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| 40 Weeks Pergnant |
In this article
- Pregnancy Week 40: All About You
- Pregnancy Week 40: All About Baby
- How Big Is Baby?
- Most Common Pregnancy Questions
- Multiple Madness
- For Your Partner
- Fun Facts
- Follow The Chronicles of a Real-Life Pregnancy
- Tell Your Due Date Club
So, you're 40 weeks pregnant and wondering "where is Baby?" Not to worry. Only five percent of women deliver on their actual due dates. You're not over-due for another two weeks. It's hard to wait, isn't it?
Have a comfortable labor and a happy delivery, and please send us your personal birth story! It's great way to share your miracle and give back to women expecting in the future.
Pregnancy Week 40: All About You
As your body prepares for delivery, you may notice more frequent rounds of Braxton Hicks contractions during which your abdomen tightens and relaxes. You'll also experience times of more intense contractions that may or may not become regular. During your office visit, your healthcare provider will tell you if your cervix is thinning and opening as it prepares for childbirth.
Bringing Home Baby
You're due to deliver your baby this week … but keep in mind that chances are this won't be the week you give birth. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), "only five percent of babies are born on their due dates." More likely, your baby will be born somewhere between 38 and 42 weeks, instead of on her exact due date. Hang in there! Baby will be here soon enough.
You're due to deliver your baby this week … but keep in mind that chances are this won't be the week you give birth. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), "only five percent of babies are born on their due dates." More likely, your baby will be born somewhere between 38 and 42 weeks, instead of on her exact due date. Hang in there! Baby will be here soon enough.
Depending on whether you have a vaginal birth or a Cesarean section, you'll spend at least a night or two at the hospital before returning home with your newborn. There are a few things you should do to prepare for your baby's homecoming—and remember, as you are recovering from the birth, you deserve a little babying, too.
For Baby:
Before you can bring your baby home from the hospital, there are a few things you should do.
Before you can bring your baby home from the hospital, there are a few things you should do.
Bring a car seat. You won't be allowed to take your baby home from the hospital in a car without a properly installed car seat. There are a variety of styles, models, and price ranges to choose from when it comes to buying car seats. Pick a seat you're comfortable with—your baby will spend a lot of time there.
Add your baby's name to your health insurance. Your provider will likely give you several days to add your baby's name to health insurance, but before you get too exhausted from nightly feedings and diaper changes, contact your insurance company to include your baby in your policy.
Schedule your baby's first in-office, pediatrician visit. Your baby will need to start seeing her pediatrician soon after she's born. In fact, the pediatrician may have visited with you and your baby in the hospital. Depending on your infant's pediatrician, he or she will want to schedule an appointment one or two weeks after birth.
Purchase newborn basics. Stock your home with baby essentials such as diapers, onesies, blankets, wipes and burps cloths. Pack a small baby bag to bring with you to the hospital filled with these items. Pediatrician's views on how best to clean your around your baby's umbilical cord vary (some recommend cotton-tipped applicators and rubbing alcohol, and some recommend mild soap and water).
Consult with a lactation specialist. If you plan to breastfeed, visit with a lactation consultant (often there's one on staff at the hospital) before you go home. She can help you find successful positions for feeding your baby and assist you with any breastfeeding issues that might pop up.
For Mother:
Understand your healthcare provider's instructions. Depending on your delivery, your provider will have specific instructions for you on caring for your recovering body. Following a vaginal birth, you'll most likely be given medications and pads to keep your vaginal area clean and free from infection. If you had a C-section you will have a longer hospital stay than with a vaginal birth. The incision along your abdomen will be very sore. Your doctor may give you different medications to help soothe the pain. Also, you may have to nurse your baby lying downon your side instead of sitting up. Your provider will also review what activities you may safely do now and when you may resume more strenuous activities.
Understand your healthcare provider's instructions. Depending on your delivery, your provider will have specific instructions for you on caring for your recovering body. Following a vaginal birth, you'll most likely be given medications and pads to keep your vaginal area clean and free from infection. If you had a C-section you will have a longer hospital stay than with a vaginal birth. The incision along your abdomen will be very sore. Your doctor may give you different medications to help soothe the pain. Also, you may have to nurse your baby lying downon your side instead of sitting up. Your provider will also review what activities you may safely do now and when you may resume more strenuous activities.
"The advice I give my patients recovering from childbirth is, 'If something hurts, stop doing it,'" says Dr. Joanne Motino Bailey PhD, and a certified nurse midwife. "Listen to your body."
