Your baby

Your baby is now around 37cm head to toe, and weighs almost three pounds, five ounces - about half the weight of a full term baby. However your baby’s growth in height and weight will begin to slow between now and birth. Your baby is stronger than ever, while still having plenty of room to move around. You may see these movements ripple and swell across your bump.

Your baby probably has a full head of hair by now and is looking more like a newborn. Due to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin, your baby's skin is no longer red but pink. The lungs and digestive track are nearly mature, although the last few weeks of gestation are still important for lung development.

Your progress

As your abdomen swells, your rib cage and pelvis may be sore as the baby gets bigger and fills up all the space you have available. When you’re feeling breathless, full up after a meal, or needing a wee, it may feel as if all your other organs are being squeezed out of the way – and you’d be right! All of these internal adjustments can cause various discomforts at this stage. Heartburn is more common as the uterus leaves less room for your stomach. Back ache can be a constant pain. And as the hormone relaxin loosens the pelvis, making it mobile in preparation for birth, you may get strong shooting pains in your legs and groin (as well as developing that infamous pregnant waddle).

It’s hardly surprising then that the final weeks may begin to drag and you may be eager for your pregnancy to be over. At the same time, you may be feeling anxious about your baby’s arrival, especially if you’re not feeling the slightest bit maternal yet. This is a completely natural emotion and not something you should feel guilty about. For many women, genuine bonding with their baby doesn’t occur until birth - or even some days or weeks later.

What to think about

Fathers are now more involved than ever before in their partners' pregnancies, deliveries and with raising children - and that's a great thing. Kids benefit emotionally, educationally and financially, while dads who spend more time with their kids find their lives richer, fuller and more rewarding.

The changes that your baby's father will go through during your pregnancy (and after) may not be as visible or dramatic as your own, but it's important to acknowledge that dads are adapting and have issues too. So here’s how you can help to stay close at this sensitive time:

Here are some detailed questions you might want to ask when you take your hospital tour:

Listen. Practice listening attentively without judging, nagging or becoming defensive. He's only human too.

Accept differences. It's unrealistic to expect your man to completely understand how you feel being pregnant - there’s no real male equivalent for pregnancy, so you have to accept that you will be feeling differently right now.

Allow distance. It's normal to expect some sympathy and empathy from your man, but a feeling of distance at times is also normal. For some men, pregnancy won't seem real until there's an actual baby in the house.

Make time for closeness. Relationships take time and energy. Keeping your relationship healthy and positive needs to be a priority. Make time to spend together and plan a holiday together if you can afford it.

Take classes together. Sign up for antenatal classes. They may help your partner become more involved in your care and prepare himself for what he's going to see in the delivery room.

Share your birth plan. While you're busy with contractions and pushing, you will need your partner to serve as your eyes and ears. Make sure he knows your preferences about pain relief and interventions during labour and delivery.

Share medical appointments. Your partner may not be able to leave work to accompany you for every prenatal appointment, but your ultrasound scans will be an especially memorable experience to share.