Your entire pregnancy journey has been a mixture of physical as well as emotional changes. With each passing stage of your pregnancy, you look forward to holding your baby in your arms.
When you enter your 39th or 40th week of pregnancy, it is time to bring your baby into your world.
But, there is even a possibility after the 39th or 40th week, your baby may not show any signs of coming out of your womb. You may feel anxious about this stage of your pregnancy, but when you visit the doctor, you’ll feel like there’s nothing to worry about. They might want to stay in there a little longer!
You are over 40u week and entered 41St. You are late.
About 5 out of 100 babies may be delayed (after birth) and this is completely normal.
However, you should still be aware of the changes that will occur in you and the life you nurture within you.
How your baby changes in your 41st week of pregnancy
It looks like your baby has chosen the checkout late. But your baby is growing at this stage. So, when you visit your healthcare professional at this stage, the doctor will run some tests on you. Thus, these tests include:
- Counting fetal movements to monitor fetal movement – the kicks and the kicks
- The non-stress test combined with a biophysical profile to check the health of the fetal heart (See if the fetal heart rate increases) and to see the overall health of the baby
- Ultrasound to get a clear picture of your baby’s tissues, organs and blood vessels.
- The Doppler flow study is to see if the fetus is developing normally inside the uterus. The Doppler test along with ultrasound waves measures the blood flow of the developing baby.
These tests will further guide you to the various other internal and external physical details of your baby. The changes are as follows:
Your baby’s size and weight
By this week, your baby is fully developed. The baby is about 48-56 cm long and weighs about 3.2-4.1 kg. This is quite impressive. Is not; They can be slightly larger than a pumpkin or watermelon. If you happen to deliver your baby now, chances are your baby will be older than gestational age.
The Baby’s Skin
Even two weeks ago, the fetus was covered with vernix (the waxy coating that protects the skin in the amniotic fluid). By this week, your baby has grown quite a bit and shed most of the vernix. After the vernix is shed, your baby’s skin will appear rough, dry, sensitive, flaky and wrinkled. (If your baby is born this week, the hospital staff will give him his first bath to wash off the remaining vernix coating. Within a few days your newborn will look chubby) The skin will also change color in this stage. It will be pink or red in color.
The baby’s physical changes
The baby’s head or skull was soft enough to push through the birth canal, ready to make a move out of your womb. But, at this stage, the bones of the skull have become hard. (If you happen to give birth at this stage, doctors will need additional medical tools to pull the baby out) The baby’s hair (part of the skull or head) has become thick and coarse. As for the development of your baby’s other organs, at this stage, the nervous system, lungs, brain and other circulatory systems have matured and are ready to be born.
After all, both you and your baby are getting ready for the biggest moment of your life.
How your body and mind change at 41St Week of your pregnancy?
While preparing for the “Big Day,” the baby’s endocrine system is responsible for sending signals to the placenta to release hormones to trigger labor.
The onset of labor can be physically and emotionally uncomfortable for you at this stage. But you can’t deny that either. (Even during labor, your baby will release stress hormones to help it survive outside your womb.)
However, you may have pregnancy discomforts at week 41 just like in the previous weeks of your pregnancy, which you should be aware of.
So, the changes you can see in yourself inside and out at this stage of your pregnancy are:
Discomfort and pain in the pelvic area and lower back
Your baby has grown healthy now and has fallen towards the birth canal, making you feel the pressure and excruciating pain in your vagina, cervix and bladder. You will feel a dull pain in the back.
Frequent visits to the bathroom
Since your baby has descended into your pelvic area with its head in the bladder, the bladder pressure will increase and thus make you feel the urge to visit the bathroom quite often. That being said, your urge to pee will be greater than before. Even if you sneeze, there are chances of leaking.
Hemorrhoids (piles)
Due to the weight of the baby in the pelvic and rectal area, you may experience painful hemorrhoids or piles. According to research, 40% of women during pregnancy suffer from hemorrhoids and anal stretch marks.
Dilation and effacement of the cervix
As the baby gradually makes its way out of the womb, opening and thinning the cervix, your provider will do an internal exam to check how much the cervix has dilated (opened) and effaced (thinned). For some of you, cervical ripening is a slow process, however, for some of you it can happen overnight.
Water splitting
This is the onset of labor. Sometimes there is only a slow leak or a large stream of fluid coming out. During pregnancy, a fetus is kept safe and protected by amniotic fluid. When labor begins, the amniotic membrane breaks. You may need to contact your doctor immediately if you notice this. As you may need to give birth very soon. In the hospital, the doctor will be able to recognize the stages of labor – Active, Transitional and Full Dilation. (See at 40u week to check the stages of labor). When the pain becomes unbearable for you, the doctor may also apply anesthesia and epidural pressure to make the area feel numb.
Enlarged breasts and leakage of colostrum
During your pregnancy, the breasts develop and by the end of the pregnancy journey, the breasts begin to leak colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk when you hold the newborn in your arms.
Along with the aforementioned changes, you may feel bloated, hot, tired as well as stressed, anxious and sleep deprived (pregnancy insomnia is common throughout) before you welcome your baby into your world. You may even get the nesting instinct or feel like cleaning. But, after your baby has arrived, your breathing will become easier than before.
Why should labor be induced at this stage of your pregnancy and how?
In some cases, labor may start naturally, however, in other cases, the healthcare professional may use medical and natural methods to induce labor as the baby takes its time to leave your womb.
The doctor may also recommend an induction procedure with you and your baby’s mental and physical health in mind. If labor does not occur, the placenta that is responsible for developing the fetus may not be working properly.
- The various methods of induction of medical delivery are:
- Administering oxytocin (This will help induce labor within 30 minutes)
- The doctor may also give you prostaglandin gel to help you start contractions easily.
- The natural methods of inducing labor
The time to go into labor depends on how your body is going to respond to labor induction methods. So, take it easy while you wait for your labor to start and don’t forget the healthy remedies to deal with this week’s pregnancy symptoms.
- Stay active so you don’t have to wait too long for labor to start. Keep doing Kegels if you can. This will keep the labor pain less. Brisk walking can also help. Also, find relief from hemorrhoid pain with a sitz bath.
- Being intimate with your partner. Also, let your partner understand your impending labor feelings and enlist all your desires as you go into labor.
- Getting an acupuncture can be a relief
- There is no miracle meal to induce labor, but you can eat anything spicy to induce labor
- Try to rest as much as possible. After all, you will need a lot of energy for labor, as well as for the birth of your baby.
- Keep hospital bags packed. Don’t forget to carry the cord blood collection kit in your bag if you have decided to store your baby’s precious cord blood stem cells in the cord blood bank of your choice. They help treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases.
As you cross your 40th week of pregnancy and enter your 41st week, it’s understandable that your stress and tension will increase. This is especially the case when you are about to become a mother for the first time. However, it is essential to have a fixed appointment with your doctor for induction of labour. Also, keeping busy can be with online shopping and group chats about your baby, and educating yourself about this last stage of pregnancy and postpartum can be very helpful. I hope you have a stress free delivery and give birth to a healthy baby.
