By Associate Professor TAN Thiam Chye Head & Senior Consultant, Dr Janice TUNG Associate Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital

What's Happening to Your Baby?

winter melon

The countdown is on as your precious baby prepares for life in the outside world. Baby is about the size of a winter melon and is stockpiling antibodies, provided by you, to fend off diseases and germs. Your little dear's head is still growing and will be the same circumference as the chest at birth. Baby currently weighs about 2.5 to 3kg and is 43.5 to 53.5cm long. Your little dear is gearing up for the exhausting journey of childbirth coming in just a few weeks by practising sucking, breathing, blinking and moving.

What's Happening to You?

There are a few signs your doctor will be looking out for from now until you go into labour. These include your cervix dilation (it needs to be 10cm for the baby to come out), and how thin it is. This is called effacement, and needs to be 100 percent thinned out before the baby appears. Your doctor will also look at the position of the baby before labour. Shows a pink or brown mucus mixed with blood that indicates that you may be going into labour. Let your doctor know if you notice anything like this.

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