PREGNANCY
40 Weeks Pregnant: Hang in There!
Bet you’re pretty ready to…play ball!
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
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PREGNANCY
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Bestsellers
It's week 40 of your pregnancy! Bet you’re pretty ready to…play ball! Your baby is around 6-9 lbs. by now; the average is 7 ½. She’s got hair on her head (or maybe just peach fuzz), eyebrows, eyelashes, a cute little nose, fingernails and toenails. Her hands can grasp, her mouth can suck and swallow, and her lungs, heart and stomach are ready to go. She’s been peeing into your amniotic fluid for months, but she has yet to take her first bowel movement. If she does so before birth, it can be a sign of fetal distress. You’d notice it if your water breaks and is smelly or discolored. It’s theorized that babies can also poo in the womb if they are post-term because their digestive system is mature.
Meconium, this first bowel movement, is made up of amniotic fluid, fetal cells and lanugo, the layer of hair that covered her in the womb. You’ll be cleaning it off your newborn for a few days. As she drinks milk, her poop (you’ll become very, very familiar with her poop!) will gradually lighten and change colors. A healthy breastfed newborn’s poop is yellow, liquidy and seedy-looking. A healthy formula-fed newborn’s poop is light brownish and pasty, like peanut butter.
Size of baby at 40 weeks pregnant: Your baby is about 6-9 lbs and the size of a watermelon.
Still pregnant? Hang in there. The majority of women deliver in the week and a half following their due date, though we’re aware that every day feels like an eternity. Your baby is sitting deep in your pelvis, and all that pressure is making your vulva feel very swollen. “Lightening crotch,” or sharp shooting pain, is caused by this pressure.
Unless your baby is breech or transverse, her head is pushing up against your cervix, already starting to thin and dilate. Dilation can take a long, long time and you might not feel it happening. If you’re curious, your prenatal care provider can check your progress.
Vaginal secretions have increased, but keep an eye out for something that looks sticky, like egg whites. This is your mucus plug. It can come out all at once, or bit by bit, and it is a great sign that labor is approaching. Bloody show, or pinkish or red-tinged mucous, is another indication.
If your water breaks, call your doctor right away; labor is likely right around the corner. In the case of PROM, or premature rupture of membranes, your doctor or midwife will tell you how long you go before inducing labor. That’s because your bag of waters protects your baby from infection, and the more time that passes after rupturing, the more you risk infection.
Common symptoms during your 40th week of pregnancy include:
We also highly recommend reading The Happiest Baby on the Block. The book answers tons of new parent questions!
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. —Leo J. Burke
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
