Your baby is now around 20 inches long and weighs approximately 10 pounds. On average boys are normally bigger than girls.

Your baby is now ready to be born, however, it’s not unusual for pregnancies to go on into the 42nd or 43rd week so don’t worry if you haven’t had any signs of labour yet. Your baby will continue to grow.

Your baby’s bones have now become hard, with the exception of her skull. The bones in the skull will remain soft and pliable for delivery so that they can overlap as they pass through the birth canal. Because the skull is designed this way, your baby’s head may have a cone appearance for the first few days of life. Your baby will actually have two soft spots on their head, which allow for an easier delivery. The front spot will become hard between the eighth and fifteenth month of life. The back spot becomes hard between the third and fourth month.

Women who go a long time over their estimated due date may be given the option of having the labour induced. This can be done by artificially breaking your waters, giving you a pessary of hormones that are absorbed into your cervix, or giving you hormones straight into your blood through an oxytocin drip.

There are a number of pain relief options available for women in labour. They include gas and air, which you breath in through a mask, pethidine, which is injected into your buttock or thigh every 3-4 hours, and TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), a battery-operated device that helps your body to release it’s own natural painkiller hormones. If the pain becomes unbearable, you may decide to have an epidural. An epidural is an injection of anesthetic that numbs the nerves along your spine.

As your baby's head crowns, you will experience a burning or stinging sensation, often referred to as “the ring of fire,” as your baby stretches the vaginal opening. As soon as you feel this, stop pushing! If you continue to push and bear down, you increase your risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy.

The burning or stinging sensation only lasts for a short time and is followed by a numb feeling. This is due to your baby's head stretching your vaginal tissue so thin that the nerves are blocked. Try to focus your energy into deep breathing techniques. Try to relax and allow your contractions to do the work for you during this time

Once you have delivered your baby, he will be given his first test in life, the APGAR. The APGAR is a quick assessment of overall newborn well being. This is used immediately following the delivery of the baby. The scores are recorded at one minute and five minutes of life. At the one-minute APGAR, scores between seven and ten indicate that the baby will need only routine post delivery care. At the five minute APGAR, a score of seven to ten is normal.


 
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