The indicated date, when the baby was supposed to be born, is already left behind, and you are still on demolitions. Due to the fact that rarely anyone clearly knows when the conception occurred, it is not at all scary that 41 weeks of pregnancy have gone and you are not born.
Fetal development
Your baby has completely and completely prepared for the birth. Absolutely each of the available systems, as well as organs at 41 weeks of gestation, are 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 baby's lungs have accumulated enough surfactant, a substance that helps the lungs cope with breathing. The intestine is filled with primordial feces, which is obliged to leave in the first days after delivery.
The development of the nervous system is suspended, since the continuation will be after the birth of the baby. The vocal cords are getting stronger. In the near future, the screams of the baby will attract the attention of the mother. The bones of the skull also harden, which sometimes causes a rupture of the birth canal of a woman during childbirth.
The placenta membrane, which separates the baby from the female body, weakens and becomes permeable, which makes it possible for maternal blood to be combined with the baby’s blood. The child 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 child will look much more beautiful than a few months ago. Now generic lubricant is found only in the most delicate places - in the armpits and groin. The cannon is gone, and the hair on the head and nails on the fingers are growing. For this reason, it is not at all surprising when a baby is born with good hair and overgrown 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 is already quite grown and it 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 jolts daily.
If the child is categorically not enough air, then his body movements and cramps periodically become stronger. This leads to bowel cleansing. In such a situation, meconium can get into the amniotic fluid. As a result, the latter take on a green color, and the baby can simply die out. In such a case, it is sometimes necessary to connect the child to the breathing apparatus.
Feelings of a woman at such a long time
41 weeks for any mother will take place only in the strong expectation of an early delivery. Often in my head I just think about the fact that 41 weeks have already arrived, but birth does not come. Still, if you are under the constant supervision of your own doctor, then there can be no unrest and anxiety. Pregnancy will appear delayed if the 42nd occurs.
As a rule, only women who wear their firstborn cross the line at 40 weeks. The cervix will become saturated with hormones and become less and less long and strong. Opening of the cervical canal also begins. The amniotic fluid will become smaller, and the work of the woman’s body will be aimed only at preparing for the future process of childbirth.
Harbingers of childbirth. What signs should I look for?
There are main signs that indicate that the birth is close:
- A large number of women in pregnancy will experience training fights. Often they are accompanied by pain, as during menstruation.
- The cork, which will block the entrance to the uterus, comes out just before the birth process begins or a few weeks before it begins.
- The abdomen drops a couple of weeks before the delivery process itself. The fact that he has already lowered, it is possible to understand by lower pressure directly on the stomach, lungs. Another sign of this is the loss of heartburn.
- Before the baby is born, the body will get rid of excess fluid, which can cause weight loss.
- The expectant mother can see spots on clothes within the chest. This is the secret that stands out from the breasts. It is he who is the food for all newborns in the first days of life.
- A growing child puts a lot of pressure on her mother’s stomach and makes her, therefore, often go to the toilet.
- A process such as the outflow of amniotic fluid is also shown as the most accurate sign of the onset of labor. For this reason, if colorless discharge in any quantity occurs 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 wasn’t scary. Pregnancy in any woman is individual. 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 cork has left at the 41st week of pregnancy, then you should assume that the birth is about to begin. Also, the doctor can send the patient for ultrasound to understand how the body is ready for childbirth. For what reason there are no fights when the body is ready? This may be the case with a still long cervix. Before giving birth, it must be short and softened. Also important is its discovery. When this is not the case, the doctor sends the woman in labor to wait for the due date.
When the cervix is not yet ready, self-stimulation at 41 weeks of gestation may come in handy. In this situation, at home, an active lifestyle and a spouse will come to the rescue of a woman. Many believe that such a method perfectly prepares the uterus for birth and serves as natural stimulation. This is due to the fact that sperm contains a large content of such a hormone as prostaglandin, which causes the pregnant woman to accelerate the birth process.
It is possible to do a gentle massage of the nipples. With this procedure, oxytocin will be produced, which also positively affects the development of labor.
Stimulation in the hospital. What methods and drugs are used in this case?
How to speed up childbirth at home is understandable, but what is used in the hospital? A woman in labor can be given a dropper with oxytocin. The drug "Mifepristone" has established itself as a means for a good preparation of the uterus for childbirth. The onset of the birth can begin with dizziness and even vomiting. When stimulation with drugs occurs, all the pain in a woman will be very pronounced than with the natural passage of the process. Naturally, the issue of accelerating childbirth will be decided only by the doctor.
