Your Pregnancy At Week 39

Time to nest. The urge to get your house in order may leave you tempted to climb ladders and fix the leaky roof. Trust us, you are far from invincible at this point and your sense of balance is a little off-kilter - save the high-up jobs for your other half! Feel free to dabble in some light chores if you must, or search for some local cleaning companies online and get someone to do it all for you so you can put your feet up - you’re almost there!

With all this activity, you may be starting to feel some mild contractions as things start to happen. Best advice: unless your waters break, carry on as much as you can. Early labour, especially when it is your first baby, can stop and start. Getting psyched up too soon can leave you exhausted before the curtain even goes up.

These last few days will drag, especially if your baby decides to stay in a little longer. You may also be struggling to sleep, with your mind active and body uncomfortable. Sorry to tell you this, but you're just going to get more and more uncomfortable until the baby is born, as it wriggles and moves into their final head down birthing position deep in your pelvis. Hopefully, you are on maternity leave now and can have a nap in the afternoon and get your feet up to give your back and pelvis a rest.         

The final stages of pregnancy are exhausting, but when you hold that little baby in the next week or so, you'll realise it was all entirely worth it. Here is a list of symptoms you may experience during week 39 as you wait for the big day.

Constipation and/or Haemorrhoids: In week 39, constipation might be getting worse again due to the pressure of the growing uterus on the intestines. This can lead to haemorrhoids, which are swollen blood vessels in the rectal area, causing discomfort and sometimes bleeding during bowel movements. Make sure you’re staying hydrated and try to get some more fibre into your diet if you’re suffering from this. Here’s more on heartburn during pregnancy.

Increased Vaginal Discharge: As your body prepares for labour, you may notice an increase in vaginal discharge. This discharge, called leukorrhea, is usually thin and milky and helps to protect the birth canal from infection. Here’s everything to know about vaginal discharge.

Stretch Marks: By week 39, your abdomen has likely expanded significantly to accommodate your growing baby, resulting in stretch marks. These pink, red, or purple streaks on the skin occur due to the stretching of the underlying tissues. They’re completely normal, but keeping up with moisturising or using stretch mark cream can help reduce the appearance.

Sweating: Hormonal changes and increased blood flow can lead to excess sweating, particularly at night. This is your body's way of regulating its temperature during pregnancy. Here’s how to keep cool during pregnancy.

Braxton Hicks: You may experience more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions in week 39, or experience them for the first time. These practice contractions help prepare your uterus for labour by toning the muscles, but they are typically irregular and less intense than real contractions. Consider having a cool flannel to hand by the side of the bed if you’re suffering from this. Here’s more on what to expect from contractions.

Heartburn: As your baby grows, the uterus puts pressure on your stomach, leading to heartburn. This uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest occurs when stomach acid flows back into the oesophagus. Here’s more on heartburn during pregnancy.

Swelling or Bloating: Swelling, especially in the feet and ankles, is common in the third trimester due to increased fluid retention. Bloating may also persist as the uterus continues to expand, putting pressure on the digestive organs. Be easy on yourself, and try elevating your feet in the evenings to ease the swelling.

Crazy Dreams: Hormonal changes and subconscious anxieties about labour and motherhood may contribute to vivid and sometimes bizarre dreams during pregnancy, especially during these weeks. Here’s a guide to pregnancy dreams.

Interrupted Sleep: Discomfort from heartburn, backaches, and frequent bathroom trips, can disrupt your sleep patterns in week 39, leaving you feeling fatigued during the day. Try to limit your water intake before bed if bathroom trips are keeping you up.

Nesting: As your due date approaches, you may experience bursts of energy and an overwhelming urge to prepare for your baby's arrival. This nesting instinct can involve organising the nursery, washing baby clothes, and tidying up the home in week 39. Don’t attempt anything too energy-intensive!

After delivery, you are supposed to experience one of the happiest moments of your life. Right? This is what you've been waiting for... so what happens if you feel sad? "The Baby Blues" refers to a state of heightened emotion, after you give birth, in which you may cry more easily, have trouble sleeping, and feel irritable, sad, or on edge. More than 80 percent of women report feeling blue immediately after giving birth; so, if you feel this way, you aren't alone. You're not a bad mum. And you're not a weak woman.

Postnatal Mental Health

Sometimes, these feelings may last more than a few days. Postnatal depression, a more severe form of depression, can develop within the first six months after giving birth. Feelings such as sadness, anxiety, and restlessness may even become strong enough to interfere with daily tasks. Though it isn't known for sure what causes postnatal depression, many medical professionals believe hormones play a big role. (And once again, thank you, dear hormones!) During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone hormones increase greatly; but in the first 24 hours after delivery, they rapidly drop back to non-pregnant levels. This fast change in hormone levels can lead to depression.

You should contact your health visitor or GP if you still experience these mood swings or feel depressed one week after the birth of your baby; if you feel you are unable to cope with daily activities in your life, such as caring for your newborn or older children.

Please remember, if you experience any of these symptoms, you aren't alone. Support is available. Counseling, antidepressants, and hormone therapies are just a few examples of effective treatments available, should you experience postnatal depression.

Your Birth Story

Recording your birth story is a gift to yourself, and to your child. When you're experiencing these things for the first time, you'll think it's completely unforgettable. And, in many ways, it is. But a few months from now you may find yourself wondering... what time was it, when you first started feeling labor contractions? Or... was your little one 19 inches or 19½ inches long? Life barrels along, with sleepless nights, new adventures, and more, keeping you busy. The details may start to get fuzzy around the edges.

In those early days after the birth, in between those initial feedings and while your little newborn is sleeping, write down your birth story. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Someday, your child will be able to see what you were thinking and feeling during their first moments on earth.

Some questions to consider... What are some of the details of your conception and pregnancy? Was it an easy journey? What were some of your challenges during conception and pregnancy? What were your thoughts and feelings in the days leading up to birth? Was your labuor scheduled or unexpected? What were you doing when you first realised you were in labour and having a baby? Who was with you? Who was there and with you at the hospital, or in your delivery room at home?

List some details, like the name of your midwife. The time of delivery. Your baby's weight, length, etc. What was the funniest moment of the day? The scariest? The most touching? What were your thoughts and feelings when you finally held your new baby, in your arms for the first time? These details, combined with photographs, will be a keepsake to treasure for years.

You can even begin to answer the pre-birth questions right now, in your pregnancy journal, before you forget!