Whether you feel like a glowing mother-to-be, or a swollen, uncomfortable, ‘when will this pregnancy be over’ mumma-to-be, your baby shower is a special event that you will no doubt look back fondly on in years to come. It can be hard to settle on an outfit that proudly flaunts your growing bump, flatters your new curves and above all else, is comfortable. 

Unlike other mammals we do not have a precise gestation period. Normal labour can begin anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks gestation. How labour starts is not really fully understood. It is believed that it is determined by a complex interaction of both mother and baby’s hormones. During this phase the cervix begins to soften, move forward and efface or ‘thin out’. You may or may not have already had a ‘show’

During labour, the muscles of the uterus contract and shorten, thereby opening and pulling up your cervix into the lower part of the uterus. This action pushes the baby further down in to your pelvis. At the same time baby’s head is pushing on your cervix and together these complex actions work to facilitate dilatation (the widening of the cervix) and the birth of your baby.