Your baby is still packing on the pounds – at the rate of about an ounce a day. Your baby now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce).
Your baby is shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered its body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected its skin during the nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely your baby is in a head-down position. But if your baby isn’t, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an “external cephalic version,” which is a fancy way of saying that your doctor will try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating your baby from the outside of your belly.
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Common Symptoms
[common-symptoms]
- Fatigue or extra energy
- Difficulty sleeping
- Increased swelling of ankles and feet
- Itchy abdomen
- Pelvic pressure and discomfort
- Increased vaginal discharge, possibly tinged with blood
- More frequent urination
- Constipation
- Flatulence
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Changes in fetal activity
[/common-symptoms]
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To-Do List
[to-do-list]
- Go out for dinner or to a movie with friends.
- Loosen up tight muscles by stretching throughout the day. Roll your shoulders, rotate your head from side to side, and gently shake your legs.
- Practice any childbirth breathing techniques you learned in childbirth class.
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[fun-tip]
It’s your last chance to make sure you have all the baby supplies you need. Stock up on clothes, diapers, wipes, bath supplies, bottles and burp cloths.
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Image: Essential Baby
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