41 weeks pregnant and labor doesn't start: what to do?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The designated date when the baby was supposed to be born has already been left behind, and you are still on demolition. Due to the fact that rarely anyone clearly knows when the conception occurred, it is not at all scary that the 41st week of pregnancy has gone and you have not given birth.

Fetal development

Your baby is fully prepared for the birth. Absolutely each of the available systems, as well as organs at 41 weeks of gestation, is well developed. That is, the baby is prepared to start life outside the womb.

Internal development. How do organs change?

Absolutely all organs such as kidneys, heart, liver and others function well without any obstacles. The lungs of the baby have accumulated enough surfactant, a substance that helps the lungs cope with the function of breathing. The intestines are filled with original feces, which must be released in the first days after delivery.

The development of the nervous system is suspended, as the continuation will be after the birth of the baby. The vocal cords get stronger. Soon the cries of the kid will attractmother's attention. The bones of the skull also harden, sometimes causing a woman's birth canal to tear during childbirth.

The membrane of the placenta, which separates the baby from the female body, weakens and becomes permeable, which makes it possible for the mother's blood to combine with the baby's blood. The baby receives female antibodies that help protect his body from various infections after childbirth. Similarly, the mother gives her own immune experience to the baby.

External development of the fetus. How does it change during this period?

At this time, the baby will look much prettier than a few months ago. Now generic lubrication is only in the most delicate places - in the armpits and groin. The fluff is gone, and the hair on the head and fingernails are growing. For this reason, it is not at all surprising when a child is born with good hair and regrown nails.

Children's forms become more round, but the cartilage of the ears is extremely dense. The baby adds at least 30 grams of fat per day. His skin is pink and smooth. The fetus at 41 weeks of gestation has already grown quite a lot and is completely uncomfortable in the stomach. For this reason, the baby periodically behaves quieter and makes very few movements. But still, you still have to feel at least ten thrusts daily.

If the child is absolutely not enough air, then his body movements and spasms periodically become stronger. This leads to bowel cleansing. In such a situation, meconium can enter the amniotic fluid. As a result, the latter take on a green color, and the baby cansimply shut up. In such a case, it is sometimes necessary to connect the child to a breathing apparatus.

Feelings of a woman at such a long time

41 week for any mother will pass only in strong anticipation of a speedy delivery. Often, only thoughts revolve in my head that the 41st week of pregnancy has already come, but the birth does not come. Still, if you are under the constant supervision of your own doctor, then there can be no worries and worries. Pregnancy will be shown as delayed if the 42nd occurs.

As a rule, only those women who carry their first child pass the milestone of 40 weeks. The cervix will be saturated with hormones and become less and less long and strong. The opening of the cervical canal also begins. There will be less amniotic fluid, and the work of the woman's body will only be aimed at preparing for the future process of childbirth.

Harbingers of childbirth. What signs to look out for?

There are main signs that indicate that the birth is close:

1. A large number of pregnant women will experience exercise contractions. Often they are accompanied by pain, as during menstruation.
2. The cork, which will block the entrance to the uterus, comes out just before the start of the birth process or a few weeks before it starts.
3. The belly drops a couple of weeks before the actual delivery process. The fact that he has already descended can be understood by less pressure directly on the stomach, lungs. Anothera sign of this is the disappearance of heartburn.
4. Before the baby is due, the body will get rid of excess fluid, which can lead to weight loss.
5. Expectant mother can see stains on clothes within the chest. This is the secret that comes out of the breasts. It is he who is the food for all newborns in the first days of life.
6. A growing baby puts a lot of pressure on the mother's stomach and forces her to go to the toilet often.
7. Such a process as the outflow of amniotic fluid is also shown as the most accurate sign of the onset of labor. For this reason, if there is any amount of colorless discharge on your underwear, you should take everything you need and go to the maternity hospital.

When several signs of the imminent birth of a child were noticed at the same time, it's not scary. Every woman's pregnancy is different. And a greater number of precursors may occur immediately before the onset of labor.

Stimulation at home. What methods are used in this case?

If the plug comes off at the 41st week of pregnancy, then it is worth believing that the birth is about to begin. Also, the doctor can send the patient for an ultrasound examination to understand how the body is ready for childbirth. Why are there no contractions when the body is ready? This may be the case with a still long cervix. Before the onset of childbirth, it must be short and softened. Also important is its discovery. When there is no such thing, the doctor sends the woman in labor to wait for the prescribedterm.

When the cervix is not yet ready, self-stimulation at 41 weeks pregnant can be useful. In this situation, at home, an active lifestyle, as well as sex with a spouse, will come to the aid of a woman. Many believe that this method perfectly prepares the uterus for birth and serves as natural stimulation. This is due to the fact that semen contains a high content of such a hormone as prostaglandin, which causes the body of a pregnant woman to speed up the process of childbirth.

It is possible to do a gentle massage of the nipples. With this procedure, oxytocin will be produced, which also has a positive effect on the development of labor.

Stimulation in the hospital. What methods and drugs are used in this case?

How to speed up labor at home is understandable, but what is used in the hospital? A woman in labor can be put on a drip with oxytocin. The drug "Mifepristone" has established itself as a means for good preparation of the uterus for childbirth. The onset of the birth process can begin with dizziness and even vomiting. When stimulation with drugs occurs, all the pain sensations in a woman will be very pronounced than during the natural passage of the process. Naturally, the question of accelerating labor will be decided only by a doctor.

