In this article you will be able to read about everything related to being pregnant in week 40. You'll find information about the baby's development, how the mother's body is changing and tips you might need along the way.

Baby: Fetus gathers energy for birth

Now the baby is about 51 cm long and weighs around 3.5 kg. And BF week is here! YOU DID IT!

Baby prepares for birth
As the birth approaches, the baby is gathering a lot of energy and antibodies via the placenta now that will protect the baby in the early days. If the birth is stressful, the baby has stored energy in its stomach to compensate for these stresses, such as short-term oxygen deprivation, which is very common during childbirth. 

The energy storage system that the baby has put on is enough to sustain the baby for the first day of life if the birth has been normal. This is why newborn babies do not need to be fed for the first 24 hours - but of course the baby is breastfed or bottle-fed if the baby is alert and wild eating. 

If you want to breastfeed and the newborn baby does not suckle during the first 24 hours, it is recommended that you stimulate the breast milk/breasts with your hand every few hours to send signals to the brain to produce breast milk.

Cord clamping and samples from the umbilical cord
Once the baby is out, it is time to cut the umbilical cord, which is done after a few minutes or a little longer, and then a rubber band is attached to the umbilical stump. Before, during or immediately after the birth, the healthcare professionals may ask you if they can take samples from the umbilical cord. Some hospitals routinely test all babies, while others do it based on the birth. For example, if it is suspected that the baby has been unwell during the birth or has suffered from hypoxia. Samples from the umbilical cord can then be analyzed. Remember that you as a parent must give your consent!

When the placenta comes out
A little while after the umbilical cord is cut, it's time to get the placenta out. You may feel your belly contracting like an ache and feel like you want to push, or the midwife may feel your belly for contractions and ask you to push. The midwife may also guide the placenta out by gently pulling the umbilical cord, sometimes while pushing on your belly.

What happens if the placenta does not release?
Sometimes the placenta may need to be removed by hand if it does not come out. This will be done by an obstetrician on the operating ward and you will be given an anesthetic in this case. 

If the uterus does not contract after delivery, there will be a lot of bleeding, so it is important to ensure that the placenta comes out quickly. This is done under anesthesia in the operating room and is performed by an obstetrician.

Once the placenta is out, the midwife will inspect if it is whole, that the amniotic membranes are intact and that there are three umbilical vessels in it. 

The side of the placenta that the baby has been holding against itself in the womb is often likened to a tree, with the blood vessels looking like branches and trunks, while the lower vessels look like the roots of the tree. Midwives call this the tree of life!

After childbirth
For the first two hours after birth, it is recommended that the baby lies skin-to-skin with the mother, without clothes or diapers, with a blanket or towel over it. This promotes bonding between the baby and the parent and allows the baby to maintain its normal body temperature. This in turn saves the baby's energy, which is good for maintaining a stable blood sugar level. Last but not least, it's great for the levels of oxytocin that stay high in mom's arms - which in turn causes the uterus to contract. It all goes hand in hand! 

If the birth is an immediate caesarean section, the mother is usually anaesthetized, and the baby is brought to the partner or accompanying person and lies skin to skin. The mother will be cared for in the recovery ward and then the partner and baby can come there so that everyone can be together. If the mother has been awake during the caesarean section, everyone is together the whole time.

Mom: Pregnant in week 40

This week you FINALLY reach your BF! Do you have any feelings that something is going on yet? We are so impressed with you - you did it and your milestone has been reached!

Do you have exacerbations?
By now, you are most likely experiencing contractions that come and go. It is mainly common to feel these pains during the evenings and nights due to the fact that the levels of oxytocin are highest when you are sleeping and/or resting. If the contractions subside, you don't need to do anything about them, but we understand that you'd probably prefer them to increase at this point.

Commissioning
Sometimes it is necessary to induce labor if it does not start naturally. This decision is made by an obstetrician based on the condition of the baby or the pregnant woman. It can also be based on the length of the pregnancy. In Sweden, there are differences in when labor is induced based on the length of pregnancy and the region you live in, but the latest is week 42+0. If there is another reason for labor to be induced, it is usually already planned with the pregnant woman and an obstetrician during pregnancy. 

What does start-up mean?
There are different methods of inducing labor, depending on the maturity of the placenta and the cervix. These may include tablets given to mature and contract the cervix, a soft catheter to dilate the cervix, puncturing the membranes to allow the waters to pass, or administering an analgesic drip.

You will have a scheduled visit with the midwife shortly after BF and if you have not had time to give birth, the midwife will discuss possible labor during this visit. The routine is that the midwife contacts the birth center, which will then make the planning together with you. When to plan for induction differs depending on the region you live in and if you have time to give birth, the appointment is automatically canceled.

Colostrum
Colostrum is the baby's first diet and is tailored to your baby's needs, so the amount of colostrum may vary. For some pregnant women, their breasts leak colostrum during pregnancy. For some, there may be a lot, while for others they leak nothing at all. Whether or not your breasts leak during pregnancy will not affect whether or not breastfeeding works well.

At 24 hours old and for the next 24 hours, babies need to replenish their energy stores and be breastfed to keep their blood sugar stable. The more the baby is breastfed and the breasts are stimulated, the more milk is produced and the faster milk production starts! The recommendation is to breastfeed at least 8-10 times a day, but many babies breastfeed even more than this.

The colostrum that the baby eats in the beginning contains more protein and less fat and carbohydrates than the mature breastmilk, which is left to drain for a few days after birth. Colostrum also contains antibodies that can protect the baby against infections. 

If your baby is formula-fed, the midwife in the aftercare unit at the hospital will guide you through this. The midwife will go through the appropriate amounts to give your baby in the first few days and in the days after you get home.

Baby Journey after childbirth!
Thank you for letting us guide you through your pregnancy all the way to BF. We hope you have gained a lot of valuable information along the way so that you feel prepared for your first time with your baby. 

After the birth, we hope you will come back to the Baby Journey app and register the birth of your baby 💕 We can be there for you for another two years, guiding you through everything that the toddler years entail - such as attachment, sleeping difficulties, introducing food, child development, parenting and much more. To help you, we have experienced experts in various fields to give you the very best advice available.

Once you've registered your baby's birth and landed in life with baby, you can write down your birth story in the app. You will see this feature on your home screen, in the same place where you usually click to read about your pregnancy week!

Here you can read about week 39.

You can read about week 41 here.