Category: Week by Week

This week of pregnancy, your baby is about 21 inches in length and weighs probably close to 7 pounds. Full term babies weight varies greatly, so really your baby could be 6 pounds or weigh as much as 10-11 pounds! Your baby is very cramped and has very little room to move, twist and turn. If you are worried about decreased movement, sip on some juice and rest for a bit. If your baby’s activity doesn’t pick up, calling your doctor or midwife may not be a bad idea.

You have made it to your due date! You are most likely getting somewhat impatient now, but just remember that your due date is nearly an estimate. You may not care how much you measure or even how much you weigh at this time, you may only care about how soon you’re going to be having your baby! Your doctor or midwife may mention inducing your labor soon, if it doesn’t begin on its own, but probably not until after you have passed your due date. It surely won’t be long now until your new little one is cradled in your arms, staring up at you!

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This week of pregnancy, your baby may be close to 21 inches and weighs over 7 pounds. All of your baby’s organs are developed, in place and ready to function on their own. The last organ to mature (the lungs) should have reached maturity at this point.

Your baby’s reflexes are coordinated so he or she can blink, grip firmly, and respond to sounds, light and touch. Your baby’s umbilical cord is about a half inch thick and contains 2 arteries and a single vein. At birth, your baby’s umbilical cord will measure about 20 inches in length (on average). The umbilical cord is still supplying your baby with a lot of nutrients as he or she continues to gain weight. Have you decided who’s going to be the one that gets to cut the cord after delivery?

You’re about as big as you can get at this point in your pregnancy and the top of your uterus may very well be up to 8 inches above your belly button. You are probably feeling very large, unbalanced and very uncomfortable. You’re almost there, just a week or so left! Now is a good time to relax and take it easy. Taking a warm bath can be very comforting and will take the weight off for a little while. Your body may already be preparing itself for labor, with your cervix softening and possibly dilating. Be sure to alert your doctor or midwife if you have any leaking of fluid or bleeding.

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This week your baby may be almost 21 inches in length and weighs around 7 pounds. Your baby is almost ready to be born now. Your baby’s head circumference is about the same as his or her abdomen.

Your baby’s intestines have developed a “black, green sticky” substance (meconium) from the liver, pancreas and gall bladder, which will be eliminated shortly after birth. Occasionally, babies have bowel movements before birth, which is a sign that the baby is under stress and can be very serious if babies inhale any amniotic fluid that contains meconium.

You are probably more than ready to get all this over with. You may be increasingly uncomfortable, fatigued and antsy. It may seem that these last couple of weeks are just crawling by, but just remember, pregnancy can’t last forever! Soon, youll be holding your new little one in your arms.

The top of your uterus is about 7 inches (or a little more) above your belly button. Your baby continues to wiggle around, but large movements can be quite uncomfortable for you. It’s a good idea to keep track of your baby’s movements and call your doctor or midwife if you notice any drop in frequency or change in the pattern.

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This week of pregnancy, your baby is about 20 – 21 inches in length and weighs at least 6 pounds. Your baby is now considered to be “full term” and if born now it’s unlikely that he or she would have any major complications, although your baby still continues to fill out and gain weight, but is not likely to grow in length too much more. Things are getting pretty tight inside the womb and it is becoming increasingly difficult for your baby to move around.

The lanugo (fine hair) that has been protecting your baby’s skin is wearing off and mostly gone. Your baby may still have a little Vernix (creamy coating) that has been covering his or her skin, but mostly confined to skin creases and folds.

The top of your uterus may be well over 6 inches from your belly button and your total weight gain is probably somewhere between 25-35 pounds. You are only three weeks away from your due date and you are most likely counting down the days (and possibly hours!) Remember that only about five percent of babies are born on their due date. You may be becoming anxious about the delivery of your baby and how you will cope, since your baby’s arrival is not far off.

Soon, you may have your first internal exam (pelvic exam) to see if your cervix has softened, thinned (effaced), dilated and also if your baby’s head has moved down into your pelvis. Also, as your cervix stretches and dilates, you may experience some bleeding, which is often referred to as “bloody show”. Along with a bloody show, you may pass a mucus plug at the onset of labor, although this doesn’t necessarily mean you will go into labor for sure. You could still go for days before labor begins. If you experience any of these things, you need to let your doctor or midwife know immediately.

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This week of pregnancy, your baby is about 20 – 20 1/2 inches in length and weighs about 6 pounds. During these last weeks of pregnancy, your baby puts on most of his or her weight and additional fat is being deposited under the skin.

Your baby’s little knees and elbows are beginning to developing dimples now and also creases are developing around his or her neck area. Your baby is still practicing sucking by sucking on his or her fingers. Your baby is probably resting in a head-down position at this point, but may possibly be in a breech (or head-up) position.

Your due date is rapidly approaching and you may feel as if you have run out of room now, since your uterus is up under your ribs. You may find that your weight is beginning to stabilize at this point or even that you have lost a pound or two. Some women still continue to gain about one pound per week, since every woman is different. You may begin seeing your doctor or midwife every week from now until delivery. Packing your hospital bag wouldn’t be a bad idea, if you haven’t done so already.

If this is your first baby he or she may move down into your pelvis, or the “engaged” position, around now. This is called “lightening” or “dropping”. You may notice yourself when this happens because it will suddenly become much easier for you to breathe, but on the other hand, it may make your bathroom visits even more frequent.

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This week of pregnancy, your baby is about 19 1/2 – 20 inches in length and weighs over 5 pounds. Your baby is developing immunities to mild infections, caused by antibodies crossing the placenta.

