Healthy pregnancy (16)
- Childbirth education: Get ready for labor and delivery
- Pregnancy nutrition: Foods to avoid during pregnancy
- Pregnancy weight gain: What's healthy?
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First trimester (6)
- Fetal development: The first trimester
- First trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Prenatal care: What to expect during the first trimester
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Second trimester (7)
- Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Prenatal care: What to expect during the second trimester
- Fetal development: The second trimester
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Third trimester (9)
- Overdue pregnancy: What to do when baby's overdue
- Fetal development: The third trimester
- Third trimester pregnancy: What to expect
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Pregnancy problems (14)
- Pregnancy and diabetes: From conception to birth
- Antidepressants: Are they safe during pregnancy?
- Coping with pregnancy loss
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Fetal development: The third trimester
Week 34: Baby's fingernails grow
Thirty-four weeks into your pregnancy, or 32 weeks after conception, your baby's fingernails have reached his or her fingertips.
By now your baby may be nearly 1 foot (300 millimeters) long from crown to rump and weigh more than 4 1/2 pounds (2,100 grams).
Week 35: Protective coating thickens
Thirty-five weeks into your pregnancy, or 33 weeks after conception, your baby's body has become round. The pasty white coating that protects your baby's skin — the vernix caseosa — is getting thicker.
Week 36: Rapid weight gain begins
Thirty-six weeks into your pregnancy, or 34 weeks after conception, your baby is gaining weight rapidly — about 1/2 pound (227 grams) a week for the next month.
The crowded conditions inside your uterus may make it harder for your baby to give you a punch, but you'll probably feel lots of stretches, rolls and wiggles. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time — especially if you think you've noticed decreased activity. Ask your health care provider how many movements you should detect in a certain number of hours.
Week 37: Baby is full-term
Thirty-seven weeks into your pregnancy, or 35 weeks after conception, your baby will be considered full-term. Your baby's organs are ready to function on their own. To prepare for birth, your baby may descend into the head-down position.
Week 38: Baby develops a firm grasp
Thirty-eight weeks into your pregnancy, or 36 weeks after conception, your baby is developing a firm grasp.
Your baby's toenails have reached the tips of his or her toes. His or her brain and nervous system are working better every day. This developmental process will continue through childhood and adolescence.
By now your baby may be close to 13 1/2 inches (340 millimeters) long from crown to rump and weigh nearly 6 1/2 pounds (2,900 grams).
Week 39: Placenta provides antibodies
Thirty-nine weeks into your pregnancy, or 37 weeks after conception, your baby's chest is becoming more prominent. For boys, the testes continue to descend into the scrotum. For girls, the labia majora is well developed.
Your baby has enough fat under the skin to maintain body temperature as long as there's a little help from you. The placenta continues to supply your baby with antibodies that will help fight infection the first six months after birth. If you breast-feed your baby, your milk will provide additional antibodies.
Week 40: Your due date arrives
Forty weeks into your pregnancy, or 38 weeks after conception, your baby may be more than 14 inches (360 millimeters) long from crown to rump and weigh about 7 1/2 pounds (3,400 grams). Remember, however, that healthy babies come in different sizes.
Don't be alarmed if your due date comes and goes without incident. It's just as normal to deliver a baby a week or two late — or early — than it is to deliver on your due date.
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- How your baby grows during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp156.cfm. Accessed March 20, 2009.
- Knuppel A. Maternal-placental-fetal unit; Fetal & early neonatal physiology. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007:1.
- Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005:1.
- My 9 months: Month nine. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/hbhb_syndication/18622_2145.asp. Accessed April 27, 2009.
- Moore KL, et al. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2003:4.
- What to expect after your due date. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp069.cfm. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 28, 2009.
