It’s not long now and you’ll be seeing your new baby face to face. You’ll be able to cuddle him and feel his warmth. You’ll be able to touch him and hear him. For many women, the birth is the day when the miracle becomes reality. You’re nearly there.

 

But first, you have eight to twelve weeks of waiting to go through. Here are some of the highlights that you can look forward to.

 

 

 

Your baby spends the last trimester of your pregnancy developing, forming fat and generally getting ready for the big day.

His eyes are now blinking and he can already see bright light shining through from the outside. If he’s awake he will turn to face it. His bones are continuing to develop but it’s not yet strong. It’s still soft and pliable.

Of course you don’t want to go into premature labour, but if your baby arrives on the 29th week, he will have a 9 in 10 survival rate. Thanks to new developments in medical science. 

At this stage, your baby’s brain is already functioning and is in control. It can already regulate body temperature and breathing. Your baby has also developed his coughing reflex and has perfected the art of sucking, ready to feed when he comes out.

At week 30, your baby’s bone is properly functioning and is already producing red blood cells. The lanugo is also starting to shed. Weight and height gain are starting to slow down as your baby is spending most of his energy developing his brain.

By the end of week 31, your baby is 3 ½ pounds in weight and 16 inches long.

 

As you enter the last trimester, you are starting to feel more tired. You feel more back ache as your baby grows heavier. You will also experience breathlessness as the baby pushes on your ribs and you’ll likely to have indigestion regularly. You’re also bloated and the swelling of your hands and arms may worsen. This is because you are retaining more water. 

To help minimise swelling of your legs, try sitting down more often and prop your feet up. Also, drink plenty of water and avoid too much salt. 

On the plus side, you will feel your baby’s movement more and he can respond to your voice now.

 

 

 

From 32 weeks, your baby will start to slow down his activities, as there is less room inside you to move around. He will start to settle in the position that he is likely to be on the day of the birth (hopefully, that would be head first and with his back facing your front.) If you have concerns about the position of your baby, discuss it with your midwife.

At this stage, your baby is busy practicing his finer reflexes like blinking, grabbing, breathing and weeing. He is also busy looking around and responding to sound. 

By 33 weeks, your baby can detect night from day. His pupils are already responding to light, dilating when dark and constricting when it’s bright.  His lungs are also nearly mature. If he can’t wait inside and comes out before his development I complete, he will be able to breath with a little help. At the end of 35th week, your baby should have taken his final position in your womb, ready to come out soon. 

He will weigh approximately 5 ½ pounds and about 18 inches long

 

You may feel that you are ready to evict your baby. You may start to feel that you have had enough of the pregnancy. Back pain, heartburn, and shortness of breath will make sleeping difficult for you. And you will be going back and forth to the toilet.

You’re tired and you’re not getting much sleep, consequently, you will feel grumpy. 

To help you get more comfortable at night, try sleeping on your side. Put a thin pillow under your tummy to support it and help you be more comfortable while you’re lying on your side. You can also buy a C-shape pillow specific for this. It’s worth an investment.

Additionally, try napping during the day, but instead of lying on your back, try reclining. If you don’t have a reclining chair, prop your upper back with pillows.

 

 

 

You’re nearly there. In fact it’s possible that your baby will come anytime soon so it’s best to know what are the signs and symptoms of labour. 

During this period, your baby is just putting on weight and having some finishing touches to complete his development. He can feel, touch, see and listen. He has developed his sleep pattern which will continue after birth.

By 37 week, your baby is now full term. He’s ready to come out and his growth will slow down dramatically. This is probably good news as you don’t want him to be too big when he comes out. At week 38, your baby would have accumulated a lot of meconium (black baby poo). 

 

Every woman will experience labour differently but here are the signs that your baby is coming out soon:

•Lower back pain that’s consistent and is accompanied by painful cramps

•A “show” (brownish colour mucus.) This is a plug to your cervix, once that’s out; it means that labour is looming.

•Painful regular contractions that get shorter and shorter

•Broken water accompanied by regular contractions.

 

From week 32, you’ll start seeing the midwife every two weeks. However, this can vary in your area, depending on how busy your midwife is. By week 34, you will be offered an antenatal class by the NHS if you haven’t booked your own paid classes.

During your appointments, the midwife will do routine checks of your blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and your baby’s heartbeat. She may also check about your general mental well-being.

She will also book you for an induction date, that’s about two weeks after your due date. This is in case, your baby is late.

 

Congratulations! We are glad to be part of your journey.

 

Contributed by Hope, a former midwife

 

Thursday, 09 February 2012