Your baby
Your child is now very nearly ready. The nails have almost reached the fingertips, the kidneys are working, the lungs are as good as mature. The soft downy hair that covered your child from head to toe is coming loose and ending up in the amniotic fluid.
Because your child keeps taking small sips of it, those hairs are swallowed too. That may sound alarming, but it is actually a good thing: the hairs stimulate the bowels, which gets the stool moving. It comes out in your child's first dirty nappy. That first stool, called meconium, is black-green as a result and slightly sticky because it contains sugar — amniotic fluid is faintly sweet.
Your child is not growing so fast now either, putting on only a couple of hundred grams a week. A large bump does not necessarily mean a large baby. And the reverse holds too: a small bump does not always mean a small baby.
Besides your baby's weight, the size of your bump is determined by the firmness of your abdominal muscles, the amount of amniotic fluid, how much fluid and fat you retain, and your own build. If you are short, your bump sticks out more, simply because there is little room to grow lengthways. If you are tall, your bump is often flatter.
You
Your legs often suffer during pregnancy. You may have a good deal of cramp now. The cause is not really known. Poor circulation may play a part, but it could also be to do with a low calcium level. If you get cramp, try carefully stretching your leg so the muscles are lengthened, then shake your leg gently back and forth.
You may also get restless legs, where you can hardly keep them still. That probably has to do with your circulation as well: during pregnancy most of the blood goes to your abdomen and your legs sometimes lose out. Walk about a little to get the circulation going again.
And if you normally have varicose veins, they can get worse during pregnancy. Under the influence of the hormone progesterone the blood vessels slacken. Do not wear high heels, put your legs up when you sit, and wear support stockings if need be. An alternating hot and cold bath before bed, or a massage from your partner, can help too.
Getting the maternity kit
Make sure you have a maternity kit in the house. It contains, among other things, maternity pads, sterile gauze swabs and a cord clamp. Some chemists sell complete kits. Ask your health insurer whether they provide one.
Even if you are planning to give birth in hospital, it is sensible to have a maternity kit at home — you may unexpectedly give birth there after all. About four weeks before the birth, put your bed on blocks. It should stand at about 80 centimetres, which is a good working height for the midwife and the maternity nurse.
Writing addresses
If the envelopes for the birth announcements are ready, you can write them now. Or enter the addresses in a spreadsheet and print them onto label sheets.
You can buy special birth stamps at the post office. Or you can design a stamp of your own, using a photograph of your newborn baby. A personal stamp like that is rather special.
Third trimester
