Welcome to week thirty Seven!
This is the week in which you are considered full term if you go into labor. Contractions are becoming more frequent but decrease with rest or fluids and are not regular at first.
This is especially true at the end of the day. Pelvic pressure is getting very uncomfortable by now. Babies do not move less in the final weeks; they just do not have the space to make dramatic moves like the ones you remember feeling earlier in your pregnancy so continue performing those daily fetal movement counts. You should be able to get 10 movements of some sort other than hiccups in two hours if you are lying on your side to pay attention to them and have eaten and drank recently.
Babies do not move less in the final weeks; they just do not have the space to make dramatic moves like the ones you remember feeling earlier in your pregnancy.
How my Baby Grows
- Your sweet baby now looks like a newborn but there is still some very important brain and lung development occurring over the next 2 weeks
- He/she is working on coordination by practicing movements with hands, fingers and thumbs
- Your baby may suck his/her thumb, open and shut eyes, reach to grasp anything available, sometimes the umbilical cord
- There are lots of wiggles as your baby tries to get comfortable in a very cramped space
- You are feeling your baby reach, stretch and roll inside your belly so much so that you may need to change positions to accommodate the movement
Symptoms Mama may Feel or Experience
- You feel “ready”, by this time many women are saying “labor, bring it on!”
- Your family and friends are calling to ask how you are doing and if anything is happening
- You may no longer be able to tie your own shoes and have moved to slip on types only
- At this point if you drop something you wonder if it worth picking it up before doing so, and usually you decide that it is not
- If you have a chance to swim you just might do so no matter what it looks like just to feel weightless for a few moments
- You have worked hard taking care of yourself and your baby by not smoking or using drugs, eating well, exercising, going to your prenatal care visits, avoiding certain foods that you may love, and soon you will see what you have been working for face to face
- You may be “nesting” now which means that you have a rush of energy to clean, prepare foods, mow the lawn, paint a room or any number of things that you have felt too tired to do up until now
- Enjoy it all, it is almost over and believe it or not you are going to miss watching your baby grow and feeling him/her move inside of you, or not-the real thing is almost here
Thoughts to Consider
- Let’s talk about how to labor at home until it is time to go to the hospital or birth center
- Remember that we talked about the latent phase of the first stage of labor possibly lasting many hours to even days
- Contractions may be regular but not increasing in intensity, frequency or duration
- They may be uncomfortable but probably not painful when compared to contractions during the active phase once you are 6 centimeters of more
- When you do start having regular contractions they are measured from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next to see how far apart they are
- There are lots of things that you can do during this time for comfort
- Try to sleep or rest if you can, you will not sleep through active labor, if things pick up your body will let you know
- Take a walk, sit in a hot bathtub or take a shower, sway back and forth like a slow dance, bounce or roll back and forth on a birthing ball, practice the relaxation techniques that you have learned
- You will likely progress quicker at home during the latent phase in your comfortable environment than you will at the birth facility where you may not feel as comfortable moving around, and movement is just what is needed to bring that baby down in the pelvis
- Of course, if your bag of water has broken, you have temperature, your baby is not moving like normal, or your provider has given you different instructions, that is what you should do
- Things to bring with you to the hospital or birth center
- Your own toothpaste and brush
- Any toiletries that you may need and a blow dryer if you usually use one
- A special outfit or two that you want to bring the baby home in or have pictures taken while wearing
- If you want to bring other clothing to dress your baby in while at the hospital you may do that too
- The breast pump so that you can get help the first time it is used if needed
- Something super comfortable to come home in
- Pillows, essential oils, and your own music for labor
- Phone or camera with chargers
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Rest often during the day if you feel tired, listen to your body
- Stay well hydrated and if you believe that you may be in early labor keep your meals light, heavy meals will probably make you nauseous
- Gather those around you that will support and encourage you
- Think thoughts that remind you of your strength and ability to give birth
