Category Archives: jaundice

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 39

Merry Christmas! It’s Monday, so welcome back to my pregnancy week by week guide. Today we are looking at Week 39. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.
Week 39
Even though your pregnancy is over, your baby may not have yet arrived. Ducky was born this week. If you don’t happen to give birth this week, don’t worry, your baby is coming soon!
To you, your baby will seem like the most beautiful thing in the world. But you may be surprised to find he doesn’t look like the little cherub you were expecting. Newborn babies are usually tinier than you would expect. Their heads aren’t always round. Honestly, unless it is your baby, they are not that adorable. They also have a little bit of a yellow tint to them. None of this is anything to worry about. These things will correct themselves. Except for the yellow tint. While some yellow is normal, too much might indicate jaundice. If this is the case, your pediatrician will tell you what you need to do. This may be as simple as adding a few drops of Vitamin D to their diet. In extreme cases you may have to take them in for UV treatment, but this is very rare. Even if you haven’t chosen a pediatrician yet, your baby will be examined by the in-house pediatricians at least twice before you can take him home, and once or twice more his first week of life at home.
If you decided on a home birth or something similar, talk to your doctor since it is very important for your baby to have proper medical care (even it if it just to make sure everything is alright). It might make things easier to know that a hospital is ready for you should an alternative birthing method not go as planned.
Again, if you haven’t given birth yet, one more week!
If you want to catch up with recent posts:

Week 15 

Week 23