Pregnancy & Baby 

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Pregnancy week 39

A week by week guide to what’s happening to you and your baby

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

You're probably feeling very large - and very uncomfortable. If possible, don't just stay at home. Go out. The exercise can help speed up your labour and, besides, it might be some time before you have the chance to go out to see a film again.

You may worry about having a lengthy labour. Here's a couple of statistics:

The average length of first-time labour is 12 to 14 hours. For second pregnancies, that time drops to about seven hours.
Generally, the longest part of labour - getting to three-centimetres dilation - occurs when contractions are neither closely spaced together, nor particularly intense.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

At 35cm crown to rump, or 19 inches head to toe, your baby is finding headquarters to be rather tight these days, and your level of amniotic fluid may begin to decrease. At this point, the baby's weight varies. The average baby weighs in at seven to seven and a half pounds, but can be as much as one to three pounds heavier or lighter.

HEALTHY EATING

During the final weeks, as your baby experiences rapid growth, nutrition becomes more important than ever.
Boost your water intake. This can help to prevent dehydration during labour.

FACT OF THE WEEK

An episiotomy is an incision made between the vagina and the anus, which, some practitioners claim, may help women avoid severe tearing as the baby comes into the world. Typically doctors are more likely to perform episiotomies than midwives.

The ongoing debate is whether it's better for a woman to tear naturally or to be cut. Regardless of the answer, women should know that they may not tear at all - especially if they follow their body's urge to push and have their partner support their perineum as they give birth. It is wise to evaluate your midwife's view of this procedure and to define your own desires.

In the meantime, there are indications that perineal massage can help stretch this sensitive area before labour and can make it easier for a woman to give birth with little or no natural tearing.

Find out what to expect in week 40 of your pregnancy.

For a list of all the pregnancy week by week articles click here

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