Your week 39 guide

The immune system is drawing on antibodies transferred from you. This transfer is at its most active in the final weeks, giving your baby borrowed protection for the first months while their own immune system develops. Breast milk continues that protection after birth if you feed that way.

The umbilical cord keeps delivering oxygen and nutrients right up until birth. The placenta is still working efficiently at thirty-nine weeks, and your team will monitor for any sign that it is becoming less effective if the pregnancy continues well past term. That monitoring is the reason for extra checks after your due date.

Growth and movement continue even though the uterus is very crowded. Your baby is still gaining weight daily and should still be moving in their usual pattern. There is no stage at which reduced movement becomes normal, including the day before birth.

Pelvic pressure can make walking, sleeping and changing position genuinely difficult. Your baby's head is low in the pelvis, which produces a heavy, aching sensation and sometimes sharp twinges. Leaning forward, warm water and simply lying down when you can are the main comforts available.

Contractions, changes in discharge and other signs of labour may appear. A show, meaning the mucus plug coming away, loose stools, backache and irregular tightenings can all precede labour by hours or by days. None of them tells you exactly when, which is unhelpful but true.

Feeling excited, impatient and anxious all at once is entirely understandable. The final stretch is psychologically hard precisely because nothing is in your control, and every message asking whether anything has happened makes it worse. It is reasonable to stop answering your phone.

Follow your clinician's plan for monitoring and for when to come in. If your pregnancy continues past your due date, additional checks are usually offered, and a conversation about induction typically happens around now. Ask what is being recommended and why, since this is a decision you are part of.

Keep tracking your baby's normal movement pattern. This remains as important today as it was ten weeks ago, and it does not change because you are close to term. Ring immediately if anything changes rather than waiting for your next appointment.

Protect time for rest, food, fluids and calm company. What helps most now is anything that reduces the sense of being on public display while you wait. Turning off the group chat is a legitimate act of self-preservation. Alhamdulillah for company that can sit beside you without asking for an update.

Keep food and fluids steady: Continue eating and drinking regularly according to appetite and comfort. Smaller amounts may still be easier if you feel full quickly or have heartburn.

There is no need to force extra food or start a restrictive diet as birth approaches. If labour begins, follow your maternity service's advice about eating and drinking during labour, since practice varies between units.