Your Baby in week 40
Your Baby in week 40:
After many weeks of anticipation and preparation,
your baby is here! Or maybe not — only 5% of women
deliver on their estimated due dates, and many first-time
mothers find themselves waiting up to 2 weeks after their
due date for their baby to arrive.
A baby born at 40 weeks weighs, on average, about 7
pounds, 4 ounces (3,300 grams) and measures about 20
inches (51 cm). Don't expect your baby to look like the
Gerber baby right off the bat — newborns often have
heads temporarily misshapen from the birth canal and
may be covered with vernix and blood. Your baby's skin
may have skin discolorations, dry patches, and rashes
— these many variations are completely normal.
Because of the presence of your hormones in your baby's
system, your baby's genitals (scrotum in boys and labia
in girls) may appear enlarged. Your baby, whether a boy
or a girl, may even secrete milk from the tiny nipples.
This should disappear in a few days and is completely normal.
Right after birth, your health care provider will
suction mucus out of your baby's mouth and nose,
and you'll hear that long-awaited first cry. Your
baby may then be placed on your stomach, and the
umbilical cord will be cut — often by the baby's
dad, if he chooses to do the honors! A series of
quick screening tests, such as the Apgar score,
will be performed to assess your baby's responsiveness
and vital signs, and he or she will be weighed and
measured. If your pregnancy was high risk, or if a
cesarean section was necessary, a neonatologist
(a doctor who specializes in newborn intensive care)
will be present at your delivery to take care of your
baby right away. If your baby needs any special care
to adjust to life outside the womb, it will be given
and then your newborn will be placed in your waiting arms.
What's going on with You:
Now this is the moment you've been anticipating !
Well, you have to go through labor and delivery,
before you meet your baby. You may have learned
about the three stages of birth in your prenatal classes.
The first stage of labor works to thin and stretch your
cervix by contracting your uterus at regular intervals.
The second stage of labor is when you push your baby
into the vaginal canal and out of your body. The third
and final stage of labor is when you deliver the placenta.
If you don't go into labor within a week of your due date,
your Doctor may recommend you receive a nonstress test,
which monitors fetal heart rate and movement to be sure
that the baby is receiving adequate oxygen and that the
nervous system is responding. Talk to your health care
provider to find out more about this test.
Sometimes mother nature may need a little coaxing.
If your labor isn't progressing, or if your health
or your baby's health requires it, your Doctor
may induce labor by artificially rupturing the
membranes or by administering the hormone oxytocin
or other medications. If your pregnancy is high risk,
or if there are any other potential complications,
you may require a cesarean section delivery.
Some women know ahead of time that they will be
delivering via cesarean section and are able to
schedule their baby's "birth day" well in advance.
If you're one of them, you've probably been able
to prepare yourself emotionally and mentally for
the birth — which can help to lessen the feelings
of disappointment that many mothers who are unable
to deliver vaginally experience. But even if you
have to undergo a cesarean section that wasn't
planned, rest assured that you'll still be able
to bond with your baby. It might not be the birth
experience you imagined, but your beautiful newborn
has arrived nonetheless.yey!!!
Back to week 39
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