Ninth month of pregnancy

The last month of pregnancy has come. It will be one of the most difficult, because the child is big and it becomes difficult for mom to carry it under her heart. Everything around is literally saturated with impatient anticipation - parents, relatives, family friends and a prepared children's room await the appearance of the baby. If it's not ready yet, it's time to finish cooking.

Features:

The ninth month of pregnancy closes the last, third trimester. Childbirth can occur on any day, since only about 5% of all births occur on the estimated date (the same PDD), the rest occur from week 38 to week 42 Anytime.

The month includes several final obstetric weeks: 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 weeks. From the 37th week of pregnancy, delivery is considered urgent and the baby will not be premature.

Fetal development

From the beginning of the 9th month, the baby begins large-scale preparation for the upcoming birth. For him, this process will also become a serious test, because passing through the birth canal is not at all such an easy task as it might seem. The processes that are now taking place in the child's body will contribute to its adaptation to a new environment after birth: to a new type of respiration, to the absence of a water environment, to a different temperature, as well as to the abundance of microbes and viruses that inhabit our world.

Babies sink lower, press their head against the exit from the uterus. This is their prelaunch position. The pressure of the head on the internal os of the cervix stimulates its maturation and opening, brings the moment of birth closer. At the same time, it becomes easier for mom to breathe, because the uterus does not press so much on the diaphragm, heartburn disappears, but urination becomes more frequent.

The child is grouped, presses his chin to his chest, folds his arms, presses his legs, it is in this position that he will begin to be born when the time comes. It is worth considering some of the features of each week of the ninth month of pregnancy.

Week 36

At this time, the baby reaches a weight of 3 kilograms. We are talking about the average kid, because now all the crumbs are very different: there are large ones, the weight of which has exceeded 3 kilograms, there are miniature ones, the weight of which is within 2.7 kilograms. Both are normal if the child does not have hypotrophy, and the lungs are sufficiently mature. These two factors will ensure his survival if he is born right now. Children also grew up in different ways, the average height at this time is 46-49 centimeters.

Most children no longer have lanugo (thin hair on the skin of the body), the grease is preserved only in the skin folds, where mechanical friction is possible: groin folds, popliteal folds, elbow folds and cervical folds. If lanugo is still partially preserved, there is nothing pathological in this - even if the baby is born "fluffy", the hair will fall out by itself during the first weeks of life.

There is no need to treat or facilitate this.

All the bones of the child have become strong, dense, have stored a sufficient amount of calcium. Movable and soft as long as only the bones of the skull remain, but it should be so - the baby will have to go through the narrow birth canal head first, and if the bones are too strong and cannot adapt to the situation, then the baby may get stuck.

At this time, children have a luxurious manicure - for the first time in the period of intrauterine development, the nail plates begin to protrude beyond the phalanges. The child, if he is born now, will still be premature, but the degree of prematurity will be defined as the mildest, most of which does not require resuscitation.

37 week

From this week, the fetus begins to add 40-50 grams per day. The tuning of the senses begins - the sensors have to do a huge job of starting the adaptive mechanisms of the brain after the baby is born. Everything is ready for this in his body.

The lung tissue of most babies is already matureable to provide normal spontaneous breathing. A newborn at this time will not be considered premature, he still looks like a newborn. The baby does not move much - it has become too crowded in the uterus for active movement, but often hiccups - it is believed that this is how children rehearse the respiratory reflex, which is already fully formed, and also "tune" the digestive system - soon food will not come through the blood, but through the esophagus ...

Children sleep a lot, have dreams. What they dream about, medicine is not known for certain, but studies have shown that the phase of REM sleep predominates, which made it possible to draw a conclusion about dreams.

38 week

About a third of women give birth this week. This is a normal, urgent delivery that does not cause fear among doctors and should not frighten a woman. The child has grown heavy on average, children now weigh from 3.3 to 3.6 kilograms with a height of 50-52 centimeters.

At this time, only 2% of boys have testicles not descending into the scrotum, but there is still time. Amniotic fluid has become even less, which gives a woman an unforgettable experience - albeit rare, but very significant tremors and kicks from the inside. The position in which the baby is in the womb is final.

And if the baby has not turned head down, then the doctors are trying to carry out a cesarean section in order to reduce the risks of birth injuries for the baby and his mother.

