Your baby

Your baby is now considered to be full term. At six pounds and measuring 33cm from crown to rump, a full 45cm from head to toe, this little baby is no longer quite so little. Much plumper by now and gaining one ounce per day, your baby is growing to fill the space – as you can no doubt feel.

The lungs are ready for the birth and your baby's face is filling out, but not all of your baby’s bones will have hardened by birth. This means your baby’s skeleton has more flexible cartilage, making the passage through the narrow birth canal easier.

The baby’s head may have already engaged, dropping right down into the cervix ready for birth, which will make it easier to breathe and eat, but more uncomfortable to walk. When your baby is ready for birth, research suggests that your baby's brain will trigger hormones that stimulate the uterus to begin contractions.

Your progress

You’re almost there! By now, nothing will be done to stop your labour once it starts, even if it's before your 40th week, as you’re already considered full-term. Although you’re probably counting the days to your due date, bear in mind that only 5% of babies are actually born on schedule. In fact, many first-born babies are late and half of all babies are overdue.

Despite all the advances of modern science, nobody can tell you exactly when your baby will be born. You may even dilate to three centimetres and stay that way for a month or longer. Many pregnant women leak urine in the later stages of pregnancy, but sometimes it is the amniotic sac which leaks before labour begins. So if you feel that you are leaking fluid, be sure to have it checked, as your baby is no longer protected from infection once the amniotic sac is broken.

What to think about

True or false?

Many women wonder if they will really know when labour has begun. Although experienced midwives and mothers may say wisely, “Oh you’ll know”, it’s not much comfort when you’ve been counting contractions for two hours, only to find out that they’re just painful Braxton Hicks. It’s even more disheartening if you’ve arrived in hospital only to be told it’s a false alarm…

So here are some signs which suggest that you’re in true labour:

You have regular contractions: labour is probably established when contractions are regular and increase in frequency, duration, and intensity as time goes on

You have a ‘show’ (a loss of pink mucus from the plug that keeps the cervix closed). Labour can start any time after this, although it could be as long as a few days.

Your waters have broken. This means the membranes holding the amniotic sac, which contains your baby and the amniotic fluid, have started to leak. It can happen suddenly, but is more likely to be a gradual trickle.

You have persistent lower back pain, often accompanied by a crampy premenstrual feeling.

Sometimes labour begins with amniotic sac rupturing. However, 75% of the time this does not happen until very late in labour. If your waters break, you may notice a trickle of fluid or a sudden gush. At this stage it’s well worth informing your midwife or maternity hospital and asking for advice on what to do next.

Some women will arrive at the hospital, believing they are in labour, only to be sent home until labour is fully established. This may happen if you aren't as dilated or as far along as you thought. If so, you will be sent home to labour more in comfort and return after the contractions have increased.