If your baby was born now, he or she would survive with no major problems. There should be a sufficient amount of surfactant in your little ones lungs for them to work well on their own, although he or she would loose weight considerably faster than a full term baby. The digestive tract is still too immature for complete independence yet. Plus, your baby really needs the next few weeks to finish plumping up before birth.

You may be feeling more and more tired and uncomfortable as the weeks go by. You may also have some trouble moving around because your belly is getting so big. You may notice an occasional tingling or numbness in your pelvic area, which is caused by the weight of your baby pressing on nerves in your pelvis and legs. Some women describe this pressure as a “pins-and-needles” sensation. Lie on your side to help decrease this pressure in your pelvis and if it doesn’t go away with rest, then contact your doctor or midwife.

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This week of pregnancy, your baby is almost 19 inches in length and weighs almost 5 pounds now. Your amitotic fluid will reach its maximum capacity this week (about 2 pints), so your baby will be resting on the walls of the uterus rather than floating in the amniotic fluid.

Your baby is drinking about a pint of that amniotic fluid each day and urinating the same amount. Urine, along with sweat and other fluids from your baby, help to make up the amniotic fluid. Your baby’s growth rate has slowed down some but is still steady, as he or she continues to put on weight and fill out. Your baby’s skull is still pliable and not completely joined, so that he or she can ease out of the birth canal.

The top of your uterus has risen to almost 6 inches above your belly button at this point in your pregnancy and you may have gained 24-30 pounds. As your growing baby moves lower in the birth canal, you may be feeling like he or she will fall out, with the added pressure. This may be quite uncomfortable at times and if you are concerned about it, contact your doctor or midwife. They just might perform a pelvic exam to check to see how low your baby’s head is. Braxton Hicks contractions may be getting more numerous and stronger now, which is typical as your due date approaches.

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Your baby is about 19 inches in length and weighs about 4 1/3 pounds. Your baby may respond to loud noises, and is able to recognize familiar sounds such as your voice. He or she may also respond to your touch as you massage your tummy. Your growing baby is now quite adept at inhaling amniotic fluid. This practice breathing is all in preparation for his or her birth, which is only a matter of weeks away. Your baby is now storing iron in his or her liver, which will last until a few months after birth.

The top of your uterus is over 5 inches above your belly button. You may be getting more anxious about labor and delivery (especially if this is your first baby) and in addition, you may be moodier and more irritable.

You may also be wondering if it’s still alright to travel now, especially if it’s summertime. If you are planning to travel, you may want to talk to your doctor or midwife beforehand. Flying is probably still alright, but if you can avoid it, then you should. Many doctors recommend that women avoid flying after 36 weeks of pregnancy, or if they are at risk of preterm delivery. The safest time to travel is during the second trimester. Also, many airlines won’t even allow women in their last trimester to fly without a letter from their doctor. If you travel by car, it’s best to stop every hour or two to get up and walk around.

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This week your baby is about 18 inches in length and weighs close to 4 pounds. Your baby continues to fill out, gain weight and is taking up much of the available space in your uterus. From this point on your baby’s weight will increase faster than his or her length. Your baby’s increased size makes his or her movements seem more pronounced and you may find it causes you some pain if kicked in the ribs.

Your baby may be getting into position for birth, with his or her head down, although if your baby is still head up (or breech), there is still time for him or her to turn.

Your doctor or midwife may begin having you come in every two weeks now, instead of on a monthly basis. You may have gained somewhere between 22-28 pounds at this point in your pregnancy. You may gain close to a pound a week from here on out.

Regular exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it may be getting harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking, all excellent options for pregnant women. Make sure you drink lots of water and it’s best not to exercise in very hot weather, because you don’t want to become over-heated. Take it easy to ensure that you don’t over exert yourself.

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This week of pregnancy, your baby is about 18 inches in length and weighs almost 3 1/2 pounds. Your baby’s lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed, although they are still continuing to mature. Each and every week your baby spends in the womb are important so he or she will be able to breath unassisted after birth more easily. Your baby’s sexual organs continue to grow and develop. If your baby is a boy, his testicles are descending into the scrotum and if your baby is a girl, her clitoris is relatively prominent because it’s not covered by the labia. Your baby’s skin is becoming more pinker, rather than red, because of more and more fat layers building up underneath.

Your uterus fills a large part of your abdomen now and you may notice that you are becoming more and more clumsy, as you get bigger and your posture may be off slightly. You might be walking a little differently and you may appear to “waddle” like a duck, caused from your ligaments softening, which make your hips spread. You may have started childbirth classes by now to learn about what happens when you go to the hospital, what labor is like, what your pain relief options are and how to breath and relax during labor and delivery.

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This week your baby is over 17 inches in length and weighs close to 3 pounds. The lanugo which covered your baby’s body is beginning to shed now and is almost gone, except for few patches on his or her back and shoulders. The lanugo is being replace by actual hair, which will continue to grow and gain some color now. Sound , taste and smell are all senses that are developing nicely at this stage of your baby’s development and you baby is even capable of crying real tears in the womb!

Your baby’s bone marrow has now entirely taken over production of red blood cells, which later on will be the job of the spleen. The growth rate of your baby will begin to slow down as your due date approaches and due to the lack of space available at this point, you may feel less kicking, but more pushing and stretching.

Right now, the top of your uterus is about 4 inches above your belly button. Your doctor or midwife will be able to conduct an abdominal exam and feel which way your baby is lying inside you at this time. Most babies settle into a head-down position between weeks 32 and 36, but some babies keep everyone guessing until just before birth.

It’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of preterm labor. Some signs you need to report to your doctor or midwife include: cramping (with or without diarrhea), nausea, lower back pain or pressure, pelvic pressure or achiness, leaking of fluid or a watery (or pinkish or brownish) discharge and uterine contractions that don’t go away when you change positions or drink a couple glasses of water.

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