39 week

The vast majority of pregnant women give birth this week. The child is completely ready for life outside the mother's womb, it remains to wait until the maternal organism is ready. The baby diligently helps the mother: the placenta produces oxytocin, which, having accumulated in sufficient concentration, forms the generic dominant and stimulates contractions and uterine contractions. If the cervix is immature, at this time the woman may be offered hospitalization in order to prepare the cervix in the hospital for the opening and birth of a baby.

Most of the planned cesarean section operations, for which a woman has medical indications, is carried out this week, so as not to wait for the independent onset of labor.

40 week

While the mother suffers in anticipation of the day of birth, the baby suffers from tightness. It is very difficult for him to move, the walls of the uterus quite tightly cover the fetal bladder, in which very little water remains. The placenta is rapidly aging and losing function, and therefore oxygen starvation of the baby may occur. In most cases, the child's body is already strong enough to activate compensatory mechanisms and help the baby to wait out the days remaining before birth in difficult conditions without harm to health.

Since the child is cramped, he experiences certain stress, and therefore in a small child's body, a stress hormone is produced - adrenaline... Now he is also helping mom. Adrenaline increases the production of oxytocin, and the mother's body begins to prepare more intensively for childbirth.

Woman's well-being

The ninth month for the expectant mother is filled not only with a variety of sensations of all shades and nuances, but also with anxious expectation. Bags in the hospital are collected and stand in the most conspicuous place, the phone is always charged and at hand. Now it's better not to go far from home, but when leaving, do not forget to put your passport and exchange card in your purse - labor can start anywhere and in any way. Having documents with you will significantly facilitate the task of getting to the maternity hospital you have chosen in advance.

Stirring

The child's movements become rare, but their rate remains the same - at least ten episodes of activity in 12 hours... Now it is important to monitor movements and their nature with great attention. Slowing down the pace can be a sign of a severe and uncompensated state, the child's suffering, and sharp and frequent movements, painful for the mother, may indicate that hypoxia has just begun.

In both cases, you need to go to the doctor as soon as possible.

Often women notice that, closer to childbirth, the movements almost completely disappear and regard this as a harbinger of childbirth. But you have to be prudent. A doctor's consultation doesn't hurt.

Stomach

The uterus reaches its peak. It is located almost in the area of the entire abdominal region, which causes tightness and dysfunction of other organs - pressure on the bladder leads to frequent urination, while urine leakage can provoke both coughing and laughter. Pressure on the bile ducts leads to diarrhea, and on the intestines and lower veins - to varicose veins, constipation and hemorrhoids.

A small belly does not mean at all that there is a small fetus in the womb, the child can be positioned with its face and arms-legs towards the mother's intestines, and then the bellies really look much neater. For the most part, there are no small bellies at the end of the third trimester.

Back hurts due to the huge and heavy uterus and fetal pressure, it hurts small of the back because of the shifted center of gravity, hurt legs, knees... The sensations are not the most pleasant, but understandable. Preparing, softening and opening the cervix can be accompanied by what women describe as "tingling inside."

Psychological state

The hormonal background is changing rapidly. Progesterone is being replaced by estrogens, relaxin, oxytocin, and prolactin. This burning "cocktail" eventually launches the generic process, but beforehand, in the course of preparing the body for this important moment, it affects the mental state - the woman becomes very anxious, vulnerable, whiny... Therefore, family scandals and scenes in the last month are not uncommon.

A woman needs a special attitude from her relatives and her husband, she needs attention and participation. Not receiving them, she becomes irritable. The hormonal background and stress leave an imprint on the nature of sleep - very often insomnia occurs in the last month. Disturbed night sleep is also associated with the inconvenience of side-to-side flips.

The left and right sides are the only acceptable and possible sleeping positions shortly before childbirth.

Weight gain

The woman's body begins to get rid of excess fluid, which has been diligently accumulating progesterone "for a rainy day". therefore weight may decrease, usually lose weight by the end of the month by 2-3 kilograms. The placenta becomes easier, there is less water in the fetal bladder, all this, one way or another, affects the fact that the woman becomes lighter.

Pathological weight gain during this period may indicate gestosis. It does not necessarily have external edema (swelling of the legs, arms, face), sometimes late toxicosis is manifested by internal edema, which is even more dangerous. That is why now you need to eat as little salt as possible, and weigh yourself as regularly as possible. Despite the reduction in weight, the skin is stretched to the limit, therefore in the abdomen and mammary glands, severe itching may be observed.

