Give yourself a tap on the back for reaching 36 weeks! A lot of doctors consider this time as ripe for giving birth, if ever the baby decides to come out this early. Weighing like a large napa cabbage, your baby officially looks like a newborn at this time now!

All your baby’s body organs are in place now, functioning well and good. The lungs, most especially, should have matured by now so your baby can breathe independently.

Your baby has also perfected the reflex of swallowing (all amniotic fluid at this point, of course!) which is vital as he or she forms the first bowel movement! The first stool is called meconium.

At this week, your baby’s fine downy hair called lanugo continue to disappear, along with the sticky white coating called vernix caseosa. However, it is not unusual at all to still see some traces of these fine hairs and coating when you give birth to your baby.

If ever your baby doesn’t want to say hello to the world just yet, that’s fine! 40 weeks is considered the full-term age, and anytime two weeks after that is still considered normal.