Giving Birth with Confidence

Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 39 Weeks

Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 39 Weeks

Lamaze International

The following information -- and much more -- can also be found in the free weekly email Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week. Sign up now to receive helpful information for your stage of pregnancy. Subscribers will be given the opportunity to complete a Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey after their pregnancy and receive a Lamaze Toys coupon. We want to hear about your birth experience and the impact that childbirth education may have had so that we can continue to make sure parents have the information they need for the safest, healthiest birth possible.

You're in week 39 of your pregnancy!

During the last weeks of pregnancy, a series of physical changes sets the stage for your baby's birth. The changes happen slowly and predictably, and each change is a vitally important event in the performance of labor and birth. Your baby is ready to be born. And your body knows this. Together, your body and your baby dance into motion. Explore the simple story of birth.

What's New with Baby

Healthy babies come in different sizes, and your little one is no exception. Weight varies at this point and most babies will fall somewhere between six pounds and eight-and-a-half pounds, or about 2.7 ' 3.8 kg at the time of their birth. He weighs as much as a pumpkin and has grown to about 20 inches long. Even at this age, boys tend to be a little heavier than girls. The birth of your baby is very near, and soon you will hear the first cries of your little one!

 

 

 

 

 

What's New with You

As a parent, you often will need to be patient. While you may be thinking, 'bring on the labor,' it's important to remember to savor each moment as it unfolds. Children remind us to take it easy, slow life down and let things happen on their own. Patience is a benefit now, too. As your body prepares to bring forth new life, take pleasure in this stage of pregnancy. Your baby will be here soon.

Here are some ways to enjoy this time:

  • Pamper yourself. Take a warm bath, get a pedicure (you'll be able to reach your feet again soon!) or treat yourself to a chocolate bar. You're worth a special treat!
  • Have fun with your girlfriends. Go have a lunch date, enjoy a walk outside, go shopping or see a new art exhibit together. Connect with your friends who support you and your choices at this time.
  • Enjoy a date with your partner. It will be a while until you have this opportunity again. Take advantage of it.
  • Have some quiet time with baby. Take a moment to connect with baby. Put on some music that energizes your spirit and invites you to dance. Close your eyes and feel baby in your womb. Swing to the music and notice baby's response. Not a dancer? Try a rocking chair.
  • Read a juicy book. Pick a book that is so enticing you can't put it down (and can't possibly think of anything else).

Healthy Tip: Getting Off to a Good Start with Breastfeeding

While learning about breastfeeding before birth can help you prepare for after the birth, the most important thing you can do now is have faith in yourself and your ability to nurse your baby. Surround yourself with positive images of babies nursing. Attend a La Leche League meeting. Visualize yourself nursing, baby's eyes peering into yours, getting to know one another more deeply.

 

Want to learn more? Sign up for Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week -- it's free!

Tags: Birth , Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week , Third Trimester , Let Labor Begin on its Own , 39 Weeks , Last Weeks of Pregnancy , Simple Story of Birth