Your baby is at present considered to be fullterm. By now your baby volition be curled into the "fetal" position, filling the whole of your uterus. His range of movements will be restricted to a kicking and a bit of stretching and perhaps attempts at rotating. Your babe will continue to lay downwards fat deposits under his skin and will be practicing all the movements you'll see after he is born, east.g. breathing, suckling, swallowing, blinking, grasping and clasping her easily, head turning, kicking and stretching, maybe even sucking his fist or thumb. You may notice a slight reduction in the number of movements yous feel – your baby is likely to have quite distinct periods of activity and longer periods of sleep. (If you exercise not feel your baby moving regularly and you are concerned, you tin can drink a glass of iced h2o and run into if this stimulates movements, if not, y'all should arrange an appointment for your LMC midwife or doctor to listen to your baby'southward heartbeat a.south.a.p. ) Your baby will at present probably weigh iii- 4kg and measure out approximately 51cm tall.


Your body: By at present, lots of women are feeling completely over existence pregnant and impatient to meet their babies. Remind yourself and others, that the due date you've been given is only an boilerplate and it is completely normal for a infant to arrive later the estimated due appointment as long as mother and infant are well.

It is usual for you to see your LMC midwife or dr. for a check-up each week during this time.

Postdates or overdue?: The normal length of pregnancy is betwixt 37 and 42+weeks. Your Expected Due Date (EDD) is 40weeks right in the heart of this normal range. Despite commonly used terminology, your babe is not overdue simply because he has not been born on his EDD. In most cases pregnancies that continue past the EDD correspond a completely normal variation of the boilerplate. Although information technology is hard not to be disappointed about your infant'south "no show" and completely "fed upwards" with being meaning, information technology tin help you lot (and your relations and friends), to be aware that 60% of babies are born later on their EDDs.

The best time for your baby to be built-in is when he is fullterm and this is not necessarily on the EDD you have been given. Some babies do remain in utero (in the womb) by the best time for them to exist born. Your baby's placenta has a limited life span and this is different for every mother and baby. If your pregnancy continues past your placenta's "use by" appointment, information technology will no longer efficiently transfer oxygen and nutrients to your babe and your baby will exhibit symptoms of postmaturity e.1000. ho-hum growth, reduced movements, reduced amniotic fluid volume etc. This can happen before or after the EDD and this is one of the reasons why your visits to your LMC become more frequent as you approach your EDD. If your pregnancy lasts more than one week by your estimated due appointment (or if your LMC midwife or dr. is concerned that your placenta might non be functioning efficiently at any stage of pregnancy), s/he volition probably recommend that you accept a test called a Fetal Biophysical Contour. This exam uses ultrasonic technologies to appraise fetal movement, tone, reactivity, animate movements and amniotic fluid volume and gives your baby a score out of 10. If your baby gets a score of 8 or more, it indicates that your placenta is still providing adequate nourishment for your infant, i.e. if you accept passed your EDD your baby is probably postdates rather than postmature and, in the absence of whatever other problems, yous can safely and usually remain pregnant till your labour starts spontaneously.

Cease Work: If yous are in paid employment you should take started your maternity leave by week 37. Even if you take a really cruisey job/boss and can come up in late, leave early on etc, you should reduce your working week downward to effectually 3 part-time days around at present. You lot need enough of time to prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for the huge transition that is ahead. Accept time to enjoy these last days/weeks of pregnancy and if it is your first baby, to enjoy doing whatever you feel like. If you already have a kid or children y'all volition have less self time and probably less time to rest – attempt to organize regular childcare and/or playdates for your other child(ren) then that you can focus on yourself and your nearly newborn babe for a few hours and get a daytime nap, or at to the lowest degree some uninterrupted relaxing time.

Pack your handbag: If you are planning to requite birth in a maternity unit of measurement or hospital, around at present you can gloat by packing the not-perishable items y'all desire to have on hand for your labour and will need during the first 12+hours after your babe is born. Use the list beneath as a guideline.

For Labour

Clothing – yous tin vesture your ain wearing apparel during labour or a hospital gown. If you lot would prefer to clothing your own apparel pack a couple of comfy tops or T.shirts. You may also desire to pack a bikini height and/or a couple of crop tops to wearable in the pool if you don't fancy being totally naked.

