Approved by the What’s Up Moms Medical Advisory Board
Baby is around 19 inches long and 6+ lbs. She’s now considered early term; at 39 weeks she’ll be full term, so as restless as you are to GET. BABY. THE EFF. OUT., know that these last few weeks are important for development. You really want baby to have all the time she needs to cook. Just think about how productive she’s being in there right now, getting all gussied up for the world!
By now you probably know what to look out for in terms of labor — water breaking, contractions (you’ll know the real ones when you feel ‘em) — but you should also keep an eye out for pre-labor signs that signal that the Big Event is on its way. You might have spotting, nausea, diarrhea, and, the passing of your cervical mucus plug, which is a thick mucus that the cervix releases to clear the way for babe that will come out into your underwear or the toilet, either in one big blob or little by little. Sometimes it’s tinged with blood and referred to as “bloody show” which is kind of ew, but whatever you call it, start peeking in the toilet before you flush so you don’t miss it. No one wants to miss the bloody show!
With baby dropping down deeper into your pelvis, you’re likely feeling more pressure in your lower abdomen and peeing more times per day (and per hour) than you thought was humanly possible, which makes focusing on work or any activity — especially sleeping — a bit of a challenge. As much as you can, veg out with things that relax you, like movies, a Scandal marathon, and belting to Justin Timberlake Radio on Pandora (baby likes it). If you feel the urge to organize your t-shirt drawer by color, by all means, go for it. It’s meditative!
This week, install the car seat base if you haven’t already. But enough about baby’s needs: Go get a mani and pedi! It’s an easy way to de-stress and feel pretty. And… BTW if you get a bikini wax right about now we won’t think you’re shallow; lotsa folks will be gathered around your ladybits soon, so it never hurts to prep the grounds. Confidence is everything.
