You are pregnant - Week 36-40

In the last month of your pregnancy the foetus is getting fattened up and all the body functions are being exercised to ensure they are all systems go for the birth. The lanugo and vernix caseosa is being shed by the baby's body. Anti-bodies from you are being transferred to the foetus to minimise the risk of infections. The foetus will turn head down during this month to ready for the birth. About a week before the birth the womb lowers onto the pelvic bone. The foetus will slows in growth this month. You will also feel the womb contracting during this month and the cells from the placenta starts degeneration. Everything is now ready for the birth.

Week 36:
From this week onwards you will be seeing you obstetrician weekly. You will feel bigger and tired,yes even more than you have before. Your feet will be enlarged and you might have stabbing pains in you pelvic ligaments, as they loosen up.

You will feel the foetus daily, as the there is no space left, yet your baby needs to stretch and kick. The lungs are not completely ready for life outside the womb. You baby would have turned by now and lies head down.

Remember baby might arrive early so you need to be ready, it is only in the movies where a women's water break and then 15 minutes later baby is there. In most cases the water does not break, and will contractions be the only gauge that you are in labour. Monitor these contractions.

Baby weight around 2.5kilos.

Week 37:
Your breast are still growing and you might start to leak, especially when you hear the crying of a baby. This is colostrum and it will be your baby's food for the first couple of days after birth. It is packed with carbohydrates, protein and antibodies, yet low on fat as your baby's digestive track is not yet capable of dealing with fat effectively. It also serves as a natural laxative, which is part of the reason why your baby's first nappies will be watery.

Try to rest as much as possible, as it is easier to give birth rested.

Baby is still growing and the lungs are being practised and your baby will have a strong grip.

Baby weight around 2.7kilos.

Week 38:
You will now start to nest, you will clean your house from top to toe. Although this is a good sign and the energy burst would make you feel like giving your house a good spring-clean you should try and take things slow and resist the urges to climb onto tables and chairs to reach high-up places. If you feel any aches and pains rather stop and go for a wholesome walk, it might help to alleviate the pain.

Baby is for all practical reasons ready for birth, and babies born in this week will not be seen as premature, and all the systems are fully functioning and ready to survive outside the womb.

The baby would have lost most of the lanugo, but will still have vernix caseosa on the body. The foetus gains around 14 grams of fat per day.

Baby weight around 2.9kilos.

Week 39:
Your cervix is softer and thinned, ready to open wide enough for a baby's head to pass. Any time during the next couple of days the mucus plug will be excreted, this is a sign that labour will start in a couple of days.

The baby's genitals will be enlarged due to all the extra hormones you are excreting, and it might even appear out of proportion with the rest of the body when the baby is born. Don't be concerned this will wear off during the first couple of days and will return to normal. If you have a girl there might even be bleeding from the vagina and enlarged "breasts". It is also possible for the new infant to contract mastitis, yes it is possible for either gender.

Baby weight around 3.2kilos and is around 50 cm tall.

Week 40:
This is the week you have been waiting for, if your baby has not arrived. Baby is still growing and is 200 times the size he was at 12 weeks. Remember boys are usually bigger. It is amazing to think that your baby developed out of an egg which was 1/80mm.

Baby weight around 3.5kilos.

Sources:
Louw, D.A. 1990. Menslike ontwikkeling. Tweede uitgawe. Pretoria: HAUM – Tersiêr.
Cooke, Kaz.  2006. The Rough guide to Pregnancy & Birth. Second Edition. London: Rough Guides – Pregnancy.
The Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. Colostrum. Retrieved 28 July 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colostrum
Die wonder van moederskap, Die grootste geskenk moontlik – Saamgestel deur Wyeth Women's Health; Wyeth South Africa.  Tel. 011 655 2600.  Retrieved 28 July 2008