Those Last Few Weeks
Excitement builds as you enter your third trimester of pregnancy (weeks 29 to 40). Taking classes is a good way to learn about labor, delivery, and baby care. Like most women you will have decisions to make before labor begins. Talk to your partner, family, and health care provider about your choices. Reading this information can also help as you prepare for the birth.
Stay Healthy
Now, more than ever, keep up the healthy lifestyle you've started. Do your best to stay active and exercise. Eat good foods that will nourish you and your baby. Get informed about what to expect. Then you can plan ahead.
Plan Ahead
Once labor starts, your life will change quickly. So take time now to think about the following:
Childbirth Classes
Look for classes that teach the process of labor and delivery. Classes should also help you learn how to relax during birth.
Where to Give Birth
Some hospitals have birth centers or birth rooms. These have a more homelike setting than standard labor rooms. Ask your health care provider which may be best for you.
Anesthesia Options
Labor pain can be controlled in many ways. Talk to your health care provider about the types of anesthesia available.
Other Decisions
Will you breastfeed? Bottlefeed? If you have a boy, do you want him to be circumcised? Discuss your views with your partner and your health care provider.
Your Body Prepares
Labor is the series of uterine contractions that dilate (open) and efface (thin) your cervix for birth. Your due date is a guide to when labor will begin, but babies often come days or weeks before or after due dates. Even so, labor need not take you by surprise. In the last weeks of pregnancy, you or your healthcare provider may notice changes that mean labor is near.
Changes in Your Body
Physical changes often signal that your baby will soon be born:
-
Discharge from your vagina may increase and become thicker. You may notice a pink or brownish discharge called the bloody show.
-
The mucous plug may break down over a few weeks or all at once. Losing the plug doesn't mean that labor will start right away.
-
You may feel Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor). These irregular contractions start to soften and thin the cervix. Many women mistake these contractions for true labor.
|
Your Baby Moves into Position
As your body prepares for labor, your health care provider may talk about "position and station." Position is your baby's placement in the uterus (facing left or right, head first, or feet first). Station refers to how far your baby has moved down (descended) into the pelvic cavity. If this is your first pregnancy, the baby may descend ("drop") 2 to 4 weeks before birth. With later pregnancies, this may not happen until labor begins. The baby most often descends head first.