It’s the 39thu Week! Wow! Congratulations! You did it!
You have finally made it through your pregnancy journey. And this is the last leg of your pregnancy.
Your little inside is no longer little. She has taken the primary birthing position with the head down and is engaged in the pelvic area. He or she is completely ready to enter your world.
Now, you only have about a month left to hold your little one in your arms.
Or, who knows you might be in labor any minute now.
Feeling crazy, sore and uncomfortable? You will! This is quite normal. After all, you are preparing for the birth of your baby.
How is your baby growing inside you?
At this stage, your pregnancy is officially full term. Your visit to the health care professional will give you better clarity about how your little one is preparing to meet you. On ultrasound, you will see that the baby inside looks almost like a mini watermelon, which is about 45 to 52 cm long from head to toe and weighs about 2.9 to 3.6 kg. (Even when a baby is born at term, it is classified as a ‘low birth weight’ baby when it weighs less than 2.5kg).
No need to worry! If you happen to give birth to your baby at this stage, the size of your little one will not differ much, except for a few organs and physical characteristics.
Your little one’s skin is changing
Just a week ago, the skin of the fetus was transparent. This week, you will notice that the skin becomes thicker. While the older skin falls off, a new layer of skin forms replacing the older skin cells. This new layer of your little one’s skin on the inside helps keep baby’s internal organs protected and baby’s body temperature under control. This makes your little one cute, cute and adorable. In addition, your baby’s skin color changes within you. Regardless of the color of your little one’s skin in the previous months, as a thick layer of fat has been deposited in the blood vessels of the baby’s body, your baby’s skin has now changed to white or whitish-grey.
Your baby’s brain and lungs are developing
Your little one’s body may not be growing much at this stage. But their brains and lungs are. How; While your little one’s brain is growing at a rate 30% higher than it was in previous months, the baby’s lungs are fully developed. That said, the lungs keep the air sacs open by producing more surfactant, getting the baby ready to breathe before greeting the outside world.
Your baby’s immune system is getting stronger
From the 13thu week into your pregnancy, the placenta helps the fetus grow by passing nutrition and antibodies from you to the baby inside. That said, most of the antibodies are passed to your baby in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, thus boosting the baby’s immune system and fighting infections and diseases.
As for the development of the baby’s other physical features, he has developed cute little fingers and toes, has a head full of hair, and can see and hear.
The growth of your baby from the inside can change a lot inside and out during this phase of your pregnancy.
Want to know how you’ve changed this week?
Since you can see the horizon, this last period of your pregnancy can feel very exciting as well as disturbing. Along with the baby bump comes a few other signs that you won’t be able to ignore:
Cervical effacement or ripening and dilation
Until you turn 39u week of pregnancy, you can expect your little one to move towards the pelvic area and slowly move to the outside world head down. As your little one gradually approaches the cervix, this pressure softens, shortens and thins the cervix. This is also known as cervical effacement or cervical ripening. The cervix not only ripens, but also opens or dilates as the baby moves out of the womb. This process of effacement and dilation of the cervix can happen quickly during labor. But it can also appear gradually over a period of weeks.
The pelvis and back may feel more intense
Since your little one’s living quarters have gotten tighter, you may feel those involuntary kicks and pokes quite often near the pelvis and back. The baby’s head is under the pelvis, putting a lot of pressure on it. So, feeling menstrual cramps near the pelvis is not unusual at this stage. You may also feel the sharp sensations more like lightning in the pelvic area. Back pain can also worsen as a result.
Practice contractions or Braxton Hicks contractions will be stronger
As a result of uterine cramping or crowding, from 39u week of pregnancy, false labor alarms or Braxton Hicks contractions are quite common. False signs of labor, at this stage, tend to tighten the abdomen and focus more on a single area. They relax when you walk or change position while lying or sitting.
Check if your water has broken
The activity inside your uterus can cause the amniotic sac to break and water to flow down your legs, making you feel like you need to go to the delivery room very soon.
Bloody Show or Mucus Plug
The sign of the cervix dilating or opening is good news. Is not; But, this can make you feel slightly uncomfortable, as a thick mucus plug discharge may have some blood with it. The blood can be pink or brown.
Because of these Unavoidable 39 week pregnancy symptoms, your belly will stretch with stretch marks and an itchy feeling around it. Your hands, face, ankles and feet may be swollen. You may also feel feverish at times and moody.
Do you know how to deal with this situation?
Take advantage of this time by doing some gentle exercises that will tone and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. You can spend time walking together with your partner for just 15 or 20 minutes. Include prenatal yoga in your regimen to keep yourself emotionally calm.
Tips to deal with 39u Week Pregnancy Symptoms
- Go to antenatal classes and learn all about labor and delivery at this stage from trained experts.
- Eat a balanced diet. Add an extra 200 calories to your daily diet, don’t forget your prenatal vitamins and stay hydrated. Rest whenever you can.
- Join prospective mummy support groups – physical or online and share each other’s experiences. You might hear some jokes that will make you laugh and feel relaxed.
- Talk to your partner, friends and family as you get closer to your due date. They will be able to stay with you during your labor, trying to help you with anything you need.
- Keep hospital bags packed.
- Doctor visits are necessary before delivery for an ultrasound and electronic fetal monitoring to check the baby’s health. In addition, a thorough medical check-up is essential! The healthcare professional must ensure that health conditions caused by the pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes, are under control.
- I hope you have already decided on cord blood banking. Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is rich in blood-forming stem cells, storing the precious stem cells at the time of birth can save you and your family from 80+ life-threatening diseases.
We know it’s a bit difficult, but you need to stay positive and relaxed before you meet and welcome your baby into your world.
I hope you enjoyed your pregnancy journey!
Happy birthday!
