Pregnancy week 40
Trimester 3 · Baby is about a pumpkin
Your baby is fully grown and ready to be born. Many babies arrive in the week or two after 40 weeks.
How your body may feel
- • Strong pelvic pressure.
- • Loss of the mucus plug or a bloody show.
- • Emotional swings between excitement and impatience.
Self-care this week
- • Attend post-dates checks if you go past your due date.
- • Continue daily movement counts until birth.
- • Ask about induction options after 41 weeks.
Milestone
Due date week — most babies arrive between 37 and 42 weeks.
Seek care urgently if you notice
- • Reduced, absent or changed baby movement — call immediately, day or night
- • Severe headache, blurred vision or pain under the ribs
- • Waters breaking before 37 weeks, or green or bloody fluid
- • Vaginal bleeding of any amount
- • Regular painful contractions before 37 weeks
- • Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or a seizure — call emergency services
Related resources
Related articles
Related FAQs
Related warning signs
- Heavy bleeding — Soaking a pad in under an hour, or passing large clots
- Severe headache that won't ease — Especially with blurred vision or sudden swelling
- Difficulty breathing — Breathlessness at rest or when lying down
- Chest pain or a racing heart — Pressure, tightness or fluttering that doesn't settle
Ask Nestora About This Week
Your Companion can explain week 40 in your own words — symptoms, nutrition, what to raise at your next visit.
Ask Nestora About This Week