Menu
At this time, the state of pregnancy is nearing completion. You are just days or weeks away from giving birth. Labor becomes possible at any moment. And if labor begins and resolves, the baby will no longer be considered premature at this time and will be born with a normal weight for a newborn.
The baby-to-be weighs just over three kilograms at this point. For the rest of the time before delivery, the fetal body will accumulate fat. From time to time, the expectant mother may experience rhythmic jolts inside the abdomen. This is due to the fact that under begins to hiccup. The future baby is already taking the final position before delivery, which the specialist can determine when groping the pregnant woman’s abdomen. In most cases, the baby is turned head down. But breech presentation is also possible.
The sensations of a pregnant woman, which are harbingers of future labor, are different in first labor than in repeat labor.
First-borns may feel that heartburn has gone, breathing is much easier, nausea has receded and the abdomen has dropped lower into the pelvis. Due to the increased pressure of the uterus on the bladder, during this period the pregnant woman has more frequent urination.
If a pregnant woman becomes anxious during this period because of a noticeable decrease in the number and strength of fetal movements, she may be recommended to undergo cardiotocography.
Sometimes during this period, the baby begins to move actively. One of the reasons for this may be polyhydramnios, which increases the space for movements. And the very strokes inside the abdomen of a pregnant woman can become not only more sensitive, but sometimes quite painful. At the same time, it is important to find out if the future baby is not lacking oxygen.
The precursors of labor in repeat births look different from those in first births. The birth canal of a second birth requires less time to prepare than that of a first birth, so second births are more likely to occur during this period, in the thirty-eighth week of pregnancy. If the plug begins to come out in pieces of mucus, they are usually odorless.