Fetal development - 38 weeks pregnant

 

 

 

Can you tell if you're carrying a boy or a girl? One hint may come from the size of your baby - boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls. Babies at week 39 weigh about 6.8 to 7 pounds / 3 to 3.2 kilograms and continue to build the fat stores that will help regulate body temperature after birth. Your little one's organ systems are fully developed and in place, but the lungs will be last to reach maturity. (Even after your baby is born, it may take a few hours before she establishes a normal breathing pattern.)

Wondering what colour your baby's eyes will be? Most Asian and African babies usually have dark grey or brown eyes at birth - their dark eyes becoming a true brown or black after the first six months or year. Multi-racial children often turn out to have the most beautiful coloured eyes. Most European babies are born with dark blue eyes and their true eye colour - be it brown, green or blue - may not reveal itself for weeks or months. The colour of your baby's eyes in the first minutes after birth won't last - exposure to light changes a baby's initial eye colour.

Have a look at our newborn section to learn all about the precious load you are carrying.

• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently - even in utero. These fetal development pages are designed to give a general idea of how a fetus grows in the womb.

37 weeks pregnant 〈•• Fetal Development ••〉 39 weeks pregnant

 

Fetal development - 37 weeks pregnant

 

 

Your baby weighs close to 6.5 pounds / 2.8 kilograms and may be about 20 inches / 50 centimetres long from head to toe. Your baby's head is now cradled in your pelvic cavity - surrounded and protected by your pelvic bones. This position clears some much-needed space for her growing legs and buttocks.

Many babies now have a full head of hair, with locks maybe around one inch / 2.5 centimetres long. Of course, some babies don't have any hair at all.

Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered your baby from 26 weeks has disappeared, and so has most of the vernix caseosa, the whitish substance that also covers her. Your baby will swallow her lanugo and exterior coating, along with other secretions, and store them in her bowels. These will become your infant's first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium.

Around now many women start worrying about whether they will know if they are in labour. Look no further than our labour and birth section.

• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently - even in utero. These fetal development pages are designed to give a general idea of how a fetus grows in the womb.

36 weeks pregnant 〈•• Fetal Development ••〉 38 weeks pregnant

3rd Check Up at Puteri Specialist Hospital JB

 

 

 

 

 

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

 

 

Hari nie ada appointment kat Puteri... Sian hubby, ada meeting at 10.00am tapi terpaksa suh staf dia gantikan. Aku lak apply kuar pejabat pagi nie.  Sampai sana jer dah kul 8.00 am lebih, so my turn adalah no 6.  Hari nie usia kandungan aku dah masuk 36 weeks and 4 days. Maknanya ada lagi 24 days to go! (kalau ikut EDD la...).

 

Sib baik aku dtg pagi sebab rupanya pagi nie kena amik urine lagi dan HB.  So oklah.  Pastu jumpa doc Nooraini and she said that everything is ok. Baby ok. BP ok. Semua ok.  Scan berat baby skang is 2.7kg.  Alhamdulillah. Harap2 kuar nanti x la besar sgt... Sebab doc kata susah gak kalau baby besar sgt, nanti sian kat ibu nak push...  So abis check up kitorang bayar and balik lah.. Anyway, hari tu terserempak dengan sorang kawan lama masa sekolah dan wife dia.  Kesian wife dia baru preggy 3 weeks tapi doc kata xde denyutan nadi... So doc kata kena cuci (DNC).  Tapi aku lak yang sedih sebab kawan aku nie awal2 kawen pun tunggu baper tahun baru dapat anak, now anak dia dah 4 ke 4 tahun nie baru ada rezeki nak preggy tapi sedihnya baby dalam kandungan x ada nadi... Am so sad for them... :(

 

Aku dapat bayangkan macamana perasaan orang yang nak sangat baby... Lagi lah bila citer tu, wife dia xleh tahan air mata dia.. Aku pun jadi sedih sgt... :( Aku doakan diorang akan cepat2 dapat baby lagi nanti.. InsyaAllah....

 

Pas settle semua, aku ajak hubby cari Soto sebab dah baper ari tekak nie macam teringin jer nak makan soto... Alhamdulillah, kitorang gi makan kat food court yang biasa kitorang makan kalau check up kat Puteri.. Ada soto... and sedap gak lah :)... Alhamdulillah....... Skang nie macam2 nak makan, bila bagitau hubby jer, musti dia akan layan dan carikan.. Thanks suamiku sayang.... Sebab melayan kerenah mak buyung ini :)

 

 

Pas ngap2 terus balik. Oh ye, otw balik singgah lak tapau Nasi Ayam untuk lunch nanti :) Pastu terus balik office. :) Tu lah kisah hari nie... (Sambil menghitung hari nie...)

Fetal development - 36 weeks pregnant

 

 

Your baby is still gaining weight - about an ounce / 28 grams a day. She weighs nearly 6 pounds / 2.7 kilograms and is 19 inches / 45 centimetres long from head to toe.

You may begin to feel an increased pressure in your lower abdomen and notice that your baby is gradually dropping. This is called lightening or engagement, and your lungs and stomach will finally get a chance to stretch out a little - breathing and eating should become easier. However, walking may become increasingly uncomfortable - some women say it feels as if the baby is going to fall out. Also, you may still feel as if you need to go to the toilet all the time. Stock up on those last minute nutrients with our eating well guide.

