40 weeks pregnant

Baby is at full birth size by now, which on average is about 7-8 lbs and 20.2 inches tall — about the size of a fresh watermelon — although these measurements can vary significantly even among healthy babies.

Baby’s skull is not yet fused together so that the plates, or small sections of bone, can overlap when they’re squeezing their way out of the birth canal during labor. This means that your little one’s head might come out looking a bit cone-shaped after birth, but it will become round in the hours and days after they’re born.

It’s true that Baby won’t immediately recognize your face when they first leave the womb and enter the world — after all, at that point, your baby hasn’t seen anything that isn’t the inside of your uterus and their vision isn’t great. But Baby will prefer the sound of your voice to all other sounds, and they’ll be able to recognize it because they’ve been listening to you for months now and learning what you sound like from inside the womb! So as you greet your little one in the outside world, talk to Baby softly or even sing a familiar song. Your sweet baby will be just as excited to finally meet you as you are to meet them!

What’s new with you?

If you haven’t given birth to your baby yet, it’s entirely normal to be feeling a bit desperate for Baby to just move out already at this point. You might be dealing with back pain, or feel otherwise uncomfortable this week. If you are pregnant at the end of this week, your healthcare provider might talk to you about additional appointments and monitoring next week or inducing labor before 42 weeks, when the risk of complications for you and Baby get more significant. You may also choose to induce sooner than 42 weeks for non-medical reasons. The important part is having an open discussion about the risks and benefits of any induction for you and your baby. 

Besides a medically induced labor, there are a couple of things you can try that may speed up the process. Staying active with long walks, stimulating your nipples, and engaging in sexual intercourse are some popular ways to try to induce labor from the comfort of your own home. While many of these have not been scientifically proven to have an effect, talk to your provider if you are considering trying to move things along on your own. Keep in mind that your due date is just a rough estimate of when Baby should arrive, and it’s okay if your little one prefers to operate on their own timeline.  

Even if you’re finding it hard to wait for your little one, reaching your due date is worth celebrating. Think of just how far you and Baby have come together. Congratulations, you made it!