Your baby
Your baby's skin is still covered with vernix, a white, slippery layer that protects it from being softened by the amniotic fluid. Your baby loses this layer in the last weeks of your pregnancy, and it ends up in the amniotic fluid as flecks.
The amniotic fluid therefore also shows whether the baby is born at the right moment. If the fluid is crystal clear with no flecks, your child has arrived a little early. Clear fluid with flecks means your child is neatly on time. Fluid that is milky white means the flecks have dissolved and your child is somewhat late.
So if your child were born this week, he or she would probably still be entirely covered in that thin layer of vernix and your fluid would be clear.
If this is your first pregnancy, your baby's head will sink deeper into the pelvis around this time. This is called engagement, and you can sometimes feel it: there is a little more room around your stomach. If you are expecting a second or later child, engagement may happen later in the pregnancy, because your abdominal muscles have already been stretched by the previous pregnancy and your baby therefore still has more room.
You
Your maternity leave has now started in any case. On the one hand a time to enjoy thoroughly: you are free and can give yourself over entirely to preparing for your child's arrival. On the other hand it may at times not be enjoyable at all. When you have had another bad night because you constantly need the toilet, when your ankles are swollen and you have heartburn, when you no longer quite know how to sit and certainly not how to get up again.
Now and then you can be thoroughly fed up with it. These are the proverbial last few yards, and they can be quite heavy going. Being kind to yourself is still the best medicine for such a dip. Go to the hairdresser, book a beautician, buy a good book, or spend an afternoon in town with a friend.
And have an afternoon nap. Even if you do not really sleep during the day, it is relaxing. It also takes the strain off your ligaments and your back. The most comfortable position: on your side, with a pillow under your knee for support.
Washing the baby clothes
Wash the baby clothes, muslins, sheets and hooded towels before you use them, because clothing and textiles can contain harmful substances. And after a wash the muslins and towels dry far better. The baby clothes smell nice and fresh too.
Better not to use fabric softener. Baby skin is sensitive and babies can get a rash from it. And it is a charming sight: all those tiny clothes on the washing line.
The midwife every week
Is your pregnancy still going well, and are you still seeing the midwife every two weeks? You will now be seeing her every week, because in these last weeks you are checked more often.
Important telephone numbers
Make a list of all the important telephone numbers. It should include the midwife, maternity care, the hospital and a taxi firm. It is also handy to write down who you want to call when labour starts, or once it is over.
Third trimester