In the process of preparation, the child's heartbeat is kept under strict control. For this reason, literally every hour a woman is prescribed CTG. It is according to the results of this procedure that it will be clear how to stimulate labor. When the preparation did not give the desired result, a caesarean section is often used.

It is also necessary in a situation where the child is large, and the mother has a very fragile physique, a narrow pelvis. Prostaglandins are sometimes used to speed up labor. The doctor will open the bubble where the waters are located and, naturally, there will be an outpouring of waters. Then the woman begins to understand that strong and frequent contractions begin. Laminaria stimulation is also used. They help to open the neck gradually and without injury.

If you are already 41 weeks pregnant, and there are no definite signs that labor will begin soon, do not worry.

In fact, there is still a specific preparation of the body and the child for the future birth. The baby is not obliged to "adapt" to medical calculations, since the specific date of conception is very rarely known.

It is also worth considering that doctors do not set the exact, but the estimated date of the future birth. The main task of a woman in labor is that she must avoid colds. If there is a sore throat and a runny nose, then it is worth immediately somehow starting treatment so that everything is fine right at the time of birth.

Always follow and listen to the advice of your doctors. Since they strive to preserve both the fetus and, of course, the mother's life.

How is the fetus located in the uterus?

With a well-progressing pregnancy, the baby will be along the uterus with his headway down. This makes it possible to comfortably follow the birth canal. When the baby is located in a transverse position or be head up, then the pregnancy, as practice shows, ends with a caesarean section.

To clarify the location of the child in the womb, an ultrasound is done at 41 weeks of pregnancy. When a baby with a low weight is expected, doctors can give the opportunity to go through natural childbirth. Moreover, even if there is a breech presentation. It is worth saying that when the 41st week of pregnancy comes up, and childbirth does not begin, the woman begins to worry. Because, as mentioned above, the child has reached a good development in order to be born.

The birth doesn't start. Should a pregnant woman be concerned?

It will be quite normal for the development of a new life to be completed when the baby is born at 40 weeks. However, sometimes things don't go according to schedule. Sometimes, on the contrary, you can meet some deviations from the due date. For example, the 41st week of pregnancy has already gone, but there are no signs of childbirth.

Absolutely every sign suggests that soon there will be childbirth. But still, there is no change from day to day. Doctors say that when the birth at 41 weeks of pregnancy is close, but there are no suspicious symptoms, then there should be no cause for concern.

The baby needs to be given a certain amount of time to prepare for birth. Because it's probably not over yet. It is worth saying that it is childbirth that is veryindividual process.

41 weeks pregnant. What to do in this case?

When at 41 weeks there are no signs that you will soon give birth, then the main tactic, at the first birth, will be waiting. It also happens that the 41st week of pregnancy has not yet ended, but the birth has begun. There may also be pulling pains in the lower abdomen, not very pleasant sensations in the coccyx, as well as leakage of water.

Yet, if you are expecting your first baby, then similar characteristic signs of childbirth at 41 weeks of gestation may occur long before it. For this reason, there is no point in going to the hospital before systematic contractions. When a woman is not having her first childbirth, then she needs to be ready to go to the maternity hospital at absolutely any moment. Since the signs can appear just a few hours before the birth of the child.

For those who give birth not for the first time, 41 weeks of pregnancy is not an indicator. Since all processes are faster and it is better to be prepared in advance for sending to the maternity hospital.

What can be discharge at 41 weeks. What are they pointing to?

When everything goes well, by the 41st week of pregnancy, vaginal discharge may increase. At the same time, their consistency will become slimy. It is worth saying that discharge at 41 weeks of gestation can be yellowish, creamy or pink. In some situations, they look like clear-colored mucus. Such discharge will indicate that the mucous plug is leaving, which "clogged" the cervix. Sometimes she leavesin small parts. But it happens that it comes out entirely in the form of a single thick lump of mucus.

If there are still worries that you are 41 weeks pregnant, and childbirth does not begin, then know that the main sign of an early delivery will be the discharge of the cork.

If, on the presented date, discharge began to appear that did not have a very pleasant smell, unnatural color and texture, then you should think that an infection may have appeared in the birth canal. If discharges of this type were found, then the expectant mother is obliged to go immediately to an appointment with the attending physician. The doctor will tell you how to act correctly at 41 weeks of pregnancy, what to do if there is an infection. The doctor, knowing about this situation, will be able to prescribe the necessary treatment as soon as possible. Such a condition can be dangerous only because a woman may simply not have time to cure infections before the onset of childbirth, and the child will already pass through the infected pathways.

The occurrence of discharge at 41 weeks of pregnancy, which will be accompanied by blood clots, speaks only of placental abruption. This situation is very dangerous for the he alth and life of not only the mother, but also the child. For this reason, when a woman sees such discharge in herself, she is obliged to go to the maternity hospital as soon as possible.

Small conclusion

In any case, it is best to follow all the requirements of the doctor who guides you from the very first days of pregnancy. To avoid troubleit is necessary to take the prescribed drugs, go to important examinations, and also take all the tests in due time. In such a situation, nothing will threaten the he alth of the mother and baby. Since all deviations in the development of pregnancy will immediately be noticeable and eliminated. The main thing that is important for any doctor is the he alth of the mother and her future baby, who will be born very soon.