38 week of pregnancy: what happens in the body of the mother and fetus?

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

The last weeks of pregnancy can be both the time of the birth of the baby and the reason to go to the hospital for preservation. Most women give birth in the last weeks, that is, in the middle of the ninth month. There is nothing wrong with this, although many have to wait for the 40th week for the long-awaited meeting with the child. Staying at 38 weeks, worrying about premature birth is no longer worth it. The baby is fully formed and ready to be born, so if contractions start, you need to calmly pack up and go to the hospital.

Definition of 38 weeks

This period can be called the finish line in bearing a baby. 38 weeks is eight and a half months of pregnancy. A woman at this time, usually, begins to feel the approach of childbirth. Groundless fear disappears, it becomes hard to lie down, sleep, I want to give birth and see my child as soon as possible. Also at this time, the so-called “nesting” instinct begins to manifest itself intensely. The expectant mother wants to put her house in order, wash everything, iron it andprepare for the arrival of a new little resident.

Body signals

The next hormonal restructuring begins to occur in the body. The level of oxytocin rises, and progesterone, on the contrary, decreases. Vivacity appears and mood improves. Many women note that this period of bearing a baby is the most vivid and emotional.

At the 38th week of pregnancy, the stomach drops, as the baby begins to press its head tightly against the mother's pelvic bones. From this, a woman may often want to go to the toilet, since the bladder is under constant pressure. The baby at this time begins to actively respond to the sounds of voice and touch to the stomach. The movements of the legs and arms can be clearly seen by the stretching of the skin. But the baby does not move so often. This is due to the fact that in the penultimate month the uterus is no longer so spacious.

Signs of week 38

The main and tangible sign of the 38th week of pregnancy is the increase in training contractions, which are slightly painful from time to time. Some women in a panic begin to consider them signs of an approaching birth. However, this is not the case at all.

A child at 38 weeks of gestation becomes heavy, begins to put a lot of pressure on the pelvis of the expectant mother. From this, a pubic divergence may arise. This happens when the ligament of the pubic bones becomes soft and a gap of up to 1 centimeter appears in its place. This deviation is not normal and requires immediate treatment.

Back at 38 weeksbegins to tire more and more of the heavy burden. The lower back suffers the most. In the evenings, a pregnant woman may feel aching pain in the coccyx area. So that the pain syndrome does not torment much, it is necessary to rest more often, arranging hours of rest for yourself during the day. A relaxing massage of the back and legs will have a beneficial effect on well-being.

The symptoms of the 38th week of pregnancy can also affect the functioning of the stomach. Because of its squeezing, a woman can be accompanied by heartburn and frequent belching. Do not panic and limit yourself to your favorite food, because these are just the consequences of the last weeks of gestation. If desired, you can only exclude too spicy and sour foods from the diet.

What happens to a woman

At this stage of pregnancy, the body is actively preparing for future childbirth. The cervix begins to harden and soften. A harbinger of childbirth at 38 weeks of gestation can be a sharp disclosure. Before childbirth, the uterus becomes completely soft and opens by 2 centimeters. Labor activity is accompanied by opening up to 10 centimeters.

The level of hormones in the blood of a woman is actively changing. Estrogen rises, so the body may begin to swell. Doctors do not see anything dangerous in the swelling of the ankles and hands. The only reasons for concern can be swelling of the internal organs, which will make themselves felt in poor he alth and weakness.

Any pain in the 38th week of pregnancy can be a signal for excitement. For a woman, gestosis can become a threat. Therefore, with a rapid set of excess weight, you can be under the supervision of a doctor. Toto avoid late toxicosis, you must not miss a visit to the gynecologist and do tests on time.

Danger signs at 38 weeks

Among the usual harmless symptoms, a woman may also have dangerous signs. They are considered a threat to the bearing and he alth of the expectant mother. The most dangerous of them is sudden vomiting, accompanied by severe swelling throughout the body. Unexplained nausea can be a sign of preeclampsia. If your stomach hurts at 38 weeks of pregnancy, you need to urgently go to the doctor.

Some women in the penultimate month of pregnancy are diagnosed with placental abruption. The diagnosis is made due to its low location, which is accompanied by blood discharge. The appearance of blood is an immediate reason to go to the hospital as soon as possible for further examination by a doctor. Bloody discharge at 38 weeks pregnant is dangerous. If you delay and take it lightly, you can endanger not only the life of the child, but also the woman herself.

Too active fetal movement or vice versa, lack of movement is a reason to go for an ultrasound procedure. Such extremes are not the norm and should therefore be carefully examined by a physician. Only the expectant mother can subtly feel the condition of her baby, therefore, when strange signs appear, it is better to go to the hospital once again than miss a symptom of something serious.

Fetal development at 38 weeks

The weight of a child is on average about 3 kg, and the height is about 50 cm. The normal weight of the fetus iskey to a successful birth. It affects the process itself, as well as the condition of the mother and baby after. If the baby is large, and even with a breech presentation, the doctor prescribes a caesarean section. A heavy child can receive postpartum injuries during birth. Too much delay in the birth canal will cause hypoxia, clavicle fractures and other serious consequences.

