Length: 360-500 mm
Weight: 3,500-3,800 g
All measurements are approximate. Click here to see how we calculate baby's length and weight.
Baby:
Baby has now ignored his alarm clock, hit the snooze button and slept in. If she hasn’t already, your doctor will induce labor this week.
Ask as many questions as you want to both before and during the induction; keeping the lines of communication open will make the experience easier for everyone.
In most cases, babies who aren’t born until after their due date are perfectly healthy, just a little larger and sometimes even more alert.
When your baby is born, his abdomen will look especially round; this is because his liver is a little bit larger in proportion to his body than it will eventually be.
His chest will also be more pronounced, thanks to his lungs, which continue the task of producing surfactant, improving exhalation and minimizing the risk of collapsed lungs.
During the first few weeks of life, when baby cries, he won’t produce any tears, as a newborn’s tear ducts are not yet fully developed.
Mom:
There are a number of techniques that doctors use to induce labor. These range from “ripening” the cervix by applying a substance called prostaglandin to inserting a catheter balloon into the cervix to giving intravenous pitocin.
Throughout the process, be sure that your partner or another loved one is by your side, ready to support you at all times.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter how your baby is born – whether it’s preterm, post-term, on-your-due-date labor or a C-section – the amazing thing is that you did it. You carried your baby all this time, nurtured and cared for him, and now he’s here.
As tired as you undoubtedly are, enjoy this amazing time with the newest member of your family!