The 40th week of pregnancy marks, as a general rule, the end of the pregnancy. This means that the time of delivery is imminent and you will finally be able to meet your baby after these nine months of waiting. However, some pregnancies continue beyond week 40. When it exceeds 42, it is known as postterm or prolonged.
At this time you should pay special attention to the baby’s movements, contractions and any indication that you are going to give birth and you must go to the hospital. Take advantage of these days to review your birth plan, place the car seat in the car and have a bag with everything you need for you, your baby and your companion on hand.
At birth, babies usually weigh between 2.5 and 4 kilos, as well as measure between 45 and 50 centimeters. In the final stretch of pregnancy, it continues to gain fat and grow, so that it has less and less space to move inside the uterus. Precisely because of this, you may notice him less intensely and the doctor will ask you to record his movements in order to check that everything is going well.
If it has not yet been positioned head down, the doctor may try to turn it with extrauterine maneuvers or assess the need for a scheduled cesarean section. Since the pregnancy reaches term, in week 37, you will be ordered to go periodically for fetal monitoring with which the heart rate of the child is monitored.
His liver, brain and lungs are still developing, but he is ready to breathe easily when he comes into the world. His bones have hardened except for the skull, which remains soft and flexible to better descend through the birth canal.
Back pain and pressure in the pelvic area will persist. As well as swelling of the hands, legs and feet and cramps. Snoring could be added to the list of symptoms. You will also need to go to the bathroom frequently and you will witness small urine losses, which should not be confused with a rupture of the amniotic bag.
You may expel the mucous plug, with a viscous texture and a light or pink color, even with a little blood. Its function is to protect the uterus from infections and bacteria during pregnancy. In addition to the aforementioned fetal monitoring, another diagnostic test that is usually performed in the final stretch of pregnancy is an examination of the cervix to monitor dilation.
You should go to the hospital in the presence of contractions at regular intervals, increasingly intense, painful and frequent. Also if your water breaks, you observe bleeding similar to or greater than that of menstruation or you have not felt the baby’s movements for a long time.
