No one knows for sure what causes labor to begin. It could be hormones produced by the baby, signaling that he is ready to arrive. The moment finally comes! You may begin having regular contractions, which become more intense and closer together. Sometimes the first sign is a show of blood and mucous on your panties. And sometimes it begins with the waters breaking. First babies generally take longer to arrive after labor has begun.

All that hard work and preparation now pays off. Many women stop worrying as soon as labor begins, and are quite calm throughout. Others may need more reassurance. When you reach the stage where nothing pleases you, everything Dad or the midwife says or does is wrong, and you absolutely refuse to cope with the pain any longer, take heart. This is usually the sign that second stage labor is close, and you are almost there!

Finally, you will experience the most wonderful moment of your life, when your newborn infant is really there, lying on your tummy, perfect in every detail, and indescribably precious to you.

Yes, the 40 weeks of waiting and discomfort really are worthwhile!

The baby is ready for birth. His growth slows down now, and may stop altogether. He is perfect, down to the last hair and fingernail! His lungs are well able to breathe; his digestive system is ready. He is just waiting for the day when you can hold him in your arms and cuddle him.

Have you planned how you will let people know when you are going into labor, and when the baby arrives? You don’t want to hang about making lots of phone calls when the day comes, so arrange to phone one person who can let everyone else know.

For some women, the nesting instinct kicks in, and you find yourself going on a cleaning spree. This is good, since it takes your mind off the waiting, and you have a nice clean house to come home to.

The baby is ready to be born at any time, and is not considered premature if he is born now. His head is the same diameter as his abdomen – he is no longer top-heavy! He is short of space and will not move as much as he used to.

Review your plans for getting to the hospital, or for calling the midwife if you are giving birth at home. Put in some contingency plans. What if your phone is out of order? Or if, for some reason, your husband can’t drive you to the nursing home?

The baby’s lungs are almost fully mature. If he is born now, the chances are he will need no special treatment. His movements may be slowing down, and he is resting more. He has developed from one cell to more than 200 million cells! No wonder he is tired – and so are you!

You should rest as much as you can now. You will need all your energy when the big day comes! Make sure you know where and how to register the baby when he is born, and what baby health care facilities there are in your area. Put your feet up whenever possible, and take the time to read up on baby care! Not long now.

If the baby is not in the correct position, you may be given exercises to try to turn him. If this doesn’t work, the doctor should be able to adjust his position.

During this week, the baby’s head may move down into your pelvis. You will be able to see the difference in the height of your bulge, and you will have the relief of being able to breathe more easily. Your bladder will not appreciate the move, however! If this doesn’t happen to you, don’t worry. Some babies never do move down, but are born quite normally in spite of it. Second and subsequent babies often don’t appear to drop.

The baby may be beginning to find it difficult to get comfortable, too, and can wriggle around looking for the best position. He is getting rounder as he lays down more fat, and the vernix and lanugo start to disappear. He is close to his full-term length, which, for an average baby, is 46 cm. His lungs are getting stronger, and his chances of survival are excellent if he is born now.

Your baby is not changing much now, apart from the increase in size. By now, babies vary greatly in weight and length. He is putting on about 250g a week, and his organs are all fully working. The placenta, too, is fully matured. His living quarters are rather cramped, so that he can only turn from side to side and, of course, kick!

Hopefully, you’re fully prepared for labor by now. Don’t forget to keep on with your exercises. If you are unfortunate enough to need a caesarean, discuss the details with your doctor, and make sure you know what to expect.

The Braxton Hicks contractions start getting stronger, preparing and strengthening your muscles for labor. You may sometimes notice small, rhythmic movements in your abdomen. The baby has hiccups!

The baby is gaining weight steadily, and is laying down more fat in readiness for the varying temperatures of the outside world. He may sleep more. Labor will be tough on him too, and he needs the rest!

The placenta starts releasing the hormones that stimulate milk production, so your breasts will begin to feel heavier. Increased pressure on your stomach may make it difficult for you to eat full meals. Have some easy snacks ready to take with you wherever you go.

At this time, your midwife may suggest making a birth plan, and will help you with it.

You can probably distinguish different body parts as your baby moves. If you are having twins, this will be even more apparent. The baby now weighs between 1.8 and 2.2 kg, and you can feel the strength behind his movements! During this week, the lungs acquire the coating they need for successful breathing. After this, there is much less chance that your baby will have respiratory problems if born early. He now has everything he needs for survival in the outside world, and just needs to get a little bigger. By now, he should have settled into the head down position for birth. If not, the midwife or doctor may try to turn him. Of course, some babies turn themselves back again! He absorbs about 4.5 liters of amniotic fluid daily, and it is recycled every 3 hours.

You should start to make plans for getting to the hospital. Make sure you know the route, where to park, and where to go when you get there.

The truth is that every labor is different. For one thing, some women have a higher pain threshold than others. And mothers who have had several children can find that their experience is quite different for each child. Take heart in the fact that millions of babies are born each year – all of those mothers manage somehow, and so will you! The excitement of knowing that you will very soon get to see your new baby and hold him in your arms can carry you through a lot of pain. And if you’ve survived the discomforts of pregnancy for all these months, you will get through labor too. Many women feel that pregnancy is much worse than labor!

Your baby now weighs about 1.7 kg, and may be about 40cm long. His movements peak during this week. Later, he will be more constricted and may not move about so much. He may have quite a bit of hair by now, and he has lost most of his wrinkles. He has every chance of surviving if he should happen to come early.

Your baby’s movements are getting stronger, and you can probably see them as well as feel them. They may even be getting uncomfortable – you may feel like he is doing handstands on your bladder! His skin is taking on a pink tinge now, as white fat cells are deposited under the skin. The pupils of his eyes dilate and contract in response to light, and his fingernails have grown almost to the end of his fingers. By the time he is born they will probably need cutting!

The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting stronger, and you can use them to practice what you have learnt in antenatal classes. Dad, if you’re going to be present at the birth, it’s a good idea to start taking notes, so that you will remember what needs to be done at each stage.