Now it's really the final sprint. The baby is actually ready, but can also easily stay for a few more weeks.
Perhaps impatience is starting to set in?
The goal is just around the corner. Although the due date may seem like the "right" time for the little one's birth, it is only an estimate that helps professionals with various things.
It is completely normal to give birth between week 38-42, and this is also referred to by some as the due period. So don't be too surprised for too long, but don't expect it either. It can feel like an endless waiting time, because it can theoretically happen at any moment now.
How labor begins varies greatly, and there are very few cases where it is like in the movies with the water breaking with a big splash in the middle of the supermarket.
Talk to your midwife about the different scenarios that may apply for a birth. Who should you call, where should you go, and the thousand other questions. There is a lot of good information to be found on the internet, but you can benefit from sticking to the region where you will give birth. Then you can be sure of the most accurate frameworks and rules for the very process you will go through.
What is happening in the belly?
The baby has now reached a size that means it will no longer be classified as "born too early" if it announces its arrival now.
The appearance is complete, as it will be at a potential birth. The different genitalia will also be fully developed, so the little girl or little boy is completely ready.
Even more importantly, all vital organs are ready, and the little one will have the opportunity to breathe on its own when it leaves the mother's safe system.
This is really the final touch-up that is taking place at this time. Hair and nails are making a final push, and they are growing a lot in these weeks.
There should still be lively activity from the belly every single day, and it is important to keep an eye on. Perhaps mom can enjoy the last kicks a little extra, because there will soon be an end to the pregnancy. If you, as a pregnant woman, do not feel activity several times a day, or if the patterns change, you should contact the midwife, delivery ward, or similar.
Size of the fetus
For the babies that follow the average curve, it will be around week 38 that it hits 3 whole kilos. The length is about 48 centimeters, and soon there will be half a meter baby ready for the world. However, remember that the sizes are indicative, and there can be quite a large range on both sides.
Advice for the partner
The waiting time is infinitely long. Is there anything you need to accomplish together as the family you are now, before the little one comes and turns everything upside down? Then it's about time.
It doesn't have to be anything big, but there may be a few small things that you need to check off the list before the baby announces its arrival.