Enlist friends' help. Take time to recover. Allow friends to help you with meals, cleaning, and anything else you need. You should also sleep as much as possible for a faster recovery. "The rule of thumb is that whenever your baby sleeps, you should sleep too," says Dr. Bailey.
Relax! Let the housework slide and keep meals simple for the first few weeks after you bring your baby home. Your job is to recover from 40 long weeks of aches, pains, and miracles that have made you a proud mommy!
Pregnancy Week 40: All About Baby
Your baby is now full-grown and ready to meet you. As he nears delivery, his body systems are all mature and prepared to survive outside the womb. His fat cells continue to form and will provide him with the insulation he needs once he leaves his cozy home. The fat will also give him irresistibly chubby cheeks!
How Big Is Baby?
On average, your baby is about 7 pounds, 6 ounces and now measures 19 to 21 inches long (head to toe).
Most Common Pregnancy Questions
How will I know if I'm in labor? What if my water breaks? And what if I get sent home from the hospital?
Your healthcare provider will definitely review the signs and symptoms of labor with you well before your due date. These symptoms include:
Your healthcare provider will definitely review the signs and symptoms of labor with you well before your due date. These symptoms include:
- Breaking your bag of waters.
- Lower back pain or cramping (this may start intermittently and later become regular).
- Tightening of your abdomen.
- Cervical dilation (opening of the cervix; this will be checked at your weekly doctor visits).
- Cervical effacement (thinning of the cervix; this will be checked at your weekly doctor visits).
- Loss of mucus plug (this plug has been tucked inside the cervix, protecting the opening).
- Contractions becoming regular. When timing them from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next, they will be at least 30-75 seconds long. The pain will build and your belly will harden and then soften as the contractions pass.
- Regular contractions (about five minutes apart) are a sure sign of labor.
- If you can't make the contractions go away by lying down, emptying your bladder, or drinking fluids, chances are great that you're experiencing labor.
Call you doctor and let her know if you experience any of the symptoms above. When in doubt always call!
What should I do when my water breaks?
The best answer to this question is: Laugh! Some women may experience a "gush' when their waters break, while others may barely notice a small trickle or leaking. Some women think they may have wet themselves or that it is even normal vaginal discharge. Unfortunately, this all happens without warning ... and there's little you can do to stop it. (Again, best to just laugh!) If you are unsure of what's happening—call your doctor's office and check in. Your healthcare provider will want to know what's going on.
Ideally the water (amniotic fluid) should be clear or have a slightly yellowish tinge. If it is green or dark in color, or has a strong foul odor—be sure to tell your doctor or midwife right away. In this event, your healthcare provider may have you come to the office to check you out, or request that you continue to check in to keep tabs on how you are feeling via telephone.
It is important to let your healthcare provider know. Within 24 hours of your water breaking the risk of infection goes up, so your doctor will want to have you deliver within 24 hours. Also, if your water breaks and you are not close to your due date, it is very important that you call your healthcare provider immediately.
If you're concerned about your water breaking at home, you can try sleeping with a waterproof pad or towels in the case your water breaks while you are sleeping. You can also pack a small towel with you in your purse in the case that your water breaks when you are away from home.
What if I get sent home?
Many women are concerned that they might be sent home if they are in early labor or if what is happening is a "false alarm" your body does a lot of practicing with Braxton Hicks contractions, which can be often mistaken for actual labor.
Don't worry and don't feel foolish if you do get sent home after a trip to the hospital. This happens more often that you might think. It can be reassuring to know everything is OK with the baby and nice to spend early labor in your own home where you can shower, rest, and ease into the next phase of labor. Don't hesitate to call your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.
What should I do when my water breaks?
The best answer to this question is: Laugh! Some women may experience a "gush' when their waters break, while others may barely notice a small trickle or leaking. Some women think they may have wet themselves or that it is even normal vaginal discharge. Unfortunately, this all happens without warning ... and there's little you can do to stop it. (Again, best to just laugh!) If you are unsure of what's happening—call your doctor's office and check in. Your healthcare provider will want to know what's going on.
Ideally the water (amniotic fluid) should be clear or have a slightly yellowish tinge. If it is green or dark in color, or has a strong foul odor—be sure to tell your doctor or midwife right away. In this event, your healthcare provider may have you come to the office to check you out, or request that you continue to check in to keep tabs on how you are feeling via telephone.
It is important to let your healthcare provider know. Within 24 hours of your water breaking the risk of infection goes up, so your doctor will want to have you deliver within 24 hours. Also, if your water breaks and you are not close to your due date, it is very important that you call your healthcare provider immediately.
