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:
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.
Baby:
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.
Your abdomen
swells and your rib cage and pelvis may be sore as the baby gets bigger
and fills up all the space you have available. While it is really great
that your baby is gaining weight and growing strong, you may be in line
for different discomforts at this stage of the game, like heartburn and leg cramps.
A few women will breeze by even this phase of pregnancy without any
discomforts. This does not mean that your body isn't preparing for
birth. It could be pain tolerance levels, exercise and agility levels
and many other factors. So, count your blessings if you fall into this
category!
Baby:
You may worry that if you are breathless from walking or sometimes even
just sitting that your baby is in danger. This is not true. Your baby
is getting plenty of oxygen from your placenta.
The baby's irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. Due
to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin the baby's skin is no
longer red but pink, and your baby weighs about three pounds and five
ounces (1.5 kilograms). The finger nails may reach the end of the hands.
Your posture is
still very important to your comfort. Maintaining a good posture is a
good way to decrease the strain on your body as your center of gravity
continues to change.
One of the things that you can do to help maintain your energy levels and to increase your stamina for the birth is to exercise.
It is important not to over do it, especially if you have not been
exercising prior to this week. Try taking walks or swimming short
distances. Getting out and stretching will help you have feel better
and reduce the numbers of pregnancy related complaints.
Baby:
Baby is very aware of the surroundings. We tend to think of the uterus
as a dark place, but it can be light and dark depending on the mother's
environment. You may be able to distinguish sleep and wake cycles in
your baby. Although it usually seems as if the baby wants to sleep
while you are awake and vice versa at night.
As your baby is growing, so is your body. You may
feel as if your internal organs are crowded. They are. The best way to
deal with the discomforts of late pregnancy are:
* Good Posture * Proper Nutrition * Exercise * Rest (When you can!)
Most discomforts will occur in your back, your legs, and the amount of air you can take into your lungs. Hang in there! Baby:
Your baby is busy getting ready for the birthday! The baby is beginning
to regulate his own temperature and the bone marrow is completely in
charge of production of the red blood cells. The baby is even urinating
about a half liter of urine into the amniotic fluid everyday!
The movements that you feel will probably begin to change at this
point. Once your baby held wild gymnastic parties, now as the space
becomes cramped you notice smaller movements, such as elbows and knees.
Try monitoring the baby yourself, using fetal kick counts.
Your baby weighs in at about two pounds nine ounces (1.16 kilograms)!
Me: Well i feel huge like normal. My ribs are killing me. I have no
idea where there going but there going somewhere. The baby kicks daily,
especially when i try to relax and go to sleep. Now he's starting to
kick hard enough to be seen through the skin. Were almost done with the
babys room. We have dressers, clothes, and toys galore. I think i'm
done painting, just a few touch ups here and there. My appetite has
gone back down again, i think theres just not enough room for too much
food. So its on to smaller more frequent meals. Nutrition is a joke i
still hate vegetables, rarely have milk. Sometimes with cereal. I give
up, i'll never be the pyramid eating person. Sleeping is becoming a
nightmare, pillows here, wrap legs around derek, okay now i'm too hot,
throw covers off, still too hot, now take pants and shirt off, okay now
to cold, throw covers on. Oh wait now i gotta pee. People never guess
i'm already 7 months along, i not a huge walrus excuse me. I was small
to begin with. But i know i've gained plenty of weight since i'm now in
size 11 jeans, and only a handful of my shirts can cover my belly.
You will probably begin to see your practitioner every 2
weeks now. If you haven't begun discussing labor plans with your
practitioner, now is the time to start!
If you have taken
childbirth classes you have a good idea of the interventions and
alternatives associated in childbirth. The most common things that
people have questions about are: episiotomy, fetal monitoring, and pain
relief in labor.
Your breasts my leak colostrum now, although if
they do not leak, this is not an indication that you can't breastfeed.
You may also need a Rhogam shot now if you are Rh negative. Baby:
Your
baby's eye lashes are developing, as subcutaneous fat is deposited. If
you have a baby boy, his testes will probably begin descending. Your
baby is about 13.8 inches long (35 cms) and weighs about 2 pounds 4
ounces (1 kilogram)!
A baby born at this time has a good chance of survival with the help of medical technology.
