40 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Weight, Symptoms Not to Ignore, Baby Position, Movement, What to Expect

40 Weeks pregnant: Baby Size, Symptoms, What to Eat, Pregnancy Tips

Third Trimester

Your baby is now the size of large pumpkin.

Baby Grows

Main Topics

Highlights

No baby yet?

Don’t worry. About half of all newborns are late arrivals – usually because their due date was off. Only 7 percent are truly overdue.

How your body changes

Even after your uterus shrinks back to its normal size, you may continue to look pregnant for several weeks or even months. 

Back pain relief

Try a warm bath or a heating pad. Get a prenatal massage, or ask a friend to gently rub or knead your back.

40 weeks is how many months?

You’re in your ninth month!

 

Your Baby’s Development

Week 40
Baby’s Growth

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How Big is Your Baby?

How big? It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and is about 20 inches long.

Skin color: What to expect Babies of all ethnicities are born with reddish-purple skin that changes to pinkish-red in a day or so. The pink tint comes from the red blood vessels that are visible through your baby's still-thin skin.

Because your baby's blood circulation is still maturing, his hands and feet may be bluish for a few days. Over the next six months, your baby's skin will develop its permanent color.

scale

Weight

3.5 kg

Length

51 cm

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size of pumpkin

Mother’s Changing Body

40

What to Expect?

Frustration? After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and ... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating but common situation.

You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period. (That's because sometimes women ovulate later than expected.) But even with reliable calculations, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason. Ripening cervix? Your healthcare provider will check your cervix to see if it's "ripening."

Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don't go into labor on your own, you'll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

Good to know!

Pregnancy Symptoms

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Lower back pain

More than 60 percent of pregnant women have lower back pain. Especially at this point in pregnancy, it can be very painful.

Your baby form

Pregnancy Tips

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  • Finalize your baby name list

    Waiting until you meet your baby to make a final decision on names? That's fine! But make sure you have some good options ready to go.

  • Kick back and relax

    Watch your favorite shows, read a novel, call an old friend, sleep in, or take naps when you can. You're in the final stretch!

  • Don't panic if you go past your due date

    After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and ... you're still pregnant. It's a common but frustrating situation. If you don't go into labor within a week or so, your provider will induce labor.

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