Pregnancy Facts - Week 40, 41... 42...+?
You made it. 40 weeks of pregnancy. Well, 38 weeks since the first 2 you weren't technically pregnant yet. Well some would say pregnancy doesn't start until the blastocyst embeds itself in the uterus in week 4 and makes itself known. So that's really like, 37 weeks that you were actually pregnant...
What's happening in week 40 of pregnancy
Now comes the true waiting game. Time will come to a standstill as you attempt to countdown the days to the end of week 40. Except it may not end at week 40. The countdown could be for 1, 5, 14, ∞ days. There's no way of knowing how many days you're counting down.
If you somehow end up hitting week 43 of pregnancy, your baby will have reached "post term". But the pregnancy will likely never reach week 43 because if you don't naturally go into labor soon, your doctor will induce labor or scheduled a C-section. One way or another, your baby will be pulled out, literally kicking and screaming.
Now to continue to wait...
Some women pass their mucus plug prior to the start of labor. The mucus plug is literally a piece of mucus that acts as a plug. It blocks your cervix to the outside world, protecting your baby from bacteria and other nasties. Passing the mucus plug means that the cervix has begun dilating and things are going to get real, real soon. Sometimes, the mucus plug could be covered in blood. Dysphemistically this is referred to as a "bloody show".
Before that though, your cervix may efface or euphemistically, "ripen". This is when your cervix gets ready for birth. As your baby moves towards the only natural exit, your baby will trigger the cervix to soften, thin out and eventually dilate. Think of it like standing in front of an automatic door at the supermarket. This will then give the cue for contractions to begin.
Your cervix will dilate a little more with each contraction. Eventually it will grow to about 10 centimeters. This could be within an hour or hours. But the important thing is, it's time.
Congratulations! It's ___________!
Please select the pronoun below that least offends you to represent your baby or babies. List order is not necessarily reflective of Babysizer's opinion of cultural or societal gender importance.
Single:
a boy
a girl
a baby
Multiples:
twins
triplets
quadruplets
too many babies
How big is your baby in week 40 of pregnancy
On average, a week 40 baby will measure 14.3 inches (36.2 centimeters) from crown to rump and weighs 7.6 pounds (3.5 kilograms).