  • Socks
  • Hairbands/clips
  • Massage oil or massage wax
  • Extra pillows in coloured pillowcases so you remember to take them home
  • Hotpacks (Wheat/rice pack or gel pad) and common cold packs (a bottle of frozen water wrapped in flannel makes a passable common cold pack)
  • Drinks including bottled water
  • Lip Lotion or moisturizer
  • Camera – fully charged
  • Music – CD player or Ipod and dock etc

Later Labour

  • Soap, shampoo & conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Sleepwear
  • Maternity/nursing bra
  • Extra knickers
  • Dressing gown or robe or coat
  • Shawl or cardigan
  • Slippers and shoes
  • Infant clothes – well-nigh hospitals provide nappies and possibly some kind of shirt for the elapsing of your post birth stay only at the very least, y'all will need a full set of clothes for your babe for coming dwelling house. i.due east.
  • Belong or singlet
  • Grosuit/all-in-one
  • Socks or booties
  • Cardigan or jacket
  • Chapeau that covers your baby's ears
  • Rug or blanket to put over your baby in her carseat
  • Babe carseat

Signs of Labour: A number of things tin can happen that will indicate that you will soon exist in labour, but you lot are non in labour until you lot are having regular contractions.

Contractions: You lot know you are having a labour contraction when your uterus (and abdomen) go hard (like a tightly pumped up ball) and you experience some sort of low intestinal sensation usually at the level of your pubic bone in the forepart and occasionally in your lower back instead or as well. Both of these things (uterine tightenings and pelvic twinges/pains) have to be happening at the aforementioned time for you lot to be having a labour wrinkle. These sensations can exist very mild to start with – a twinge or feeling of force per unit area, or period-like pain – but they will grow to become a pulling, stretching or tightening sensation that gets stronger as fourth dimension goes by. Contractions are intermittent not continuous i.e. they come and go. Equally your contractions become more established you will probably notice that they have a moving ridge-like pattern i.east. they start adequately mildly build to a peak of intensity so slowly fade away giving you a period of minutes when your torso feels equally relaxed as usual.

Prelabour contractions tin can experience the aforementioned just they are more random in terms of their intensity and frequency and disappear before establishing into a pattern of being longer and stronger and closer together . Prelabour contractions often come and become depending on what you're doing east.yard. if you might be up and moving and notice that you are having contractions then yous lie downwards and they disappear or vice versa. Or, you are having contractions and so you get into a warm bath and they disappear. Or, you observe them afterward in the day when y'all are tired just if you take a sleep they disappear etc etc.

Active labour contractions become longer, stronger and closer together over a flow of time. Active labour contractions require all your attention – they will stop you mid-judgement or mid stride. You will demand to focus to continue your breathing regular and you volition probably be needing to use some labour coping techniques to help you to stay relaxed and let these contractions to do their work. You are not considered to be in active labour until your contractions last for at least i minute and are 5 minutes or less apart and have been at this frequency for at least one hour. This is called the i – 5 – i rule. When your contractions are coming at this level of frequency your LMC midwife or physician will usually advise you to become the hospital or volition come up to your dwelling house if yous are planning a homebirth.

Waters breaking: For about ten% of women the get-go sign of labour is sudden loss of fluid from the vagina – this usually ways that the amniotic sac has torn and amniotic fluid is draining out. Note the time, and the amount and colour of the amniotic fluid that is leaking out. Wear a sanitary pad and go on any germ-free pads for your LMC to see. If the fluid loss is clear, contact your LMC during regular working hours. If the fluid loss is dirty-looking, greenish or brown, contact your LMC immediately. The fourth dimension between waters breaking and the onset of contractions is enormously variable. Some women'southward waters will suspension and within v minutes they volition have had their first labour contraction, while other women will look hours before they have their starting time contraction.

Warning Signs: Y'all should telephone call your LMC midwife or physician immediately

if you experience whatsoever of the post-obit:

  • Any vaginal bleeding (not the "show" which is often claret stained mucus). Wearable a germ-free pad (continue any sanitary pads for your LMC to encounter)
  • Sharp breadbasket pain or severe cramping
  • Persistent or astringent headache.
  • Dizziness or visual disturbances (fuzzy vision, seeing spots or flashes)
  • Persistent vomiting (cannot proceed h2o down)
  • Pain or burning sensation while urinating or inability to urinate.

Eat well: Your uterus is a muscle that will function more than efficiently if it is well nourished and well hydrated. Labour (first labour especially) is a bit similar a marathon, you demand to exist physically and mentally well-prepared and you need to take a good amount of energy on board so that you concluding the altitude. Swallow small meals approximately every iv or five hours and then that your free energy levels are high simply y'all are not "weighed down with food or using excessive amounts of energy to digest large/heavy meals. You also demand to potable regularly. Attempt to call back to drink at least one cup of fluid every ii hours between meals. Your labour volition establish (and progress) more efficiently if your muscles are well-hydrated.

Exercise: Keep with regular gentle practice. This will assistance y'all to maintain forcefulness and stamina and reduce the intensity of the common discomforts of late pregnancy. Do some stretching exercises each twenty-four hours at home likewise equally continuing to attend a pregnancy exercise class if you're still able. Become for short, leisurely walks once or twice each day if your pelvis allows. Swim or h2o walk regularly, especially if you are unable to do any other form of exercise.

