37 weeks pregnant
Length: 47.5 cmWeight: 2800 g
Baby development
It’s incredibly snug in my mother’s pelvis now and I'm firmly in place now.
I give my lungs a rigorous workout by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. My suction abilities also receive continuous training as I suck my fingers, and I have put on so much fat tissue that I have now developed small creases and pits in my thighs, knees, and arms.
Mothers development
The likelihood is that your breasts are now leaking colostrum.
There is no need to worry, there will be plenty more where that came from when the baby arrives. Even if you’re not experiencing any leakage, there is food in your breasts for the baby so there is nothing to worry about where that's concerned, either.
Colostrum is nutritious and full of antibodies, vitamins, and minerals. The body begins producing colostrum sometime before delivery, and it remains in production about three to five days after the child is born. After that, it will be replaced by mature milk which will be the baby’s primary source of nourishment for the first six months. Breastfeeding is not a given as not every mother is capable of doing so or chooses to do so. The conditions are different for different women. Partly because your body must first understand how to produce milk and also because the child must learn how to feed. Breastfeeding can be difficult at first and it doesn’t work for everyone. If you want to breastfeed, be sure to ask and get as much help as you can when you are at the hospital.
If breastfeeding does not work for you, there is a baby formula that the baby can eat directly from birth. Although many in the healthcare field recommend that the mother breastfeeds if she can, this is not a requirement.
Co-parent
Are you worried about being overlooked and overshadowed?
Once the baby arrives, it will be dominated by three major needs - sleep, poop, and food. If your child is breastfeeding, it's - naturally - the mother who is the epicenter of this period. However, the sense that you aren’t important could not be further from the truth. You are also a parent. You also connected with your child during this period, only in a slightly different way than the mother. You’ll have to approach things tentatively, but approach them you should. If you choose to bottle feed your baby - perfect - then it can be your moment together.