When a woman is 37 weeks pregnant, the baby is considered as full term. There are only three weeks remaining before the delivering of the child. However, this does not mean that the growth of your child is complete. The baby is still adding on weight, roughly about half a pound a week. At this stage, the baby weighs around 6 pounds. This sometimes makes the uterus a little crowded and he is not kicking so much. The only thing that he can be doing is probably rolling, stretching and wiggling. Other distinctive features of this stage is that the baby sucks the thumb so much and inhaling and exhaling the amniotic fluid.
During the 37 weeks pregnant stage, the body starts to slowly prepare for childbirth. This is the point that your doctor starts looking for any signs of a possible labour. Some of the things that they check include, the position of your baby in relation to the pelvis and if dilation and effacement have begun. The doctor at this point also looks for other signs for example checking if the cervix has become soft and moved to the front of the vagina. These processes occur differently for different mothers, there are some that can take a month, a few weeks and for some women, it can occur overnight.
Before, the big day finally comes, you should not just sit around and wait for it. You should prepare adequately. This includes massaging your perineum. What? Perineum? Yes that is absolutely true, this kind of massage will help to stretch the perineum part of your body. The importance of doing this kind of activity is to help in reducing the stinging effect when the head of the baby crowns during birth. It will also help in avoiding tearing and episiotomy. Massaging this part is not just done anyhow, there is a way that it should be done in order to foster a looser and easier delivery. Always ensure that your hands are clean and nails well trimmed before you start anything. The next step is to ensure that your thumbs are well lubricated preferably by using jelly. Slide them inside your vagina and press down gently towards your rectum. The thumbs should be slid across, on the bottom and the sides of the perineum. Pull them gently forwards and outwards on the lower section of your vagina while your thumbs are still hooked inside. It will help in stretching your skin just the way your baby’s head will be doing during birth. This can be done everyday, till you give birth, it is also applicable during labour.
Symptoms When You Are 37 Weeks Pregnant
There are several changes that are experienced when a woman is 37 weeks pregnant. In a nutshell some of them include the following.
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Bloody show
- Cervical dilation and effacement
- Varicose veins
- Protruding parts
- Leg cramps
- Forgetfulness
- Stretch marks
- Difficulties in sleeping
- Changes in fetal activity
Now let us look at the details in depth so that you can know what to expect from each of these symptoms.
Bloody show is a condition that is characterized by brown tinged or pink mucus discharge. This just means blood vessels in your cervix are undergoing rupture as the cervix slowly dilates when preparing for labor and delivery.
Cervical dilation and effacement occurs when your cervix opens up and gets thinner. This process occurs differently in women. It will occur gradually in some and to some it can take a long time maybe weeks or even months. There are women that can undergo the process overnight. It is something that cannot be felt but your doctor will be able to tell when examining you.
Varicose veins: This is the stage when the veins located in your legs will start acting up. Sleeping on the left side of the bed will help in allowing a smooth circulation of blood flow. You can also do yourself a big favor by elevating your legs by putting a pillow beneath to ease the flow of blood.
Some parts of your body may start protruding. Your nipples will start to pop in preparation for nursing of the baby. Your legs will start cramping and make your nights miserable. This can be reduced by taking a lot of fluids and calcium. Another common feature when you are 37 weeks pregnant are the stretch marks. Those lines usually form because of the excessive fat that is associated with pregnancy but they will end sometime after child birth. There is also the change in fetal activity that will be experienced. This happens because the baby has less room for playing around and kicking. The most important thing is that you feel the movements everyday.
Women that are 37 weeks pregnant tend to be forgetful a lot. You will forget even the most obvious things like appointments, meetings and the like. It is important to have a things to do list at this stage so that you do not end up in a bad state. Women who are 37 weeks pregnant will go through these and encounter the symptoms that have been mentioned above, to find out the surprising things that your baby will do when you are 38 weeks pregnant just before you give birth, continue reading.
