A Complete Information Guide on Pregnancy Week 39

By Pregnancy week 39, your baby is fully developed and waiting eagerly to come out of the womb.

You are eight months and three weeks pregnant. You will complete your nine months of pregnancy in next week. You’re already a full term in your pregnancy. Now you can expect your delivery anytime soon. It is a time to take rest and stay out worried. As now you may be very eager to meet your baby and don’t want to be pregnant anymore. No matter what it takes!

[icon type=”icon-lamp”] A baby is considered full term if born between 39 and 40 weeks, and post-term used to describe babies who are born after 42 weeks.

You may have frequent visits to your doctor for the check-ups and she will be examining your baby’s growth and development. Read this article to know more about your 39^th week of pregnancy.

Fetal Development in Pregnancy Week 39:

In Pregnancy week 39:

Size of baby – 20 inches (50.8 cm)- from crown to heel.
Weight of baby – around 7.25 pounds (3.28 kg)
Baby is as big as Pumpkin.

By this week your baby will not gain much height but few grams will get added to her weight. Your fetus has now a birthing position and can move down a little towards the pelvis which is near to the birth canal. At the same time, you should be attentive about her kicks and movements. If you notice any sudden decrease, contact your doctor immediately as your baby should remain active right until the birth.

Moods & Symptoms in Pregnancy Week 39:

You may experience the following changes and symptoms during your 39^th week of pregnancy:

Clumsiness and Discomfort – When you are in your 39^th week of pregnancy, these feelings are totally understandable. You must be having a lot of questions in your mind about your baby’s birth.
Braxton Hicks contractions – You may experience Braxton Hicks contractions more often and they may be painful to you as your body is preparing for delivery. They can be mistakenly taken as a labor pain. To crosscheck, change your position. If the pain is stopped then it is a contraction, otherwise contact your doctor immediately.
Feeling full of energy, all of sudden – This is called nesting. You may feel that there is a sudden urge to clean your messy room and get your home ready for your new member. But do not take much stress while cleaning your home.
Swollen feet and ankle – This happens when your growing uterus starts giving pressure to your pelvic bone and veins which results in the restriction of a normal flow and circulation of blood. Do not stand for prolonged hours at a stretch. Sit by keeping your feet elevated.
Leaky boobs – Your breasts may start leaking colostrum (yellowish in color) which is a first milk for the baby.
Diarrhea – Having this symptom means an impending labor and thus, anytime you can deliver your bundle of joy.
Mucus Plug – This week you may release the mucus plug which has been protecting your cervix all along. It is a stingy mucus with blood either in red, brown or pink in color. As your cervix dilates (opens), the mucus plug is released to make way for baby. Losing mucus plug can happen at a different time for every woman and is a sign that labor is very near. But still how much near you are to labor can’t be defined as losing of mucus plug can happen weeks, days or hours before labor begins.

Signs of labor in Pregnancy Week 39:

Below are the signs which indicates you are going through real labor and not Braxton Hicks. Yes! No more waiting now for your baby. Rush to the hospital immediately.

Breaking of water – Oftentimes after the contraction, water break occurs and you may feel a leakage from your vagina. This water is an amniotic sac. The moment you feel this situation, contact your doctor immediately as you will go into labor within hours.
Strong and Regular Contractions – If the contractions are stronger, frequent and longer in duration, and the time between them keeps getting shorter, then you are in real labor. You will feel pain also. Start noting down the timings of contractions. As your uterus contracts, it’s dilating your cervix so baby can pass into the birth canal at delivery. So, therefore, if you feel this type of contraction, immediately contact your doctor. Your doctor will check if your cervix is dilated and its effacement (thinning). Established labor is when your cervix is dilated by more than three centimetres. The cervix becomes very thin before the delivery. If it is dilated and thin then you are very close to meet your baby. He will also examine the position of your cervix and baby in relation to your pelvis. If the position of your baby is very low then delivery may happen anytime now.

[icon type=”icon-lamp”] Your cervix should be dilated to 10 centimetres, so baby can pass into the birth canal at delivery.