If you're concerned about your water breaking at home, you can try sleeping with a waterproof pad or towels in the case your water breaks while you are sleeping. You can also pack a small towel with you in your purse in the case that your water breaks when you are away from home.
What if I get sent home?
Many women are concerned that they might be sent home if they are in early labor or if what is happening is a "false alarm" your body does a lot of practicing with Braxton Hicks contractions, which can be often mistaken for actual labor.
Don't worry and don't feel foolish if you do get sent home after a trip to the hospital. This happens more often that you might think. It can be reassuring to know everything is OK with the baby and nice to spend early labor in your own home where you can shower, rest, and ease into the next phase of labor. Don't hesitate to call your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.
Multiple Madness
Way to Go! Can you believe you have twins? [Spoiler alert!] Raising twins is the best thing around, and there are thousands and thousands of moms who will confirm it!
Life with twins is chaotic. But it's also filled with amazing moments. And more often than you'll think, "I'll remember that," you won't. It's the little things that will bring a smile to your face for years to come.
To help you maneuver through the coming weeks (years!), try these twin tips:
Revel in each moment. Keep a box somewhere accessible such as your kitchen or bedroom (it needn't be fancy; mine is Tupperware). When someone does something momentous or hilarious, jot it down and stick it in the box. You can formally record these instances later, but this approach ensures that these moments don't get lost in the recesses of your cluttered brain.
Take care of yourself. Put one self-care activity on your calendar each week. Whether a lunch outing with a friend, a pedicure, or a trip to the bookstore by yourself, these activities will ensure that you don't get lost in mommyland.
Don't stress. Ask for help when you need it. Allow a neighbor to rock one baby while you feed the other. Allow a parent to watch both babies while you take a nap, shower, or head to the grocery store. Remember that not everything can take precedent. You can't have a priority list of your top ten to-dos but have everything in the number one slot. Focus on completing only one to-do per day for at least a few weeks so that the rest of your time can be spent recovering and caring for your new babies.
Foster a sense of humor. Wear a T-shirt that proclaims, "Yes I have my hands full!" (or just tattoo it on your forehead) when you're tired of being told so by perfect strangers.
Live it up. And know that even in your hardest moments, you've been blessed by a unique experience that's inaugurated you into a very special category: Mom of Twins.
Take care of yourself. Put one self-care activity on your calendar each week. Whether a lunch outing with a friend, a pedicure, or a trip to the bookstore by yourself, these activities will ensure that you don't get lost in mommyland.
Don't stress. Ask for help when you need it. Allow a neighbor to rock one baby while you feed the other. Allow a parent to watch both babies while you take a nap, shower, or head to the grocery store. Remember that not everything can take precedent. You can't have a priority list of your top ten to-dos but have everything in the number one slot. Focus on completing only one to-do per day for at least a few weeks so that the rest of your time can be spent recovering and caring for your new babies.
Foster a sense of humor. Wear a T-shirt that proclaims, "Yes I have my hands full!" (or just tattoo it on your forehead) when you're tired of being told so by perfect strangers.
Live it up. And know that even in your hardest moments, you've been blessed by a unique experience that's inaugurated you into a very special category: Mom of Twins.
For Your Partner
Bringing Baby Home
Welcome home! This is when fatherhood becomes real, like nothing else you have read or seen before. The moment you bring your adorable little baby into your home is often the very same moment that you realize just how different everything is about to become in your life.
Welcome home! This is when fatherhood becomes real, like nothing else you have read or seen before. The moment you bring your adorable little baby into your home is often the very same moment that you realize just how different everything is about to become in your life.
It can be amazing—and it can also be a little terrifying.
You and your wife are now completely responsible for this little being who is utterly dependent upon you for every single thing. Your baby is going to sleep and cry and sleep and scream and sleep and poop and sleep some more. Those first few weeks may be a huge blur until you adjust to your baby's schedule. "What time is it?" you'll ask at some point. "Three," your partner will respond, and you'll wonder, "Is it morning or afternoon?" and then you'll realize it doesn't matter.
The most important thing to remember from now on is that parenting is a skill, something you learn to do, not something you are born knowing. You are going to make mistakes, but you will learn from them and you'll look back on those fumbling times with fondness.
And your baby will never know. All your child will experience is the unconditional love you and your partner feel, and that is what matters most.
Fun Facts
"Home visits after childbirth by healthcare professionals are provided in all northern and western European countries." The review goes on to say women make a faster postpartum recovery if they receive support from friends and relatives.
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