The good news is that by the end of this week, your pregnancy will be full-term and you could give birth any day now. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term - a baby born before 37 weeks is premature and after 42 is post-term.) At your weekly visit, your doctor may check to see if you've started dilating (when the cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins). The doctor will also check what position the baby is in, in order to estimate how far the baby has dropped into the pelvis. This information will be entered into your maternity notes so that your doctor in will know the position of the baby when you go into labour.

• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently - even in utero. These fetal development pages are designed to give a general idea of how a fetus grows in the womb.

35 weeks pregnant 〈•• Fetal Development ••〉 37 weeks pregnant

How will I know when I am in labour?

How will I know when I am in labour?

 

Every woman's labour is different, and pinpointing when it begins is not really possible. It's more of a process than a single event, when a number of changes in your body work together to help you give birth (Winter and Cameron 2006).

In early labour, also called the latent phase you may feel the following:

• Persistent lower back or abdominal pain, often accompanied by a crampy premenstrual feeling.
• A bloody show (a brownish or blood-tinged mucus discharge). If you pass the mucus plug that blocks the cervix, labour could be imminent or it could be several days away. It's a sign that things are moving along.
• Painful contractions that occur at regular and increasingly shorter intervals and become longer and stronger in intensity (NCCWCH 2007: 139).
• Broken waters, but you're in labour only if it's accompanied by contractions that are dilating your cervix (Walsh 2004: 438-9).

How you will feel in early labour depends on:

• whether you've had a baby before;
• how you perceive and respond to pain;
• how prepared you are for what labour may be like (Walsh 2004: 438; Cheyne et al 2006).

When should I contact my doctor?

You and your doctor have probably talked about what to do when you think you're in labour. But if you're not sure whether or not the time has come, don't be embarrassed to call. Doctors are used to getting calls from women who are uncertain if they're in labour and who need guidance. It's part of their job.

The doctor will want to know how close together your contractions are, whether you can talk through a contraction, and any other symptoms you may have. Alternatively, you can call the labour ward and speak to a nurse or midwife who will be able to advise you.

You should contact your doctor if:

• your waters break, or if you suspect you're leaking amniotic fluid (NCCWCH 2007: 206;);
• your baby is moving less than usual (NCCWCH 2008: 276);
• you have vaginal bleeding (unless it's just a small amount of blood-tinged mucus) (NCCWCH 2008: 251; Lindsay 2004a: 772; Lindsay 2004b: 856);
• you have fever, severe headaches, changes in your vision, or abdominal pain that is constant and unrelenting (NCCWCH 2008: 228).

See our list of other pregnancy symptoms you shouldn't ignore, in case anything else is worrying you.

What should I do early on in labour?

This will depend on what time of day it is, what you like doing and how you're feeling. Keeping calm and relaxed will help your labour to progress (McNabb 2007: 415) and help you cope with the contractions (NCCWCH 2007: 93-4). Do whatever will help you to stay relaxed.

This could mean watching a favourite film, relaxing or asking a friend or relative over to keep you company. You could alternate between walking and resting, or try taking a warm bath or shower to ease any aches and pains. If you can, try to get some rest to prepare you for the work ahead.

During early labour, you may feel hungry so eat and drink if you feel like it (McNabb 2004: 415). This will help to comfort you and help you to rest.

Early labour is a good time to try out different positions and breathing techniques to see if they help you cope with the contractions, now that you're having them for real! If you've got a TENS machine, early labour is the time to use it (NCCWCH 2007: 93; 100).

Can I have contractions and not be in labour?

Yes. When you are in labour your cervix becomes gradually thinner (called effacement) and dilated. (Effacement and dilatation of the cervix occurs simultaneously in a woman who has had children.) Some women are sensitive to the pain of contractions before the cervix has started to dilate (NCCWCH 2007: 145; Winter and Cameron 2006: 455-6). A nurse or midwife can confirm whether cervical changes have started during an examination.

If your baby is in a posterior position (with his head down but his back to your back) it can take longer for your baby's head to engage and for labour to get started properly (Lewis 2004: 890). Your contractions may be erratic and low in intensity, and you may have a lot of backache.

Your doctor will advise you on ways to cope at home until labour becomes stronger (NCCWCH 2007: 145). You could try a warm bath or massage to relieve the pain.

Can I tell if labour is about to happen soon?

Maybe. Signs of the approach of labour include:

• Lightening (when the baby's head begins to drop into position in your pelvis). You may notice that you can breathe more deeply and eat more, but you'll also need to wee more frequently.
• Your vaginal discharge becomes heavier and more mucous.
• You'll have more frequent and noticeably more intense Braxton Hicks contractions.
• You may have loose bowels (McCormick 2003: 435-6; 446).

Fetal development - 35 weeks pregnant

Your baby now weighs about 5.25 pounds / 2.4 kilograms and measures approximately 18 inches / 45 centimetres from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.

This week, your little one is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.

There's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. You've probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds / 11 and 13.6 kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your second home, don't drink any less water- your baby needs the fluids. But you may like to cut down on diuretic drinks such as tea and coffee, which will make you have to urinate even more often.

Still undecided about a name? Try our baby namer for new ideas.

Your doctor will probably want to start seeing you every week until you give birth.

• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently - even in utero. These fetal development pages are designed to give a general idea of how a fetus grows in the womb.

34 weeks pregnant 〈•• Fetal Development ••〉 36 weeks pregnant