39 weeks pregnant: Baby’s development, symptoms and top tips

At 39 weeks, your baby weighs about 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) and measures more than 50 cm from head to heel.

As we know, your baby is now ready to be born – but clearly they still have a lot of developing to do over the next, oh, 80 years or so!

Brain development

Your baby’s brain has been growing faster than their body for the last few weeks, as they keep learning new skills. By the time they’re born, they’ll have almost all the brain cells, or neurons, they need – now to work on building the connections between those neurons!

Skin colour

Whatever your baby’s ethnicity, they’re likely to be born looking quite red – although the redness of their skin may be covered by the remaining white of the vernix covering their skin. Your baby could also look quite blue – that’s because their skin is thin and they get chilled easily. Give them a cuddle. Your body heat will warm them up, and skin-to-skin time is so important.

Many babies are born with a yellowish tinge that indicates jaundice. This isn’t usually serious and often clears up by itself. The hospital may pop them under a sun lamp to help speed the process along.

Baby’s birth weight

Babies are typically between 3 and 4 kg at birth – 6.6 lb to 8.8 lb. That’s quite a range! They won’t grow much more before they are born, so whatever your baby weighs now is about what their birth weight will be.

By now pregnancy is a real burden for many pregnant women, and you want nothing more than for birth to finally begin. This is a good thing, and it’s actually helpful because it gradually takes away the fears you may have about giving birth.

39 weeks pregnant – lots of movement and pressure

In week 39, your baby might be very active or a bit quieter – experiences can vary (even during the birth, some babies move around a lot while others look like they’re sleeping). Either way, you should be able to feel your baby moving regularly. If you’re concerned they’re moving less, go to your maternity unit for monitoring.

Why are some babies more active towards the end of labour? Well, it could be that they’re still busy practicing their movements and getting ready for birth, or it might be that you’re just noticing them more – partly because they’ve grown so much, and partly because once you’re on maternity leave you’ve got nothing else to distract you.

The pressure comes from the baby getting into ‘go’ position – head down in your lesser pelvis. This is good news, but it feels uncomfortable. Try to get plenty of rest and don’t spend too long on your feet.

Cold symptoms

As your body is focusing all its energies on preparing for birth, your immune system isn’t quite as resilient as usual and you might notice you pick up a cold. Don’t worry– this won’t get in the way of you giving birth, and your symptoms won’t harm your child because their immune system is already working.

Tingling in your legs

You might sometimes get a tingling feeling in your legs, as if ants were running all over them. This is a result of the weight of your baby and uterus, which puts pressure on the nerves in your lesser pelvis and disrupts their work. They then send false information to your brain, causing these phantom sensations. At this advanced stage of pregnancy, this symptom is completely normal and requires no treatment: as soon as you give birth, it’ll go away and you won’t feel the tingling anymore, as your nerves begin to work normally again.

How to tell you’re about to give birth

You'll be listening to your body all the time, and you’re likely to interpret anything that happens as a sign that you’re about to give birth, such as a pulling sensation in your abdomen, headaches, discharge or nausea. These are usually preliminary contractions, and although they may make you think the time has come, it could be another week or so yet.

The signs that labour is beginning include:

If you’re not experiencing any signs of labour at 39 weeks, try not to worry. It will happen! For some women, the baby’s head doesn’t engage until labour begins.

Top three signs that labour is beginning

Of all the early signs of labour, the most obvious are waters breaking (often with a trickle – not a Hollywood splash!), the loss of the mucus plug, and contractions, which signify the cervix is dilating. These are the top three symptoms not to ignore, and you should report all of them to your midwife or maternity unit. They may not want you to come in straight away, but it’sa good idea to keep them informed.

It’s best to leave cervical exams to the experts. They will be able to tell you how many centimetres dilated you are. Vaginal exams are kept to a minimum during pregnancy, so don’t expect your midwife to keep checking your cervix. You may be desperate to know if you’re making any progress, but they want to avoid the risk of transferring bacteria into the birth canal.

Pack your ‘going home’ outfit

You’re not a royal, and you won’t be ‘papped’ on the way from the hospital, but it’s still worth picking out something to leave the hospital in – not least because the clothes you wore into hospital will probably be filthy! Choose something you feel comfortable in. You’ll still need maternity clothes for a while, while your uterus shrinks back down and your body changes shape again. Don’t be fooled by celebrity magazines that suggest it’s possible to ‘bounce back’ in days. It takes time, and there’s no shame in that.

Stock up on healthy snacks

During labour, you’ll need to keep your energy up. You’re unlikely to have the wherewithal to cook, and perhaps you won’t feel like eating a full meal, but you should eat something. Starchy carbohydrates like toast, crackers and nuts will help keep you going.

If you’re in hospital, check with your midwife before you dig in – if you’re at risk of needing a general anaesthetic, they won’t want you to eat.

How to relax while you’re waiting for labour to begin

It’s difficult to relax when you’re on edge, waiting for labour to start, wondering if every twinge is ‘it’. Distract yourself with little jobs, like preparing the birth announcement, or taking on a creative project for your baby’s nursery. Sewing, painting (landscapes not walls!) and knitting are all nice ways to relax your brain, while channelling that nervous energy into something you can gift to your baby.

If none of that is working, try chatting to friends – on the phone or in person, or listen to your hypnobirthing audio track, or something equally relaxing. Warm (not too hot) baths, at-home facials and manicures are all lovely ways of being good to yourself while taking your mind off things.

Gym ball to reduce pressure

A gym ball or birthing ball could be your new favourite seat as you try to reduce the pressure on your pelvis. You can sit on it for as long as you like – while watching telly, while balancing your dinner on your bump, while you’re on the phone. Bounce, rock, tilt and swivel your way to greater comfort.

What should you be feeling at 39 weeks pregnant?

At 39 weeks you should still be feeling plenty of movements, though these might feel different now that your baby is more cramped and lower down in your belly. You will probably also be feeling the twinges of preliminary contractions, tightening and pulling in your abdomen, and discomfort low in your pelvis and possibly in your vagina as your cervix prepares for childbirth. You may not be able to tell one ache from another – don’t worry. Your body will do most of this next bit instinctively, without much input from you.

Is it normal not to have signs of labour at 39 weeks pregnant?

Yes. Some women get to 42 weeks without any signs that labour is imminent, and end up being induced or having a C-section. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for this. Try not to worry. You’ll be being monitored quite closely by this point, and if your midwife is concerned they will refer you straight to the hospital. On your side, the most important thing is to keep monitoring your baby’s movements, and to watch out for those ‘danger’ symptoms – severe headaches, blurred vision, sudden or severe swelling, severe abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. As long as the baby is moving normally and you feel well, all is well.

Can labour start without losing mucus plug or water breaking?

Yes. Both the bloody show and waters breaking can happen once labour has commenced – to the point that you might not even notice them happening because you’re so focused on coping with your contractions.

Does walking induce labour at 39 weeks?

Walking is thought to help bring on labour, but there’s no hard evidence to back this up. The likelihood is that the activity puts pressure on your pelvis, and helps it open up, which might encourage your cervix to dilate. Walking is recommended throughout your pregnancy, so there’s no harm giving it a go – but don’t go overboard. You don’t want to waste all your energy on a long walk when you’ll need it for labour!

Where do you feel kicks when baby is head down?

If your baby is head down with their back to your belly – the ideal birthing position – you’ll probably feel their kicks under your ribs. If they’re back to back, you’re more likely to feel and see their kicks in the middle of your belly.

Got questions? At the HiPPBabyClub, we bring you real-world advice and support from HiPP parents, midwives, nutritionists and more. Join our Baby Club to find out more.