As you begin to have more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions you may begin to wonder more about labor and what it will entail for you. Most women have questions about labor and birth, for example:
- Is this labor?
- When should I go to the birth place?
- How do I time contractions?
- What should I pack?
- Will labor be really painful?
I want to address the last question specifically. About 10% of women will tell you that labor is extremely painful, while 10% of the women will tell you that they experienced no pain. The rest, 80%, will fall someplace in the middle of the two extremes.
Your baby's movements will peak this week then change in quantity and quality. Remember to do your Fetal Kick Counts. Most of the wrinkles are disappearing from baby's face, and there may be a lot of hair! Your baby has put on about 2 pounds of weight, mostly fat and muscle tissue, bringing the total to about three pounds 11 ounces (1.7 kilograms), and 40 cms or 15.8 inches!
Babies who are born at a younger gestation than this will most likely having difficulties sucking or nursing. This also applies to babies who weigh less than 1500 grams. A good sucking pattern is a sign of neuromuscular maturity.
Me: My ribs are killing me.. I still can't get comfortable if my life depended on it.Weight: 145