Pubic bone

Many expectant mothers at this time have pain in the pelvic bones - they disperse under the action of relaxin, a hormone that softens the ligaments and pelvic bones. Such a mechanism was not invented by wise nature by chance - it will help to give birth to a child easier. But now it is important to ensure that the pain is moderate. If it becomes impossible to walk, stand, sit, roll over, you should inform your doctor.

It is possible that there is symphysitis, and in that case, a caesarean section may be prescribed in order to prevent injury to the pelvic bones of the woman in labor. "Shoots" in the pelvis and pelvic bones, which happen from time to time, are a sign of nerve endings being squeezed by a big baby.

Allocations

Discharge from the genital tract becomes a little more than before, and now you need to be very careful about them. Discharge is considered normal. light, transparent, free of impurities... Brown ones can talk about problems with the placenta, green ones - about infection, whites with itching and smell of yeast - about thrush. Any abnormal discharge is a reason for an immediate visit to the doctor. All infections and malfunctions should be treated before labor starts so that there are no risks of infection of the baby when it passes through the birth canal.

Separation of mucus in chunks or in a large clot with blood or brown streaks - discharge of the mucous plug, which closed the cervical canal throughout the entire period of bearing the baby. This is a sign that labor is approaching. The presence of watery discharge may well be a leakage of amniotic fluid.

A woman needs to go to the doctor right away to get a referral for hospitalization.

When to go to the hospital?

This is the main question that worries the expectant mother. If a woman gives birth for the first time, she is doubly afraid to overlook and miss the signs of labor. Let's calm down right away - it's impossible to see this in principle. Here is a list of situations in which you should go to the maternity hospital:

rhythmic contractions of the uterus began (the uterus tenses, the lower back grasps and releases about once every 10 minutes) - these are full-fledged labor pains, you can safely go to give birth;
the water left (immediately or in parts) - we do not wait for contractions and go to the hospital;
bloody discharge appeared - we do not wait for water or contractions, we call the ambulance and go to the maternity hospital.

Today, there are many smartphone apps that can help you count your contractions at the slightest suspicion that labor has begun. But you should not rely on them completely - measure the time and regularity yourself, using an ordinary watch with a stopwatch. When you call an ambulance, inform:

Your age;
gestational age;
symptoms: frequency of contractions, duration of each;
color and approximate amount of amniotic fluid, if they have departed;
what are the births.

This will help the medics to quickly find out what stage of labor you are in and get you to the obstetric facility sooner.

Recommendations

The generic process largely depends on the behavior of a woman in the last month: excitement, stress, fear increase muscle clamps at the physical level, and therefore the maturation of the cervix slows down, it becomes difficult to open, childbirth takes longer and more painful. Help to prepare correctly for childbirth the following recommendations:

practice breathing and muscle exercises recommended in the methods of "Childbirth without pain and fear", in order to start using them from the very beginning of the labor process;
move more, walk, do all possible housework - this contributes to the maturation of the cervix.

Traveling by air is no longer strongly recommended - pressure drops can trigger the onset of labor on board the aircraft. But sex is not forbidden, but only on condition that there are no complications of pregnancy. With multiple pregnancies, IVF pregnancies, any complications, as well as after the passage of the plug and leakage of water, sex is prohibited.

Sex is often recommended when pregnancy is prolonged, because semen contains natural prostaglandins that help soften the cervix, and orgasm may well trigger the process of childbirth. But there are also the above limitations.

Important! After the cork is removed, you cannot take a bath - you can only take a shower while standing.

Let's take a look at some more useful tips.

Teeth can be treated, but with great care. If it is possible to postpone dental procedures, it is better to postpone them to the postpartum period.
Temperature, acute respiratory viral infections, colds, chickenpox, flu are no longer dangerous for the child, but they can complicate the situation of the mother - with signs of the disease, they will be put in the maternity hospital only in the observational department (infectious diseases).
Try not to eat foods with high allergenicity in the last weeks, so as not to provoke a tendency to allergies in the child - tangerines, oranges and seafood are now prohibited. Products of moderate allergenicity should be limited to a minimum.
Alcohol (even champagne and beer) is prohibited, as is coffee. They can stimulate the onset of labor when the cervix is not fully matured, which can lead to injury to the birth canal and the baby. You can only drink pure drinking water and herbal tea.
It is not recommended to dye your hair, do a perm, or build nails in the last month - the placenta is already too thin and may not contain toxic substances that are contained in hair dyes, solutions and manicure products.