available in your local area will vary depending on what country you live in and whether you live in the city, or a rural area. Your hospital caregiver should provide you with a list of contacts and phone numbers, detailing the various services available to you.
Day-to-day newborn care
Most parents find they learn about caring for their baby on the job. Skills will start to come more naturally after a few attempts, and they just go from there. It is good to know that there may be 10 ways to put on a nappy - as long as it catches everything, it is doing the job correctly!
If your baby is born around this time congratulations!
If your baby has not arrived as yet - try and be patient and remember that the normal length of a pregnancy is regarded as any time from 37 to 42 weeks.
What is my body doing at 40 weeks?
The weight of your baby on your cervix will put pressure on the tissues, which helps to thin it (known as ripening or effacing), and open it up ready for birth. If your midwife were to do an internal examination now, she may discover you’re already a couple of centimetres dilated, even if you haven’t had any contractions.
Your doctor or midwife will also check plenty of other things: they'll do an ultrasound to look at your baby’s breathing movements, muscle tone and overall movement as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her, carry out a foetal heart monitoring test and they'll also check your cervix to look at its position, how soft it is, how dilated it is and how effaced it is.
If you don’t go into labour soon, you’ll likely be induced next week or the week after.
Common symptoms to look out for:
- Water breaking: As we mentioned last week, the embarrassing moment when your water breaks in public is mostly the stuff of movies, as most women experience their water breaking while they are already in hospital and in labour. While less than 15% of women experience their water breaking before labour, if you do experience this, whether it’s a gush or a small leak, call your doctor straight away, as it means labour will either begin within 24 hours, or your doctor will start it for you. The water breaking means that the amniotic sac that has been surrounding your baby for the last nine months has ruptured. The amniotic fluid is colourless and odourless, so if your water breaks and you notice any green and brown colours, call your doctor right away, as it could mean that your baby has had a bowel movement in utero.
- Insomnia: As the big day gets closer than ever, it’s getting harder and harder to get 40 winks. Avoid caffeine and invest in a pregnancy pillow to make nodding off a little bit easier.
- Leg cramps: Carrying around all that extra weight is bound to impact your legs, and it may come in the form of unpleasant and painful leg spasms. Flexing your ankles and toes back towards your shin may help alleviate some of the pain.
Although you’ve reached 40 weeks’ pregnant, there’s no guarantee that your baby will want to come out just yet. Very few babies arrive on their due date and in reality, she could turn up anytime between weeks 37 and 42. However, if you just can’t wait to meet her, there are a few things you can do to speed the process up. Here are just some of them…
- Nipple stimulation: This can release oxytocin, which causes the body to have contractions. Gently rub or roll your nipples, or get your other half to. Alternatively, if it’s not too painful, use a breast pump. However, because this activity can overstimulate your uterus, it’s best to do this when you’re being monitored, rather than trying it at home.
- Sex: You may not be up for this right now, but if you’re lucky enough to be in the mood (and some women feel quite rampant), an orgasm can be a contraction trigger. Plus, semen contains prostaglandins which help your body prep for labour. Isn’t biology great?
- Stair climbing: You don’t want to totally exhaust yourself (after all, you’ve got labour to come) but climbing up your stairs may help even more than taking a lengthy, tiring walk – possibly because you’re taking bigger steps, and lifting your legs higher which puts more pressure on your cervix.
- Eat pineapple: There are loads of stories about labour-inducing foods with some women swearing on their vindaloos that spicy foods bring out the baby. Foods that contain basil and oregano or ginger are also said to work, as well as pineapple, as it contains the enzyme bromelain which could help ripen the cervix.
- Acupressure: Similar to acupuncture, this technique uses fingers on pressure points instead of needles. Try to apply pressure to the roof of your mouth, the webbing of your fingers between your index finger and thumb, and above the ankle – there’s a pressure point around four finger spaces above it.
Inducing labour
If labour does not start before your pregnancy is 10 to 14 days overdue, most caregivers will recommend inducing the labour by artificially stimulating contractions, rather than waiting for them to begin on their own. You can read more about what is involved with inducing labour here, as well as information on medical inductions and natural therapies to induce labour and some possible emotions that may be experienced if you end up being induced.
If labour does not start before your pregnancy is 10 to 14 days overdue, most caregivers will recommend inducing the labour by artificially stimulating contractions, rather than waiting for them to begin on their own. You can read more about what is involved with inducing labour here, as well as information on medical inductions and natural therapies to induce labour and some possible emotions that may be experienced if you end up being induced.
Emotional reactions
Wondering if labour will ever start. It is very common to feel like your labour will never begin. As each day passes, it can feel like an eternity. However, in the whole context of a nine-month pregnancy and your baby's lifetime, these few days are really not that many, are they?
Feeling disappointed, upset or impatient can be compounded by others making comments like "Haven't you had your baby yet?" Often the phone starts ringing from well-meaning friends and family, adding to the stress of starting labour and feeling pressured to perform. You may wish to stay close to home now and perhaps place a message on your answering machine saying, "We have not had our baby yet, but we will let you know when he/she arrives."
Early parenting
Home alone
The amount of time a woman stays in hospital after the birth will depend on where she has her baby, the type of birth she experienced, what the hospital policy is, if she chooses to go home early and if she or her baby are unwell, or develop health complications.
The transition to coming home from hospital can bring with it mixed emotions. The reality of life with your new baby may only sink in on the drive home, or as you step through the front door.
The amount of time a woman stays in hospital after the birth will depend on where she has her baby, the type of birth she experienced, what the hospital policy is, if she chooses to go home early and if she or her baby are unwell, or develop health complications.
The transition to coming home from hospital can bring with it mixed emotions. The reality of life with your new baby may only sink in on the drive home, or as you step through the front door.
Community Support Services
Once you leave hospital, or your caregiver stops home visits, your health services and sources for information and support start to come from various community services. What is available in your local area will vary depending on what country you live in and whether you live in the city, or a rural area. Your hospital caregiver should provide you with a list of contacts and phone numbers, detailing the various services available to you.
Day-to-day newborn care
Most parents find they learn about caring for their baby on the job. Skills will start to come more naturally after a few attempts, and they just go from there. It is good to know that there may be 10 ways to put on a nappy - as long as it catches everything, it is doing the job correctly!
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