If you are dilated a bit, your doctor may strip your membranes. This stripping off membranes may trigger labor within hours or days in some women. But in some cases, it is ineffective.

Constant Back pain – If you are experiencing severe back pain along with strong and regular contractions, then you are going through real labor. Rush to the hospital immediately.

Note: It is absolutely normal at this stage if you are still not experiencing any sign of labor. It may be noted that delivery never happens on exact due date. Only 4% babies arrive on their due date while other babies always pass their due date or born earlier (between weeks 37 and 42). For a first time mom, normally 41 weeks is the final due date i.e. going into labor naturally. Whereas for a second time mom, she may tends to go into labor naturally at 40 weeks.

But if you don’t go into labor naturally, then it will usually be induced between one and two weeks overdue, or even sooner if the doctor deem the risk of waiting greater than the risk of delivering your baby immediately. And if you are so eager to meet your baby, then there are some natural ways too for inducing the labor.

Here are 10 Natural ways for inducing labor in Pregnancy week 39:

Sex – Have sexual intercourse with your husband as orgasm can trigger contractions which will dilate your cervix. But don’t do sex if your water has ruptured as it can put you in the risk of infection.
Climbing stairs – In climbing the stairs you will take longer steps and your legs will be lifted higher, thus putting pressure on your cervix leading to its dilation.
Walking – Even long walks can induce the labor. So walk, walk, walk, walk and walk…!! If this walking exercise doesn’t work in inducing labor but this will surely assist you in busting off the stress level and keeping the body strong for the upcoming labor.
Stimulating Nipples – You or your partner can manually stimulate your nipples. Rubbing or rolling nipples gently can release hormone called oxytocin that causes the uterus to contract and milk to be ejected from the breast. You can also take the help of breast pump. But using breast pump can overstimulate your uterus, so its better to avoid doing with this at home.
Spicy Foods – It is said that having spicy foods can trigger contractions. Although it’s not recommended in your pregnancy diet. Even Chinese food can help ripen the cervix.
Eating Pineapple, Basil – Having pineapple can put you into labor as it contains an enzyme called bromelain, which can soften your cervix. Add basil in your food for inducing labor naturally as it stimulates blood flow to the uterus.
Acupuncture – This is an ancient remedy for inducing labor in which thin needles are inserted into the specific points of the body that triggers the contractions. This method has high labor induction so follow this when your due date is close or has passed.
Acupressure – Quite similar to acupuncture, this method uses fingers instead of needles into the specific points of your body which can ripen the cervix.
Warm Bath – Take a warm bath which will help in not only inducing the labor but will also give calm and relax feeling. Make sure the water is not so warm.
Massage – Get a relaxing massage from massage therapist qualified to work with pregnant women. They may know various points to massage to induce labor. Kindly note that massage is not recommended in early stages of pregnancy.

Note: Before using any of the above mentioned methods/ways, kindly consult your doctor. Some of the methods mentioned above have high labor induction, so it shouldn’t be done at home or without proper supervision.

However at this stage, if you have complications then your doctor may recommend a medical induction. Following are the cases where your doctor may induce labor in 39th week of pregnancy (or earlier):

Preeclampsia
Gestational diabetes
Uterine infection
Placental problem
If you’re 39 weeks pregnant with twins
Breaking of water and you still not having labor pains.

Do’s and Don’ts in Pregnancy Week 39:

Avoid wearing high heels at this stage as they can be very painful and risky.
Avoid standing for prolonged hours.
Take proper rest and continue having a healthy and nutritious diet.
Stay away from stress.
Be active as much as possible. At the same time, do not exert yourself.
Prepare the bag for your stay in the hospital beforehand. Carry the basic necessities and baby essential products in your bag.

[icon type=”icon-lamp”] Join our Facebook closed group called “Parenting Mom Style” only for Moms and To-be Moms to share experiences and queries.

Stay cool and positive! Very soon you will be holding baby in your arms.

Happy Due Date 🙂

For your reference- Pregnancy Week 39:

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