Pregnancy week 39
8 Jan. 2026
Updated: 9 Jan. 2026
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In this article, you can read everything about pregnancy in week 39. You’ll get information about the baby’s development, changes in the mother’s body, and useful tips for this stage of the journey. Being 39 weeks pregnant means you’re about to give birth!
In the UK, the vast majority of babies are born between week 37+0 and week 41+6, i.e. exactly where you are now, and during this period the pregnancy is considered full-term.
Everything in the baby is developed at this point and until birth the baby will continue to grow and put on more weight; your baby is still growing in length – but that increase is not as marked as the weight gain during this period.
The furry hair (lanugo hair) is slowly disappearing at the end of the pregnancy and in this week it usually disappears completely. However, it is common for some babies to be born with small, fluffy hair on their body, this will disappear a few days to weeks after birth.
If you are expecting a boy, the testicles will most likely have migrated down into the scrotum between weeks 36 and 38. If it’s a girl, her labia will be fully developed now. Do you know the gender of your child? If not, we understand that the tension is unbearable!
The white amniotic fat that has covered the baby’s skin has usually decreased by this time but may remain in some skin folds around the neck, armpits and groin after delivery. Some babies are more or less smeared in the Vernix and that is also completely normal.
The Vernix acts as a natural ointment and protects the baby’s sensitive skin, so you should not wash it off. Instead, smooth out the Vernix from areas where there are larger amounts, and you will help care for the skin.
In your cervix, is the so-called mucus plug, which is made up of the hormone progesterone. To facilitate the birth, your cervix will usually start to soften, shorten and then open. When this happens, you may experience increased discharge or even a jelly like consistency in your panties or when you wipe yourself after a toilet visit.
It may be that you do not notice when the mucus plug is loosened. It can remain until labour starts or come out in connection with the birth of your baby. If it comes out before labour starts, you may notice streaks of blood in it, but it’s nothing to worry about. However, if the blood is fresh and more abundant than a spot, it should be followed up by contact with a midwife at the local maternity unit.
At this point, you may feel cramps that come and go. They are usually felt mostly during evenings and nights and as long as they go away, you don’t have to do anything about them. Most births start with night time labour because the levels of the hormone oxytocin are higher in the body during the night then when you are relaxed and/or asleep.
Considering that the contractions often start at night and that there is no given template for how long the birth will take, it is very positive to rest and try to sleep for a while every day until the time comes. If you can’t fall asleep, physical rest is good enough! You need to have a lot of energy for your delivery and to rest and recover properly before then is something we think all mothers-to-be should give themselves.
In connection with the start of labour; you start to feel pains, it may happen that you get a small amount of bleeding. If it’s a small spot (like a penny), it’s probably because the blood vessels in the cervix have been affected when it’s softened, which is completely normal. If the bleeding is heavier, you should contact the local maternity unit.
The first part of labour is called the latent phase. As a rule, the latent phase is the longest part of labour, which often begins with you having irregular pains that can last for varying lengths of time. During this phase you are mostly at home. Eventually, the contractions become more frequent and the birth turns into an active phase!
In the active phase, the contractions become more regular and increase in intensity, this is when you should call your chosen maternity hospital or private midwife. You may feel like you want to curl your toes and you will be beginning to go silent through and between the contractions, unable to talk. The midwife will usually ask you about the contractions and recommend that you go in if you deem the time is right. If your having a home birth, the midwife will make plans to attend you at home. If the contractions come every few minutes, feel painful and intense and have felt like that for a while, it is usually time to go to labour ward or call the home birth midwife.
It can feel difficult to know what painful and intense contractions mean as a first-time mother; when you feel that labour is about to begin, it is important that you trust your gut about how painful it feels to you and have a dialogue with the midwife.
Some births start with the waters breaking, but it’s actually more unusual than labour starting with contractions. If your water breaks, they can happen in different ways! A big splash like in the movies is rare, instead it is more common for liquid to seep out and you may even think is urine at first.
If it’s your water that have gone, you won’t be able to stop it from flowing; there may be a lot of water coming at once and you may wake up in a wet bed. Then you should look at the colour to see if the water is colourless or if it has some colour. This means it’s time to contact your local maternity unit! You may be asked to attend to check the colour the water that has passed, you will need to put on a pad in case it oozes out more.
Feel free to watch childbirth videos to be prepared for the course that will soon take place. It is also good for understanding what happens in labour and during the different phases. The most important task you have is to be present and provide support!
Patience is important and if you are unsure about what happens during the birth, you can always ask questions to the healthcare staff. Eat food and snacks, drink a lot and make sure you both sleep, so that you are in good shape to support and encourage your pregnant partner when the time comes for the baby to be born – it can be quick, but it can also be many long hours!
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If you are worried or thinking about how to support your pregnant partner during the birth, we can comfort you by telling you that it is completely normal to feel worried, nervous or uncertain.
You can think about how you think you will react when it’s time to give birth, as well as how to deal with your own anxiety. Maybe it’s having a couple of strategies and empowering thoughts that will help you along the way? If you have tools to deal with your possible anxieties or fears, there is less risk that they will spread to the mother.
