The average time for a baby to develop completely in the womb is 40 weeks or 10 months.
At 40 weeks, you are said to have reached full term and your baby is ready to be born. Your doctors calculate the estimated date of delivery (EDD) for you, but only 5% of babies are born as estimated.
Since due date is calculated starting from the beginning day of your last period, the gestation age comes to 10 months. But you actually stay pregnant for 9 whole months. This is because the first three weeks of the first month are not considered, as you are not pregnant yet. It can be confusing to many, but you should keep in mind that the baby decides when it’s ready to come out in most cases.
Babies born before the completion of 37 weeks gestation are said to be premature babies. Premature babies may face some health problems, since vital developments keep happening until week 40. All the major organs may be developed before 37 weeks, but they still need time to function on their own.
Most preterm babies may face respiratory problems, low birth weight or low blood sugar problems. Some of them may also have a slight delay in the development of their listening, eyesight and speaking skills. They need to be cared for and monitored by the doctors for some time before they can go home.
In which week is the baby fully developed?
When you carry your baby for complete 39 weeks, she gets all the time and nourishment to develop well and faces no problem after being born. So, by the end of week 39 of pregnancy, the baby is considered as fully developed.
What happens at week 39?
- Lanugo, the hair that has been covering your baby’s body so far and the coating on the skin as a means of protection are shed.
- Lungs and brain keep developing till the end of the term.
- Baby keeps gaining weight till she goes into labor.
- Your babies immunity keeps growing stronger.
- Baby prepares herself for the imminent labor and delivery.
When you reach 40 weeks, your baby may be ready to show up at anytime. If not, you may have to wait another week or so. Some babies may be born late term as well. In most cases, they face no health issues.
