The amount of amniotic fluid is starting to decrease in preparation for birth and the functions of the placenta are also decreasing. Nevertheless, your baby might not be ready to be born and it may still have a few weeks more left of gestation to do, depending on when you first got pregnant, in which case these functions will still go on.

The baby himself is the one that sends out the signal for the contractions to start. How it does this, we still don’t know exactly. Meanwhile, his lungs will continue their development right up to the moment of birth, his nails are growing and he is still accumulating fat under his skin.

The average weight of a newborn is 7 pounds and a half or 3,500 grams and the length is 20 inches or 51 centimeters. Nevertheless this may vary. There are babies that weigh less and are perfectly healthy and others that weigh more and are also very healthy.

Congratulations! In a very short time you’ll have your baby in your arms!

The production of surfactant is increasing this week, getting ready for birth. The vernix, the waxy coating that protected her skin from the amniotic fluid during gestation is starting to disappear, although there will still be some remaining at birth.

Your baby continues to store fat underneath the skin and this will serve an important purpose at birth, which is to help the baby regulate her body temperature when she comes in contact with the environment and she doesn’t have a steady temperature controlled by you, as when she was in your uterus.

She doesn’t have much room left to move, and you surely know this better than anyone because you can feel the kicking right on your rib cage. This week your baby already weighs over seven pounds or 3,300 grams and measures 20 inches or almost 51 centimeters.

In these final weeks your baby’s growth has slowed down, at least in length, although numerous neurons and brain connections continue developing. His lungs keep producing surfactant so they can expand when the baby takes his first breath once he is born.

His intestines have accumulated a good quantity of meconium, as a result of absorbing waste: cells and lanugo. The lanugo, the fine hair that covered his body, has disappeared almost completely, although some babies still might have some on their shoulders and back when they are born.

The hair, if he is born with any, may reach a surprising length. Some babies are born with an inch of hair or even more. The color might surprise you too, although chances are it will change as he grows.

Your baby weighs 7 pounds this week or a bit over 3 kilograms and measures over 19 inches or almost 50 centimeters.

If your baby were to be born right now she would be considered mature, or that she has reached its full development. Your baby keeps breathing amniotic fluid to practice the breathing motion, which will enable her lungs to finish maturing if she isn’t ready to be born yet.

She now has a well-established sleep cycle and when she is awake she plays with her umbilical cord and grabbing at it might be one of her favorite games. Her grabbing ability will be proven as soon as it is born when she grabs your finger or any object placed on her palm.

The baby keeps gaining weight every day and as a result the walls of your uterus are stretching out. This means that light filters through more easily and your baby can see you.

The average weight this week is a bit over 6 pounds and half or almost 2,900 and she measures 19 inches or 48.5 centimeters.

Your baby’s lungs are the only organ that continues developing at this point. All the other organs are ready to start functioning and assume the bodily functions of your baby once the umbilical cord is cut. Your baby may start descending towards the birth canal, allowing you to breathe a bit better, or he might not drop down until just before birth.

Fat keeps accumulating all over his body and especially on the limbs, where besides the little rolls of fat you’ll see when he is born, he is now even getting dimples on his joints because of the weight gain.

Right now he weighs almost 6 pounds or 2,600 grams and measures about 17 inches or 47 centimeters and half, head to bottom, not taking the limbs into account.

Your baby’s body is accumulating fat fast, especially on her arms and legs and is acquiring that chubby look newborns have on their limbs. Due to the lack of space in the uterus, her arms and legs are flexed most of the time and if she stretches them out even slightly, you will feel it. In a short time your baby might start dropping down a bit towards your pelvis and that may give you more room to breathe, although this doesn’t happen to all women.

Your baby is now mature enough as to survive without any problems if she were to be born preterm. Her sense of hearing is completely developed and functioning. If your baby is a boy his testicles will have dropped down completely to the scrotum or the little sac that houses them. Nevertheless some babies experience this only after birth.

Most babies weigh about 5.5 pounds this week or 2,400 grams and measure over 18 inches or slightly over 46 centimeters.

During these weeks a very important process is taking place for your baby’s health after birth: the transfer of the antibodies you have in your blood for the illnesses you suffered in the past, to the baby’s blood. This will help your baby be protected against certain illnesses when he is born.

His behavior now is practically the same as a newborn’s, his eyes are open when awake, and closed when asleep. He already has an established sleep cycle, which you might have noticed. When he’s awake his eyes blink constantly and he can distinguish clearly when you shine a bright light on your belly.

His nails, which have reached his finger tips, keep growing, although they are paper thin. This won’t keep him from scratching his delicate skin when it’s born, so you might have to cut them soon after birth.

Your baby weighs now almost 5 pounds or over 2 kilograms and measures about 18 inches or 45 centimeters.

Starting this week your baby may position himself upside down, in the birth position, but it’s also possible he will change position several times. You will notice that your baby is in a different position because you may feel his kicking more strongly around the rib area.

Your baby keeps breathing in amniotic fluid and even inhaling deeply, although for now it is only liquid. This movement is important not only because it exercises the breathing muscles but because it stimulates the production of surfactant, a substance that helps the development of his lungs and enables breathing at birth.

His head continues to grow due to the spectacular number of neurons and brain cells it keeps producing. Nevertheless, the bones in his skull aren’t fused yet, and won’t completely until after birth, to make it easier for him to fit through the birth canal.

This week your baby measures over 17 inches or almost 44 centimeters and weighs around four pounds and a half or almost two kilograms.

Your baby doesn’t have much room left in the uterus to move freely, so you might feel her movements differently now. Nevertheless, if you experience any change that you might consider abnormal, you must contact your doctor immediately. But although your baby may be already taking up a lot of space in your uterus, she still has to grow even more before being born.

Your baby easily recognizes those voices that sound familiar, especially yours, but also her daddy’s. If your baby is a boy, his testicles will now be dropping down to his scrotum in their natural position.

All your baby’s senses, even taste, are already fully functioning and your baby is testing them continually. Meanwhile your baby continues have periods of sleep, in which she apparently dreams, as her eyes indicate by their movement while she sleeps.

Your baby this week weighs almost four pounds or 1, 700 grams and measures a little under 17 inches or 42.5 centimeters.

Your baby’s hands are now coordinated and can grab the umbilical cord easily. Most of his internal organs are fully developed, with the exception of his lungs. If a preterm labor were suspected or had to be induced for any reason, they would probably administer surfactant, a substance that helps the lungs mature and open in order to allow the baby to breathe outside the uterus.

His sensitivity to sounds goes beyond simply listening. Some studies show that babies prefer certain types of music. Apparently they prefer classical music over hard rock. In the meantime his brain keeps generating thousands of millions of new cells.

The bones are hardening and the fat which is storing underneath his skin is changing his skin color from reddish to peach.

Your baby weighs now almost three pounds and a half (over a kilogram and a half) and measures a little over 16 inches or 41 centimeters.