Week 39: Final Preparation
Week thirty‑nine is the final preparation for labor. Your baby is ready to meet you!
Baby size: Mini watermelon (165-170 mm)
Baby development
Final preparations for the big exit
Your baby has completed development. The lungs are ready to take the first breath, and the immune system continues to receive your antibodies.
What’s happening this week:
- Brain: Continues to form neural connections.
- Skin: Has taken on a gentle pink hue and become smooth.
- Vernix coating: Most of it has already disappeared.
- Position: The baby is likely already deep in the pelvis, preparing to navigate the birth canal.
Your fetus weighs about 3.2‑3.3 kg, and its length is over 50 centimeters.
Changes for mom
True labor pains or practice ones?
The main question this week is how to distinguish real labor pains from practice ones. Your body is giving more and more signals.
What you may notice:
- True labor pains: Unlike practice pains, they become stronger, longer, and more regular. They do not subside when you change position.
- Back pain: Real labor pains often start as a dull ache in the lower back.
- Water breaking: May occur as a sudden gush or a barely noticeable leak.
- Emotional swings: Impatience can shift to sudden calm.
Knowing the signs of labor onset is the key to your peace of mind. Reread our article "Signs of Labor Onset".
Overview
Week 39: The Home Stretch
Week thirty‑nine is the time when anticipation reaches its peak. Your pregnancy is considered fully term, and your baby could be born any day. He/she is completely ready for life outside your womb.
He/she is now the size of a small watermelon. The brain continues to develop at an incredible speed, and this process will continue throughout childhood. He/she has accumulated enough fat to maintain body temperature.
For you this is a period of waiting and listening to your body. You may feel fatigue, discomfort, and impatience. This is completely normal. Try to relax and remember that the baby knows best when it’s time to come into the world.
You have done an amazing job bringing new life into the world. Now only the final step remains — labor. Trust yourself, your body, and your support team. You are ready for this!
You are on the brink of the most important meeting. To be prepared for everything, reread our detailed overview "Third Trimester: What You Need to Know".
Tips for mom
Calm, movement, and anticipation
Now it’s important to stay calm and help your body with natural methods.
What to do:
- Take walks. If you have the strength, gentle walks can help the baby settle lower and speed up labor.
- Rest. Don’t try to “speed up” labor by exhausting yourself. Preserve your energy.
- The “5‑1‑1” rule. Remember when it’s time to go to the hospital: contractions last 1 minute, repeat every 5 minutes, for a total of 1 hour.
- Eat light foods. You’ll need energy, so choose easily digestible carbohydrates.
It’s important to be ready for anything. Review the article "Packing the birth bag" so you miss nothing.
Tips for partner
Your role: time‑manager and calm guru
Your main task is to keep track of time, soothe, and be ready to act.
Your contribution to the joint effort:
- Track the time. When contractions start, take on the role of time‑manager: record the duration of contractions and the intervals between them.
- Breathe with her. Remind her of the breathing techniques you’ve practiced.
- Be her advocate. Call the doctor, doula, be her voice.
- Ensure her comfort. Offer water, give a massage, help her change position.
Your role in labor is very important. Reread the article about partnered birth to feel more confident.
Checklist
Your action plan for week 39
Waiting for the start!
- ✅ Visit the weekly doctor appointment.
- 🚶♀️ Take walks outdoors, if you feel up to it.
- ⏰ Download a contraction‑tracking app to your phone.
- 👜 Check that all documents and items are in place.
- ❤️ Spend time together, watch a movie or just talk.
- 📚 Refresh your knowledge of the stages of labor by reading the article "Stages of Labor".