Pregnancy Week 39 – The Baby’s Progress
By pregnancy week 39, if your baby is still in utero then their eyes will now be large, around ¾ the size of an adult eye. The eyes themselves grow only slightly up until adolescence but the lens develops right throughout life. At this stage, however, its neural networks are not yet sophisticated enough for them to focus. Although color cones and visual cells are present in the retina, the vision in a newborn remains poor for the first few weeks after birth while the eye and eye color continues to develop. The color usually develops once they are exposed to natural light.
Pregnancy 39 Weeks
Their breathing is now rhythmical with them making around 40 breathing and chest expansion movements every minute. Genetics will determine how much hair they have on their head at this stage, they may have a thick head of hair, a few wispy strands or absolutely no hair at all. This is nothing to be alarmed at and will not determine the texture or thickness of their hair in later years.
Their breathing is now rhythmical with them making around 40 breathing and chest expansion movements every minute. Genetics will determine how much hair they have on their head at this stage, they may have a thick head of hair, a few wispy strands or absolutely no hair at all. This is nothing to be alarmed at and will not determine the texture or thickness of their hair in later years.
Your baby should be so low down in your pelvis by now that you have probably exchanged discomfort in your upper abdominal area for pressure on your bladder instead. If your baby’s head has not engaged this far down yet then this can also occur quite naturally as late as the labor itself. It is worth noting that 95% of babies do not arrive on their predetermined due date. There’s a 4-week window from weeks 38-42 that is regarded as normal and safe in medical cirlces. Although a month can be a long time to wait, be sure to be ready at any given moment. Perhaps leave a voicemail on your phone along the lines of “we’ll be in touch as soon as the baby has arrived”, keep your hospital bag ready, remain mentally focused and remember to eat well and get lots of sleep.
By the end of pregnancy week 39 your baby will measure up to 20.75″ (52.7cm) and weigh in at around 7.9lbs (3.59kg).
(See 39 Weeks Pregnant – The Mother’s Progress)
Return from PREGNANCY WEEK 39 to HOME