The baby's brain is already formed, but still continues to improve. In a newborn child, it reaches 30% of the total development compared to an adult. The baby's eyes can already see, and the ears can hear. The lungs actively produce surfactant, allowing them to open immediately after birth.

What a baby looks like

During this period of its growth, the baby is already fully formed and ready to be born. He already looks like a full-fledged child with cheeks, subcutaneous fat, and also with folds on his knees and elbows. The baby can weigh more than 3 kg, but this happens only if the mother is sick with diabetes or obesity. Being addicted to it, he takes extra calories through the blood from maternal glucose.

The skin of a child at 38 weeks of gestation is almost completely freed from fluff, barely noticeable on ultrasound, but it still remains on the shoulders and back. The skin is covered with a white lubricant that has a moisture-proof effect. The hair on the head may already be clearly visible, depending on the color of the parents. The nose, ears and eyes of the baby are fully formed.

Diet

After stepping over the milestone of 38 weeks, many women begin to experience stomach discomfort. So that digestion does not spoil the last weeks of pregnancy, it is worth reviewing your diet. To eliminate severe edema, doctors recommend reducing s alt intake. In recent months, it is better to exclude from the list of daily dishes:

• fried and smoked;
• s alt and too greasy food;
• thick meat broths;
• spicy spices, spices;
• pastries and white bread;
• soda, coffee;
• mayonnaise.

The list of undesirable products is not small, but compared to a comfortable state of he alth, these restrictions seem insignificant. Moreover, the mother should prepare for the clean nutrition that awaits her after the birth of the baby. Breastfeeding at first will have to limit all foods that can contribute to allergies in a child. At the 38th week of her second pregnancy, a woman already knows what food can be eaten without harm to the baby.

Doctors' recommendations

Among the many recommendations of specialists, there are several main ones that will benefit the child and his mother:

1. More rest. Daily walks at a slow pace and in the fresh air will only benefit. But it’s better not to think about general cleaning in the apartment. A woman in the last weeks of pregnancy already experiences a strong load, which affects her internal organs and well-being. So it's betterdo not overload the body, but spend time lightly.



2. Stop doing gymnastics. Many are fond of physical education for pregnant women in order to keep the body in good shape and not gain extra pounds. This activity is very useful for the expectant mother, as it facilitates the birth process in the future. But with a big belly at 38 weeks of gestation, gymnastics can be abandoned, especially if the exercise is difficult. For practice, it is better to leave breathing exercises that can be done while sitting.
3. Better sleep. Getting into a comfortable position while sleeping becomes difficult. Because of this, lack of sleep may appear, which will have a bad effect on the child. To prevent this from happening, doctors recommend that women purchase special pillows for pregnant women. They help the body to assume a comfortable position, and, as a result, sleep better.



4. Take multivitamin complexes. To saturate the body with useful substances, it is necessary to remember about the daily intake of multivitamins. If this is neglected, the child will take all the nutrients for himself, and the woman's condition will worsen. Hair will begin to fall out, nails and teeth will crumble, joints will ache.
5. Moisturize your skin to prevent stretch marks and drink more. The skin of the abdomen at 38 weeks of gestation is under enormous stress. Daily procedures for moisturizing and nourishing the skin will help to avoid stretch marks only if a woman is not genetically predisposed to them. You can use all kindsvegetable oils, lotions and fatty creams. In this case, it is necessary to smear not only the stomach, but the whole body. Sometimes stretch marks can appear in the most unexpected places. Doctors recommend using oils throughout pregnancy and several months after childbirth.

Ultrasound at 38 weeks

If you are worried about what happens at 38 weeks of pregnancy, it is better to go to the doctor for an examination. At this time, ultrasound is done only according to medical indications. The doctor easily determines the baby's weight, gender, height, location of the placenta and the amount of amniotic fluid. 3D ultrasound allows you to see the face of the baby as clearly as possible. It is already possible to note which of the parents the baby looks more like.

This week of pregnancy may well be the last, so a woman should be aware of all the harbingers of childbirth. You should ask the obstetrician gynecologist in detail about all the possible scenarios that labor can go through.

How to prepare for childbirth

Delivery at 38 weeks is quite possible. How they will pass depends largely on the moral state of the expectant mother. You can not be afraid and prepare for pain. Doctors and psychologists recommend that pregnant women not perceive childbirth as something terrible and painful. It is necessary to think about the child, about how hard it will be for him to be born. All thoughts should be only about the long-awaited meeting with the baby. If you undergo psychological training, it does not matter, on your own or with the help of a specialist -childbirth will be as simple and easy as possible.

Maternity hospital fees

Staying at such a late stage of pregnancy, every woman should without fail pack a bag for the maternity hospital. It should contain everything that a future mother will need in the first days after the birth of a child. First of all, you need to collect all the documents. Then take the following items:

• clothing for yourself and baby;
• towels and slippers;
• underwear;
• postpartum pads, diapers;
• wet wipes, diapers;
• nipple cream;
• toiletries;
• dinner set, water, snack biscuits.

Having collected all the necessary things, you need to put them in a conspicuous place and be ready to go to the hospital at any time.