Your due date arrives, though most babies arrive within a couple of weeks of it either way
Baby this week: about 51 cm — head to heel · about 3.4 kg
≈ 51 cm — about the size of a small watermelon
Illustration enlarged for clarity — the amber marker shows true relative size · head-down, ready position
Your baby this week
- The baby is fully developed and ready to be born, though every pregnancy reaches this point on its own timeline
- Vernix and lanugo are mostly gone, though some babies are born with a bit remaining
- The skull bones remain flexible to help ease the journey through birth
- Reflexes like grasping, sucking, and rooting are all ready to go
Your body this week
- Only a small percentage of babies actually arrive on their exact due date — most arrive within about two weeks before or after
- Strong, regular, intensifying contractions are typically the sign that labor has truly begun
This week's tip: If you go past your due date, ask your provider what monitoring or options they typically discuss for the days that follow — every pregnancy and practice varies.
When to get help now
Contact your maternity unit now, even at night, if your baby is moving less than usual or the pattern has changed, you have any vaginal bleeding, fluid leaks from your vagina, you have regular or painful contractions before 37 weeks, or you have a severe headache, vision changes, pain just below the ribs or sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet. Do not wait until the next day.
Sizes and milestones are typical ranges — every pregnancy runs on its own clock. Educational content; your prenatal care team's guidance always comes first.