In the process of preparation, the heartbeat of the child is kept under strict control. For this reason, CTG is prescribed to a woman literally every hour. According to the results of this procedure, it will be clear how to stimulate childbirth. When the preparation did not produce the desired result, the caesarean section method is often used.
It is also necessary in the situation when the child is large, and the mother has a very fragile physique, a narrow basin. To speed up labor, prostaglandins are sometimes used. The doctor will open the bubble where the water is located and, of course, the outflow of water occurs. Then the woman begins to realize that strong and frequent contractions begin. Laminaria stimulation is also used. They help to open the neck gradually and without injury.
If you have already arrived at the 41st week of pregnancy, and there are no definite signs that labor will soon begin, you should not worry.
In fact, there is still a concrete preparation of the body and the child for future births. The baby is not required to "adapt" to medical calculations, since a specific date of conception is known very rarely.
It is also worth considering that doctors do not set the exact, but the estimated date of the future birth. The main task of the woman in childbirth is that she should avoid colds. If there is a sore throat and a runny nose, then it is worthwhile to start treatment somehow, so that right at the time of delivery everything would be fine.
Always follow and listen to the advice of your doctors. Since they seek to preserve both the fetus, and, of course, the mother's life.
How is the fetus located in the uterus?
With a good pregnancy, the baby will be head down along the uterus. This makes it possible to comfortably follow the birth canal. When the baby is in a transverse position or is head up, then pregnancy, as practice shows, ends with the use of a cesarean section.
To clarify the location of the baby in the womb, an ultrasound scan is done at 41 weeks of gestation. When a baby with a small weight is expected, then doctors can give the opportunity to undergo a natural birth. Moreover, even if there is a gluteal previa. It is worth saying that when 41 weeks of pregnancy are suitable, and childbirth does not begin, the woman begins to worry. Because, as mentioned above, the child has achieved good development in order to be born.
The birth does not begin. Should a pregnant woman be worried?
It will be quite normal to complete the development of a new life when the baby is born at the 40th week. Yet sometimes not everything goes 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 begun, and there are no signs of childbirth.
Absolutely every sign suggests that soon there will be a birth. But, nevertheless, there are no changes day by 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 reason for concern.
The baby needs to be given some time to prepare for birth. Since probably the time has not yet come. It is worth saying that childbirth is a very individual process.
41 weeks pregnant. What to do in this case?
When in the 41st week there are no signs that you will soon give birth, then the main tactic, during the first birth, will be the expectation. It also happens that 41 weeks of pregnancy have not yet ended, and childbirth has begun. Drawing pains in the lower abdomen, not very pleasant sensations in the coccyx, and also water leakage can also occur.
Nevertheless, if you are expecting the first baby, then similar characteristic signs of childbirth at 41 weeks of pregnancy can occur long before her. For this reason, going to the hospital before systematic contractions makes no sense. When a woman is not already having her first birth, then she needs to be ready to go to the maternity hospital at any minute. Since signs can occur literally several hours before the birth of the baby.
For those who give birth is not 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 may be the discharge at the 41st week. What do they point to?
When everything goes well, then by the 41st week of pregnancy, vaginal discharge may increase. In this case, their consistency will become mucous. It is worth saying that the discharge at 41 weeks of gestation can be yellowish, cream or pink. In some situations, they look like transparent mucus. Such discharge will indicate that the mucous plug is leaving, which "clogged" the cervix. Sometimes it leaves in small parts. But it happens that it comes out entirely in the form of a single thick lump of mucus.
If you still have worries that you have 41 weeks of pregnancy, and the birth does not begin, then know that the main sign of an early delivery will be the cork discharge.
If, at the time indicated, discharge began to appear that does not have a pleasant smell, an unnatural color and consistency, then it is worth considering that an infection may have appeared in the birth canal. If secretions of this kind were found, then the expectant mother must immediately go to the doctor’s office. The doctor will tell you how to act correctly at 41 weeks of pregnancy, what to do if there is an infection. A doctor, knowing about this situation, will be able to prescribe the necessary treatment as soon as possible. Such a condition can be dangerous only in that the woman before the birth can simply not have time to cure the infection and the baby will already pass through the infected pathways.
The occurrence of discharge at 41 weeks of pregnancy, which will be accompanied by blood clots, indicates only placental abruption. Such a situation is very dangerous for the health and life of not only the mother, but also the child. For this reason, when a woman saw such discharge in her, she was obliged to go to the maternity hospital as soon as possible.
Little conclusion
In any case, it will be best to fulfill all the requirements of the doctor who guides you from the very first days of pregnancy. To avoid troubles, it 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 health 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 health of mom and her future baby, who will very soon be born.