Fetal Development Week by Week – Week 40
You’ve made it!! Any day now your little one will arrive. Don’t be surprised at how your baby looks after birth. Their little heads can be misshapen and their skin may be discolored and have patchy looking rashes. An average baby weighs about 7 ½ pounds and is about 21 ½ inches long at birth. Every baby is different, though, and soon you’ll get to meet your little one.
Babies have more than seventy different reflexes when they are born. These automatic, unlearned behaviors are necessary for survival. While in the womb you provide your baby with antibodies and make their immune system stronger. These immunities that you pass on to your baby will stay with them for the first six months of their lives. Because of your hormones passing on to the baby, your baby may have enlarged genitals when they are born. Hormones can also cause both little boys and little girls to secrete milk from their nipples.
Light exercise, such as walking, can help bring on labor now. Try to relax and enjoy the last few days before your little one arrives. Getting plenty of rest now will help you make it through the labor and delivery you have ahead.
Related Articles