Week 40
At about 51.2 cm from head to heel, your baby is as long as a Long-stemmed rose (~50 cm), tip to stem—the flower held for the week you may meet.
This week at a glance
Size
About 51.2 cm (20.2 in), head to heel.
The flower
Long-stemmed rose (~50 cm) — this week’s plate, drawn at your baby’s scale.
How big is the baby at 40 weeks?
About 51.2 cm (20.2 in), measured head to heel — the size of a long-stemmed rose.1
Space is close now, but your baby is still expected to move in their familiar pattern. The week is a page number, not a command; your story has its own pacing.
40 weeks pregnant is how many months?
Week 40 falls in the ninth month of pregnancy. Weeks and months don’t divide evenly, and your antenatal care counts in weeks — so Zohra keeps weeks, and prints the month for the relatives who ask.
That puts you in the third trimester (weeks 28–40).
What might you be noticing?
The body preparing. lower back sensations and premenstrual-like feelings may occur near labor.
Practice tightenings. painless Braxton Hicks tightenings may continue.
Sleep and digestion. sleep difficulties, heartburn, bloating, or constipation may still be present.
Sourced below.1
Keep the next step simple and the people you may call easy to reach. There is no required mood for this week, and no single way a birth story must begin.
For the record: Before this chapter turns, what would you like to say to the two of you as you are today? — this week’s page in the app asks the same thing. All forty prompts are here.
Written from the sources above and checked against them. Not reviewed by a clinician — see the editorial policy. Zohra is a journal, not medical care; for anything worrying, talk to your midwife or doctor.