Baby Growth at the End of Pregnancy in Weeks 35-38
Wow! You’ve reached the end of pregnancy, and it’s almost time to greet baby into her new world. What is happening now?
1. Baby weighs from 6 to 7 ½ pounds.
2. She measures 18 to 20 inches.
3. This is her “finishing” stage, and baby gains a tremendous amount of subcutaneous fat, filling her out for birth.
4. The lanugo hair has disappeared.
5. Some of the vernix caseosa has disappeared, and it seems that just enough of this cheesy substance remains to lubricate her for a smoother passage during birth.
6. By this time baby has pretty much run out of room and is tucked up like a little ball.
7. During the final weeks inside the womb, baby sucks, swallows, breathes and blinks.
8. She steps, turns her head, and sucks her thumb.
9. She grasps and clasps her hands, practicing all the movements she will need after she makes her appearance in the world.
10. The air sacs of her lungs are now lined with a substance called surfactant, that keep the lungs expanded after each breath, enabling nearly all babies born at this stage (even early in this stage) to breathe air outside the womb.