Weeks Thirty Five to Forty

Weeks Thirty Five to Forty.

Month nine of your pregnancy is naturally what you have been waiting for and it can be quite a tense time as any day can be the day that you will go from being a woman to a mother. During your routine check up this month your doctor will exam you to see if your cervix is effacing or dilating in preparation or birth.

Getting Ready for the Drop.

There are two terms used to describe the course in which the baby drops into the pelvic cavity ready for birth. Lightening and engagement happens when the baby’s head drops down into the pelvis in preparation for birth. This may occur two or four weeks before labour for mothers that are having their first child, or just before the labour starts for mothers that have had children before. However, regardless of when it happens you should feel as if your belly has lowered and tilted forward when it takes place. As a result of your baby changing position and dropping to a lower part of your body, the strain that you have been feeling previously on your back and stomach is relieved; however you will experience a slight tingling sensation in your pelvic area until your baby is born because of it relocating itself and resting on the nerves in your legs and pelvis region. Consequently, the need to wee constantly will also be an issue, as your baby may rest against your bladder also, causing you to want to go to the toilet several times a day.

What Are The Signs That I’m About To Give Birth?

Your body will prepare for labour up to two to four weeks before the actual event. Lightening or engagement is one of the signs to expect but there are more that will also give you an indication that a new baby is on the way:

* Excess vaginal discharge and/ or brownish mucus.
* More frequent and severe Braxton Hicks contractions.
* An increase in the amount of energy that you have for organising or cleaning (nesting instinct).



How to Know When You Are in Labour.

If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions then you are about to give birth:

* Do contractions take place at habitual intervals that are coming more rapidly together and getting more intense?
* Do you have lower-back pain?
* Has your water broken?



As you cannot predict the exact time when you are going to go into labour, now is a good time to practise what you will do when it does happen. Make a list of the things that you will need to take into hospital with you and make sure that you pack a bag for your hospital stay of essentials. Map out a route to the hospital which will ensure that you can get there safely and in good time. Have a list of contacts nearby or saved in your phone so that you can call someone who can be on hand to help you. When packing for your stay in hospital remember the following:

* Clothing to wear on your trip back home – ensure that you pack something suitable and comfortable for your journey. If it is cold outside you might want to pack a hat, scarf and gloves too;
* A nursing bra – not everyone likes the idea of breastfeeding, but it is advisable to start off in this way and so a nursing bra is ideal for you to give your child milk and nourishment without having to struggle to take off your whole bra, as they have front panels that drop down to expose your nipples;
* Old maternity underwear – you will still have your pregnancy belly and so any clothes that you pack will need to fit your body. After birth you tend to bleed a lot and so wearing old underwear ensures that you do not ruin any of your ‘good’ stuff;
* Pyjamas/ dressing gown/ slippers: essential items for your comfort when you are lying in a hospital bed. If you do not pack your own you will be given hospital items; therefore it is better to be prepared and feel comfortable in your own clothes than something that has been worn repeatedly;
* Toiletries;
* Reading material – it can be very boring in hospital if you have to stay for a long period of time and though you may feel weary and tired and thus sleep a lot, take a magazine or other reading items to bridge the boredom gaps.

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Weeks Thirty One to Thirty Four.

Weeks Thirty One to Thirty Four.

By this point in your pregnancy you are starting to feel the strain of the growth of the baby inside of your body, which will start to become more tired easily as the countdown begins.

You will have increasingly gained weight up until this point where you may feel as you are looking like the size of a bus, but at this stage your weight will steadily stabilize and become more constant, with you gaining about a pound per week up until the birth. Again, be aware that this does not mean you have to gain weight; being pregnant does not give you an excuse to eat what you want, when you want to; instead you should continue to eat a regular healthy balanced diet to ensure that your baby grows naturally and that you do not put too much added pressure on your body.

As with previous months, your doctor and midwife will insist on checkups for the following: blood pressure; weight; size of your baby; checks for a heartbeat. These are vitally important, especially at this stage, so please ensure that you make every effort to attend any appointment that you are given and that you ask any questions or raise any issues that you may be having.

In the months prior to the last trimester of your pregnancy you will have found that your body has changed dramatically and that you are suffering from such things as varicose veins, stretch marks, headaches, nausea, and problems with your digestive system. In your seventh month these will gradually worsen and you may feel more discomfort than you have before. This is because there is so much action going on inside of your womb and your body is acting in accordance with that. Do not worry and consult your doctor if the discomfort becomes too intense.

As a result of the extra weight that you are carrying this will have a knock on effect with your back which will feel the stress of carrying your child. Your posture is not as rigid as it would have been prior to your pregnancy and so naturally your body has to adjust to this and your back is the area of your body which will feel the most strain. The only way to resurrect this problem is to try and maintain a straight composure when standing and sitting. Do not slouch or slump, but rather keep your back in a continual upright position, supported with cushions if necessary. Ensure that the mattress which you sleep on at night is firm, as a soft one will only aggravate the problem.

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Common Questions and Thoughts.

Common Questions and Thoughts.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions by mothers at this point in their pregnancy:

Q1. Why do I feel so breathless all of the time?

A1. Your diaphragm is the large flat muscle that helps you to breathe and when it goes into spasm this is when you experience what we call hiccups. When your uterus expands (which is does during pregnancy) it becomes so large that it actually presses up against your diaphragm making you feel as if you cannot get enough air into and out of the lungs; causing breathlessness.

Q2. How can I ease the discomfort?

A2. It will be easier to breathe if you keep in an upright position when sitting or standing, as this will allow your diaphragm more room within your body than if you are slumped over which will compact the amount of the room inside of you.

Q3. Why do I feel so guilty about being annoyed at being pregnant?

A3. There are so many changes happening to your body at this stage that you may be feeling guilty about being bored with being pregnant. At seven months gone you just want the pregnancy stage to be over and done with so that you can get on with being a mother. It’s natural to feel this way, especially if you are constantly experiencing discomfort through such things as swollen ankles, cramps, indigestion and backache. Don’t worry; you’re not alone in feeling this way.

Q4. Is it safe to make love when you are seven months pregnant?

A4. Not every pregnant mother is in the mood for making love when they are feeling like a bloated whale and have heartburn, but for those of you that are…it is perfectly safe to have intercourse while pregnant. If you feel uncomfortable about it or unsure, talk to your doctor who can advise you on the pros and cons of love making.

Q5. Can my baby hear me?

A5. Your baby can begin to hear noises and sounds from outside of the body at around 30 weeks. It has been proven that a fetus can distinguish its mother’s voice from that of anyone else that it hears. Although your baby may not being able to actually understand the words that are spoken, it has been advised that a mother sings, talks and reads to their child to familiarise them with outside world sounds and to establish a stronger bond between mother and child.

Q6. Is it necessary to have a birth plan?

A6. It is not necessary to have a birth plan, but they can help if you are stressing about the big day. A birth plan is essentially a list of what you need for the birth, labour and hospital stay. It is a good idea to have an understanding of what you want during the delivery as it will put your mind at ease if you have decided prior to the event how you want things to be organised.

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Stretch Marks

Unfortunately for most women pregnancy causes you to get stretch marks as your body is growing and expanding and consequently ‘stretches.’ These can occur around your breasts, belly, hips and inner and outer thighs; and are often red or dark pink in colour. Though these will remain with you after the birth you can try to reduce the visibility of them by using creams such as bio oil which has been proven to reduce the marks but unfortunately will not remove them forever.

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