Your bump
Gaining almost 250 grams per week! The next four weeks will be a period of extraordinary growth for your baby. He or she is sleeping a lot and because it's possible to see the baby's breathing even when it's asleep, we know that the respiratory centre in the brain has developed. The muscles have developed, the skin has smoothed out and the lanugo hair is starting to fall off, although after birth you might see some still left on your baby’s back or shoulders. Around this time some babies have settled with the head in the pelvic entrance, ready to go. If this is your second baby, it may not take this position until the birth starts. Its capability to regulate its body temperature is maturing; it can now perspire – which premature babies cannot do.
You
The drop Have you noticed a drop yet? Maybe it’s too early, but at least you know what you have to look forward to! A few weeks before labour begins or at the beginning of labour you may notice a change in your abdomen. When the head of the baby enters the birth canal, things move downwards. Some say it’s a miracle, since it is easier to breathe again. Others honestly claim that they have regained their waist... Don’t be concerned if you don’t notice any drop. This doesn’t occur with every pregnancy. It’s also common for your baby to drop just before labour begins or during labour. But the drop can be a little uncomfortable when the head touches the pelvic floor muscles, it’s a pins-and-needles sensation. Rest on your side; it helps to decrease the pressure on your pelvis and on the nerves, vessels and arteries in the pelvic area.
