The child
Your baby now measures about 15.7 inches (40 cm) from head to foot and weighs about 4.4 pounds (1.98 kg) at the start of the week—and about 4.7 pounds (2.15 kg) at the end of the week.
The baby continues to develop reserves of body fat and the amount of amniotic fluid is no longer increasing but remains constant. The brain is growing rapidly, and the head is increasing in size. Your baby can now perceive light and darkness and tell, for example, whether it’s day or night.
Your baby continues to move and mothers-to-be should feel baby’s movements several times a day.
Mother
Your activities affect your baby—your baby can feel when you eat, sit down, lie down or walk. He or she is also affected by sounds from outside. If you do things that make you feel good, your baby will feel good since he or she will be sharing your “feel-good hormones”, oxytocin and endorphins. If you are under a lot of stress at work, give some thought to how to slow down during the final weeks of your pregnancy. If you are under stress, tell your manager so you can work together to find a reasonable workload.
One good way to destress is to set aside time to take a break every day. Listen to the relaxation exercises that you will find under Play. You might remember from your other births, that the more relaxed you are during and between your contractions, the better your uterus will work. So it’s a good idea to now start practicing how to relax!
It can be tough to find me-time. Could you find some quiet while reading with your older child? This is also a lovely opportunity to get to know little brother or little sister inside the belly. Your older child might enjoy singing a favorite song to your belly or talking about things that happened at preschool.
Know that it is common to feel a certain ambivalence to the fact that the new baby will affect your older child’s life. But rest assured that it is a gift to give your child a sibling seen from a life perspective.
Partner
You’re probably focusing and thinking about the birth quite a bit now. That’s a good, natural reaction because you have quite a momentous event to look forward to.
Remember to think about your life after the birth. Talk and read books together and continue to prepare yourselves for life after your baby’s been born. Try to imagine your lives with a tiny newborn. What do you think it will be like? What are you looking forward to? Are you concerned or worried about anything?
