August 27th, 2011 by Hasham

What changes are occurring with
your body?

Pregnancy Week 40:

During pushing and delivery, your baby’s head will begin to make an appearance through your vaginal opening with each contraction. When your baby’s head remains visible and does not slip back in, it is known as crowning.
As your baby’s head crowns, you will experience a burning or stinging sensation, often referred to as the ring of fire, as your baby stretches the vaginal opening. As soon as you feel this, stop pushing! If you continue to push and bear down, you increase your risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy.
The burning or stinging sensation only lasts for a short time and is followed by a numb feeling. This is due to your baby’s head stretching your vaginal tissue so thin that the nerves are blocked. The result is a natural anesthetic.

Tips to fight that urge to push:

* Lean back and try to go limp.
* Make a conscious effort to relax the muscles of the perineal floor (the layers of muscles and tissue between the vagina and rectum).
* Focus your energy into deep breathing techniques.
* Allow your contractions to do the work for you during this time.

How big is your baby?

Your baby should be between 19 and 21 inches long and weigh anywhere from 6 ¾ to 10 pounds. If you are having a boy, then he is most likely on the larger side of these ranges, because on average boys are bigger than girls.*

What is happening with your baby?

Your baby’s bones have become hard, with the exception of his/her skull. The bones in the skull need to remain soft and pliable for delivery so that they can overlap as they pass through the birth canal. Because a newborn’s skull is designed this way, your baby’s head may have a cone appearance for the first several days of life. Your baby will actually have two soft spots, or fontanelles, on his/her head which allow for an easier delivery. The front fontanelle will become hard between the eighth and fifteenth month of life. The back fontanelle becomes hard between the third and fourth month.*

What should you plan for this week?

During this last visit be prepared for the following tests:

* Non-stress test
* Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI)
* Sonogram biophysical profile score

Your healthcare provider will discuss the following possibilities:

* The possibility of going past your due date
* Induction (at the doctor’s discretion)
* Cesarean Birth

Tips for making your pregnancy better:

Once you have delivered your baby, he/she will be given their first test in life, the APGAR. Put away the flash cards, and don’t expect too much too early; rarely does any baby get a perfect score on this test. Although it is your child’s first assessment, it is not a predictor of their future behavior or intellect.
The APGAR is a quick assessment of overall newborn well being. The APGAR is used immediately following the delivery of the baby. The scores are recorded at one minute and five minutes of life. At the one minute APGAR, scores between seven and ten indicate that the baby will need only routine post delivery care. At the five minute APGAR, a score of seven to ten is normal.

Tips for mom’s partner:

You and your partner may hear of a wide variety of techniques to help labor get started. While it may be tempting to try one or all of these, it is important that you discuss these wives’ tales with your healthare provider before utilizing them. Most of these techniques have not proven to be consistently effective, and some are not safe.

You At 40 Weeks Pregnant:

40 weeks pregnancy stages pictures marks the official end of your pregnancy project. However your baby may not have gotten that memo!
And since Baby’s the size of a watermelon now, you’re surely ready.
But even though the calendar says your pregnancy is officially over, about half of all pregnancies go past that 40 week finish line. Just hang in there though, Baby’s birthday should be within the next couple of weeks.

Healthy baby pregnancy 40 weeks:

•Baby’s lungs are fully developed now.
•About 15% of the body is made up of fat.
•The downy hairs and vernix are mostly gone.
•Your baby continues to grow and put on weight.
•She or he has coordinated reflexes to grasp firmly.
•Baby can blink and respond to light, sound and touch.

Mom’s healthy pregnancy – 40 weeks:

•Time may seem to stand still.
•Be good to yourself and try to relax.
•You will still feel movement every day.
•Your baby will be born in its own good time.
•Baby’s position changes to prepare for delivery.

Your Baby – 40 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Week 40 Congratulations! Your baby is full term and ready to be born at any time. This is the last week of pregnancy – or is it? If your baby doesn’t come this week, don’t worry. It’s normal for due dates to be off a little and before you know it, your little one will be here. Babies come on their own time. You won’t actually be past due until you hit around 42 or 43 weeks (depending on your caregiver’s guidelines). Just try to relax and take it easy. Your baby is about 20 inches long and may weigh as much as 7 or 8 pounds.
Your Body – 40 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Week 40 Congratulations! You’ve made it! This is your last official week of pregnancy – hopefully. Your body has been getting ready in many ways over the last few weeks but many healthy pregnancies will still be in full gear past 40 weeks gestation. This is very normal and no cause for concern. Only about four percent of women will actually give birth on their due date. In most cases (98 percent), women will give birth 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after their actual due date. You are not considered past due until approximately 42 or 43 weeks gestation. Take the time to rest, relax and prepare yourself for the arrival of your baby.

Photo submitted by Babies Online member Teresa of Vaughn, WA : “The day we took this picture I did not feel up to it but I pushed through for my sister who had painted my belly and took the photo. Later that night I went into labor and had my son that very next morning! I am now very thankful my sister had done all that for me. Without her there would be no belly photo.”

Baby’s development

Now your baby weighs somewhere between 6 ½ pounds to 10 pounds. The baby is between 19 to 21 inches in length. A baby boy will be much larger as compared to a baby girl. Now your baby is very healthy and lying with its head downwards. All the bones of the baby will harden by this time leaving behind the baby’s skull. The skull brains need to remain soft so that they can pass through birth canal easily. The skull of new born baby appears like a cone for the first few days following birth.

There are two soft spots or fontanelles on the head of the baby. The structure of baby is designed so well by nature, allowing an easy delivery. The front fontanelle becomes a bit hard in between eighth and fifteenth month and back fontanelle becomes hard between the third and fourth month. The fetus makes increasing moments in order to comfort itself. This may cause considerable pain for mother. The fetus completes its growth and is ready to come out of the womb. The baby starts developing immunities that are needed for survival. The baby is waiting to come out so also the mother is waiting impatiently to welcome her baby.

Changes in your body

In 40th week of pregnancy, you will experience various changes in your body. One of the main changes that you will feel is an increase in the movements of the fetus once again. The fetus grows completely at this stage and tries to gain comforts. This increases the movement of fetus.