Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

-Just 1 More Week to Go!

Now that you are 39 weeks pregnant, you will be happy to know that child birth after the 38^th week is totally normal and also healthy for both – you and your baby.

Since the baby is pretty much occupying the entire space available inside the uterus, he or she will feel crowded and compelled, and want to come out.

Clumsier times

You may feel overwhelmed by the expectation and in the same time more and more tired. If so far you were clumsy, prepare to be even clumsier. This is why nobody expects you to do anything. Be a relaxed mommy-to-be and you will have a smooth baby delivery.

During pregnancy week 39, you won’t observe any major changes in you and your developing baby. Here is what you might expect to happen.

39^th week of pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body

Just think for a moment about how to handle the pain during labor. The simple answer is better practice of breathing techniques.

Remember that you will experience some physical signs before the labor begins:

• You will lose the mucus plug sometime before the labor sets in.
• The water will break as the membranes break.
• Before you feel the contractions, you will observe some brown-red colored discharge from your vagina.

Avoid digestive issues

Probably, you feel very large and very uncomfortable during the 39th week of pregnancy.

Heartburn and constipation are the two most common physical complaints that you experience when you are 39 weeks pregnant. Psyllium and water can help in relieving the constipation. Try to eat small quantities whenever you eat so that you can avoid heartburn.

Don’t go for large meals and don’t eat anything just before going to the bed. Also sleep with your head elevated so that it can give some relief from heartburn.

How can you monitor your baby?

Usually, the flow of oxygenated blood to the placenta is somewhat slowed when your uterus starts contracting. This however is a natural process and should not be a cause of worry for you and your newborn. Sometimes however babies undergo something called ‘fetal distress’. This happens when the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck or some other problem in the uterus occurs.

Your health care provider will monitor the baby’s heart rate throughout your labor using external or internal fetal monitoring systems. If in case your doctor selects the internal monitoring system then that means the doctor is looking for a more accurate reading.

In case the doctor is using the external fetal monitoring system then it is nothing but a belt which is strapped to your abdomen with a receiver attached, which detects your baby’s heart rate much similar to a Doppler ultrasound.

Last wave of pregnancy mood swings

You will also probably start experiencing multiple mood swings in the 39th week of pregnancy which may vary from elated to worried, or tired and excited. You should however keep in mind that your mood swings will continue even post delivery. These mood swings after delivery are called ‘Post Partum Depression’.

Care you need to take when you are in week 39 pregnancy

No significant changes and nothing but waiting is what pretty much expects you in pregnancy 39 weeks. In spite of the fact that you are considered at term if the delivery is not happening during this week, you must be aware that you have nothing to do with it happening or not. So there is no purpose to stress about it.

Also being prepared for the great event might bring certain questions along the way. With all the information available online and offline and all the people advising you or telling you about how the delivery will go on it is best to keep a positive attitude.

You should remember that every woman is unique and no two births are alike.

Changes that occur in the fetus when you are 39 weeks pregnant

By this week, your baby is about the size of 21.5 inches long and weighs up to 7 pounds. By 39 weeks pregnancy, your baby already looks like a new born.

The development of all the internal organs of your 39 week fetus will be completed and the baby is absolutely ready to enter into the outside world. You won’t find any ‘lanugo’ on your baby’s body except on the back and shoulders.

• There might be some changes in your baby’s heart rate.
• Your baby is now unable to move as there is not much room inside your tummy.
• Fingernails now extend beyond the baby’s fingertips.
• The baby can hold the limbs well contracted and his/her chest is prominent with the tissues below the nipples.
• If the baby is a boy, the testes are in the scrotum or clear in the inguinal canals.
• The production of surfactant is increased by this week and the lungs are getting mature.
• Your baby’s body continues to lie on the fat storage in its body to be able to regulate its body temperature after birth.

Preparing for labor in 39 weeks pregnancy

Do you know about the procedure named as episiotomy? Basically, this is the method in which an incision is made between your vagina and anus. Most of the practitioners claim that the procedure helps to avoid severe splitting when the baby comes into the world.

If you don’t want to have this procedure, then perineal massage will greatly help you in stretching this sensitive area before labor so that you can give birth with little tearing.

Medically induced birth

The medically induced birth is something all pregnant women should consider especially if the pregnancy is at term and the baby does not show any sign of readiness to step into the world.

It is wise to consider the option just in case because the doctors will not allow a delay longer than two weeks.

Find out what to expect when you are 40 weeks pregnant.

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