...or week 41, or 42…yes it can potentially go on that long! Only 5% of babies are born on their due date.
Are you ready to rock-and-roll? Okay, okay, maybe just a little two-step while holding tight to your significant other, seeing as you're hugely pregnant, have swollen ankles, a sore back and are looking rather like you need to sit or lie down.
It's hard to say for sure how big the kiddo will be when it’s (finally) born, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and is about 20 inches long. The skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labour. This molding is why your baby may resemble those old Saturday Night Live characters, the Coneheads following their trip through the birth canal. Rest easy — it's both normal and temporary.
When a baby is born, life as they know it changes completely - from that cozy little bachelor apartment to the gigantic, bright, noisy surroundings full of over-enthusiastic friends and family who grab at their startled body as they are passed from person to person. It's no surprise your newborn feels safest and happiest when they're snuggled against the warmth of your body hearing your familiar heartbeat and voice, as they take in the soothing scent of your skin.
An infant is in pure survival instinct because they have no ability to fend for themselves yet. They must rely on their parent(s) - that's YOU - to protect and nourish them - so mother's arms (YOUR arms) is the safest happiest place in the universe. Congratulations, and welcome to the Yummy Mummy Club. Your life will never be the same again.
We’d love you to share your birth story with us. C’mon spill it. Cuz Motherhood is messy!
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