39weeks
pregnant

Medically reviewed by Clare Herbert, Senior midwife and team leader

Written by Chess Thomas | 20 Aug 2021

IN THIS ARTICLE

Highlights this week

The bones in your baby's skull overlap so they can fit through the birth canal in the second stage of labour.

Baby development at 39 weeks

It's all about watching and waiting now, as your baby may make their arrival any day! They could be 50.1cm (19.7in) in length, and weigh over 3.4kg (7.6lb) (Hill 2019). However, these are only average figures.

All of your baby's organs are well developed (Moore et al 2019a). Their skin is becoming thicker and paler as new skin replaces the outer skin cells that are sloughing off (Visembryo 2014). Their lungs are producing more surfactant, the substance that keeps the tiny air sacs open, and they’re ready to take their first breath outside your womb (uterus) (Moore et al 2019b, Visembryo 2014).

Immediately after birth, your baby may cry or splutter to clear their airways. And it may take them a few minutes to establish a breathing pattern. Newborns tend to breathe irregularly, switching between fast and slow breaths (WebMD 2019), sometimes pausing for about five seconds at a time (MacLean et al 2015).

After a skin-to-skin cuddle, and time for a first breastfeed, your midwife will weigh your baby and check their head circumference (NCCWCH 2014).

Then your midwife, or occasionally a paediatrician, will check their general health using the Apgar scale (NCCWCH 2014, Tidy 2016). The Apgar is designed to assess a newborn's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and skin tone (Tidy 2016).

Your baby at 39 weeks

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Your baby is as heavy as a mini-watermelon.

length

50.1

head to toe

weight

3.4

kilograms

Pregnancy symptoms at 39 weeks

Do you feel that time has flown since the beginning of your pregnancy? If so, then get ready for a change of pace. These final few days will probably feel longer than the past nine months.

By now, you may be feeling pretty uncomfortable, and wishing your baby would hurry up and make an appearance! Read more about the alternative techniques people use to gently kickstart labour.

While you’re waiting, keep practising your breathing exercises and trying out different positions for labour, so you’re as ready as possible when your contractions start for real.

full term baby in womb at 39 weeks with cervix thinning and dilating

Your body at 39 weeks

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What you need to know at 39 weeks pregnant

You may be wondering what happens if you go overdue. If this is your first baby, your midwife may offer you a membrane sweep at your 40-week appointment, and again at your 41-week appointment. If you’ve had a baby before, this will only be offered at your 41-week appointment. If the membrane sweeps don’t get things going, your midwife will discuss with you the option of having your labour induced.

If this is your first baby, your labour may be long and slow, but there are ways to speed things up both naturally and with medical help from your midwife or doctor. Learn what you can do in the early stages of labour to increase your chances of a positive birth experience.

Once your baby arrives, you probably won’t want to do much other than care for them and sleep. The first three months after the birth are often known as the fourth trimester, because your baby still needs you close. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself time to recover gradually. Don’t be afraid to say no to visitors if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

We have loads of close friends and family who live nearby, so organising visitors was a bit of a mission. Thanks to a bit of forward planning, we managed to arrange it so we never had more than two people over a day, and between them, they sorted out all our shopping and brought us loads of homemade food, too – it worked out really well!

Alexis

Your pregnancy to-do list at 39 weeks

You may feel utterly exhausted or completely exhilarated after your baby is born – or both! But how will your baby feel? Find out what birth is like for babies.
Don't be surprised if your baby spends most of the time sleeping and feeding once you come home. Find out how your newborn develops in the first few weeks.
Do you have these 13 new-mum essentials ready for after the birth?
However you’re planning to feed your baby, find tips and support from parents who’ve been there in our friendly community. See our groups for breastfeedingOpens a new window, formula feeding Opens a new windowand combined feedingOpens a new window.
Still waiting for labour to start? Familiarise yourself with the signs of labour to look out for.

Check out the BabyCentre podcast!

The Parent Pod is BabyCentre’s brilliantly entertaining and informative podcast series. Join hosts Claire and Lucy as they walk your exciting journey with you each week from early pregnancy until your baby is 12 weeks old. Subscribe now on the usual channels. Learn more

Sources

BabyCentre's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organisations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

Hill MA. 2019. Fetal development. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.ed.auOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

MacLean JE, Fitzgerald DA, Waters KA. 2015. Developmental changes in sleep and breathing across infancy and childhood. Paediatr Respir Rev 16(4):276-84. www.sciencedirect.comOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019a. Moore KL, Persaud TVN and Torchia MG. 2019b. Fetal period: ninth week to birth. Chapter 6 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019b. Respiratory system. Chapter 10 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

NCCWCH. 2014. Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies. Updated February 2017. National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health, NICE clinical guideline, 190. www.nice.org.ukOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

NHS. 2017. Your baby's health and development reviews. NHS, Health A-Z, Pregnancy and baby. www.nhs.ukOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

RCPCH. 2017. The personal child health record (Red book). Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. www.rcpch.ac.ukOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

Tidy C. 2016. Neonatal examination. Patient, Professional Reference. patient.infoOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

Visembryo. 2014. 38 weeks post ovulation: abdomen is large and round as fetal liver is producing blood cells. www.visembryo.comOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]

WebMD. 2019. Your newborn baby's breathing noises. WebMD, Parenting, Baby, Reference. www.webmd.comOpens a new window [Accessed December 2019]