The child
Your baby now measures about 15.3 inches (39 cm) from head to foot and weighs about 3.9 pounds (1.79 kg) at the start of the week—and about 4.3 pounds (1.95 kg) at the end of the week.
Unborn babies sleep most of the time—but when they are awake, they practice moving, breathing, and opening and closing their eyes. As a mother-to-be, you should feel your baby’s movements several times a day. The internal organs continue to mature, and the lungs are preparing to breathe properly. All five of your baby’s senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch—are working.
Mother
Are you surprised at how quickly your belly is growing this time? Now that your baby has reached (about) half his or his birth weight, your baby will double his or her weight over the final eight to ten weeks. This will be evident in the size of your belly and you will gain weight more quickly. Your uterus has a fantastic capacity and can hold up to 10 liters (2.6 gallons). There will be plenty of room for your baby as he or she grows. All this growing takes a lot of energy. If you feel tired, rest as often as you can. It might be worth the cost to hire a babysitter to give you a chance to rest.
You should continue to feel your baby move several times a day. Your baby is making big and small movements. You won’t necessarily feel when your baby is sucking his or her thumb, or making small gripping movements with his or her hands, but you will feel most kicks and other large movements, particularly during the latter part of your pregnancy. You might even see your baby kicking from outside your belly. It can be fun to try to capture this on video.
Your midwife or physician will feel your belly at every prenatal visit to determine the position of your baby. Toward the end, most babies settle into a headfirst position (cephalic presentation) although some babies opt for a bottom-first position (breech presentation). But your baby could also be lying sideways.
Your baby can lie as he or she likes at this point. There’s plenty of time before he or she needs to settle. But when the time comes, your baby must have settled into a headfirst or bottom-first position in order to give birth vaginally.
