You are finally 39 weeks pregnant and the baby is ready to find its way out to meet everyone. By now he has layered his body with fat to aid in controlling the body’s temperature after he is born. He is probably about 20 inches long and he weighs a little more than 7 pounds.
Your physician has most likely been monitoring the baby’s movement, growth and position in these last few weekly visits. They may also check the thickness of the cervix to see if it is beginning to thin, or “ripen.” But they still will not know exactly when the baby will decide to come. If you reach week 40 the doctor will probably do a sonogram to see if the baby is in any danger. If the baby is fine and fully developed he may choose to induce labor at this time.
During the time you are waiting for labor to begin keep a close watch on the activity of the baby. IF his movements decrease let your doctor know immediately. The healthy baby will stay active all the way up to the delivery. So a slowdown in activity can indicate a problem.
In at 8 percent of full term pregnancies the water will break. If you have a gush of fluid or a small leak that doesn’t seem to stop it is time to call the doctor. At this time the doctor may send you on to the hospital if he suspects your water has indeed broken. Labor usually starts within 24 hours of the water breaking.
After you have delivered your baby you will not feel immediately like you did before you got pregnant. It will take some time. It took 9 whole months of your body changing to make a baby and it will take some time to get back to what feels like normal again.
You should start losing weight right after the baby is born. It will take some time to get back down to your pre-pregnancy weight though. After the baby is born the lining of your uterus will begin to slough off. This is not just a period although it seems like it is. It is mostly discharge mixed with blood. It may take it a few weeks to completely clean out the uterus lining. And during the time after delivery you may have some crazy emotional moods. You may even have some depression and that is normal too. It should go away in just a couple of weeks.
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