Remainder: Your night-time sleep is probable to exist quite interrupted by now then y'all need to make certain that you lot take a nap or at least a substantial rest at some signal each day. Your labour could start at whatever time, twenty-four hour period or night. You will be better able to cope if yous are as well rested every bit possible.

Relax: Labour is a series of large musculus stretches. During labour the neck (cervix) of your uterus, then your pelvic muscles and vagina stretch open up to let your babe out. Your muscles volition not stretch if yous are not able to relax. Practising relaxation during your pregnancy will help "train" your hidden heed to instigate a relaxation response to whatsoever stimuli (a word or phrase, an idea, a visualization, a piece of music, a certain type of touch on) you lot have practiced relaxing to. You need to be able relax actively (e.g. propped up in a labour enhancing position, maybe rocking or some other repetitive movement), or passively sitting or lying supported in some labour enhancing position and doing nothing except breathing and consciously releasing tension from all your muscles and then that y'all experience as soft and flopsy as a rag doll. All relaxation requires even breathing then you need to continue to practise breathing gently and evenly, focusing on lengthening your exhalations. Relaxing to the same music each mean solar day volition have the added benefit that this music is heard past your baby and the hormones and he volition go accustomed to the hormonal state that you induce when you relax. After he is born it is probable that this same music will help your babe to relax.

Infant movements: Your baby is now very tightly packed in your body and has less and less space for movement, so you lot may find a change in both the quality and frequency of her movements. You could make a fetal boot /movement chart so that you become consciously aware of your baby's active times. You can download a fetal kick chart at www.babypartner.com/tools/charts/pregnancy/fetal-kick-chart.pdf Although you may feel less frequent movements at present that your babe has entered your pelvis you should exist feeling some vigorous kicks and movements each day (your placenta is attached to the front of your uterus). If you are concerned that yous haven't felt any potent movements for 12 – 24 hours, drink a glass of iced water. The sensation of cold will usually get your infant moving. You lot can also try lying quietly on your left side for 1 60 minutes then rolling over onto your right side, if you still don't feel whatever movements. If neither of these tests result in obvious infant movements, you should contact your LMC midwife or doctor.

Breastfeeding: If this is your offset babe and yous have attended a birth preparation course, you lot should have got some bones information to aid you establish successful breastfeeding. Still, since breastfeeding volition be the equivalent of a total-time job it tin can be a good idea to get every bit much information as possible and have a refresher now that your nascence is imminent. Attending a La Leche League "coming together" volition requite y'all a chance to observe and chat with breastfeeding mothers. Cheque out your local group for data and back up with breastfeeding earlier and later your infant is born on www.lalecheleague.org.nz Many hospitals and motherhood units besides offering a one-off breastfeeding class for women booked to give birth in their facilities – enquire your LMC for data about these sessions or contact your local maternity unit for times and bookings.

Baby apparel and bedding: All the clothes and bedding you have bought or gathered for your baby needs to exist washed before your baby is born. Choose natural fibre clothes and bedding e.g. cotton, wool (including merino), linen, bamboo etc. Your baby's pare is her biggest organ so information technology needs to be wrapped in breathable fabrics. Too your baby'south power to regulate her own temperature is very immature, natural fibre clothes and bedding will assist ensure that she stays comfortably warm and that moisture is wicked away from her skin and evaporates instead of staying on her skin and making her cold. Click here to check out the natural fibre article of clothing and bedding available from MAMA. Wash your infant's clothes and bedding in a mild, biodegradable laundry powder/detergent and rinse well. Your baby'south clothes and bedding should be well enough rinsed that they not smell of the laundry powder you have used. Accept reward of any fine days to line dry your baby'southward washing, the ultraviolet rays of the dominicus are a natural germicide.

Making Love: Recall it was loving that got your babe in so loving will aid get your baby too. The hormones released during lovemaking help soften your neck getting information technology set up to stretch open during labour and the hormones that crusade orgasm also cause uterine contractions. (Nipple stimulation likewise encourages your torso to release the hormone oxytocin that causes your uterus to contract.) If you're not feeling like full-on, orgasmic lovemaking, just hanging out with your partner, kissing, cuddling, having massages, enjoying your baby's movements, speculating about what your baby is going to be like, what its going to exist like to take this new and arresting focus in your relationship, sharing your excitement about condign parents or enlarging your family. Taking the time to be together feeling loved and loving and bonded with your partner and your baby will assist instigate the onset of your labour.

  • Week 1
  • Weeks 2 – 3
  • Week 4
  • Weeks five-eight
  • Weeks ix – 10
  • Weeks xi – 13
  • Weeks 14 – 17
  • Weeks xviii – 20
  • Weeks 21 – 24
  • Weeks 24 – 28
  • Weeks 28 – 32
  • Weeks 32 – 36
  • Weeks 37 – forty