40 Weeks Pregnant

40 weeks of pregnancy how many months? Is the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th month or the 3rd trimester.

What to Expect at 40 Weeks Pregnant

If a woman gets to the 40th week of pregnancy or the 3rd trimester, it means that there’s not much time left till the labor. You’ve come a very long way and now you want to meet the baby that has been growing inside of you. You want all the inconvenience to end.

On the 40th week of pregnancy the baby is completely formed and developed. Characteristic features of this week are the occurrence of painful sensations, false labor pains and a new kind of discharges. Some women do not manage to get to the 40th week and give birth to the baby on the 39th week.

Information Which May be Useful at 40 Weeks of Pregnancy:

• Castor Oil to Induce Labor
• Signs and Symptoms that Labour is Near
• Headache During Pregnancy
• Diarrhea and Lots of Gas During Pregnancy

What’s Going On With the Baby (Fetus)

The baby is completely developed. All the organs necessary for the vital activity are formed and already are working. There’s little space left for the baby in the belly. The walls of the uterus prevent the baby from continue growing. Therefore, he’s not much interested in moving. By this time, almost in 100 % of cases, the baby is located in a certain way that he’ll stay in up to the time the process of labor starts.

In most cases, the baby is located with his head down, to the bottom. His legs and arms are pressed to the body. According to the doctors’ opinion, the ideal way in which a fetus should be located is with its head down, to the bottom. This way it is easier for the baby to get out. There are rare cases, when a baby is located in a wrong way. However, he or she manages to turn over before the labor pains begin.

In case of a breech presentation, a woman is usually hospitalized. In a hospital, the doctors do everything they can in order to change the location of the baby. If they fail to do it, they may make a decision on the necessity of a cesarean section. In case of a breech presentation, once the baby gets to the navel in the process of labor and his head gets into the pelvis, the head presses on the umbilical cord. This leads to fetal hypoxia. This is be a dangerous complication for the life of the baby, even a cause of death may occur. That’s why in 90 % of cases there’s a high possibility of a cesarean section being carried out.

Before the 40th week, it’s recommended to have already chosen the maternity hospital. If there’s a possibility, you need to choose a maternity hospital that has a pediatric intensive care unit. You also need to choose the doctor who will deliver a child beforehand. it’s highly advisable to visit this doctor and discuss everything in detail with him or her. For example, you may speak about the kind of anesthetic that will be used during the process of labor.

At the moment, when the labor starts, you won’t have time for this. At this moment, the emotions run high and future parents can forget about the simplest things. if the process of labor starts after 42 weeks have passed, the doctors consider this to be a case of overdue pregnancy. In exceptional cases, the doctors may decide to carry out an augmentation of labor. Then, a woman is prescribed certain pills.

The Labor at 40 Weeks Pregnancy

The baby is demanding to be born! The labor may start any day, any hour or any, even the most inappropriate, moment. It is interesting that the time when the labor starts is set by the nature. It is not necessary that the labor starts according to the time you or doctors expect this process to start.

The labor stats with not so strong labor pains. These pains are getting more intensive till the neck of the womb gets fully open. During this time, many women experience strong pains, cramps and cramping that get only worse because of an emotional outburst. During this period, the role of an obstetrician is crucial. This is exactly the obstetrician that can determine the necessary dose and time when the anesthetic is needed to be injected. If the injected dose is too little, a woman may lose consciousness as a result of the pain shock. If the dosage is too much, a woman will be unable to get the tempo of the contractions and she won’t be able to push when it’s necessary.

Then, the bearing-down starts. This are the contractions of the press and diaphragm muscles. Thank to these contractions a baby is able to move through the maternal passages. A baby that’s approximately 52 cm high and weights 3.5 kg presses on all the organs on his/her way while moving through, including intestines and the urinary bladder. That’s why, in the majority of cases, there occurs a process of defecation. This happens against the will of a woman, in a natural way. Therefore a woman shouldn’t worry about that. The staff of the maternity hospital that’s delivering the baby is ready for that to happen and will get rid of the products of defecation so that they do not get on the baby.

The labor may last from several hours up to 18 hours. This depends on a number of factors: the age of a woman, her physical condition, which pregnancy it is. After the baby is born, the obstetricians carry out a traditional ritual: for some time the baby is put on the mothers breast, then, he or she is taken to adjacent room. In this room the baby is washed and dressed. The navel string is also be treated there. The baby’s health condition is checked according to the APGAR scale. Then, the doctor puts a tag on the baby. In the tag there is Name and surname of the baby, age, sex, weight and date of birth.

A mother is now being taken care of by the obstetricians. The main aim for a mother now is have a rest and try not to worry. The doctors will bring the baby back to her later on. There is a long way ahead that a mother and her baby, that will be dependent on her for lots of years, will go through together.

How Do You Get to Know that the Labor Will Soon Start?

In case of labor, there are special precursors that will tell a woman that the main event in her life will soon start. These are too frequent urination, strange sounds in the belly, instantaneous change of emotions and an emotional outburst. After the baby gets closer to the bottom of the pelvis, pains in the groin, sacrum and the area of pelvis occur. If this happens, then in 2-3 days the baby will get tired of being in an enclosed space and will be getting outside.

The main precursor of the labor is the mucous plug and labor waters that start to rupture. This means that the labor pains will start in several hours. Real labor pains differ from the false one. They are more intensive and last longer. They are accompanied by painful sensations in the belly and they don’t stop if the mother changes her locations or starts walking.

Before the baby is born, the mucus plug is considered to be the thing that keeps the baby safe. It protects the baby from infections and external factors. After the plug is completely ruptured, there are minutes left till the start of the labor. That’s why a woman should be ready for the labor pains. Her relatives and friends should either call an ambulance, call a taxi, or get a car and take the woman to the maternity hospital on their own.

The Way Your Body at 40 Weeks Pregnancy

The weight may change on the 40th week of pregnancy. It may be a decrease of up to 2 kg. This happens because the excess of liquid gets out of the organism of a woman. Even though the weight is slightly changed, this won’t affect the way your figure is. Depending on the size of the baby, the belly of a mother can be enormously big. A woman can’t move normally. When she walks, it look like she is simply waddling. Even a way to the toilet seems to be like a torture.

There’s a constant desire to sit or lie down and find a comfortable posture. However, there aren’t many comfortable postures to choose from left. It’s very difficult for a woman morally, especially if it's the time of a hot summer outside. There are stretches appearing on the belly and they need to be treated with a moistening cream. It’s very important that during this time a close, loving person, who is able to take all the domestic chores on himself, is together with you in this. A woman shouldn’t pay too much attention to the way her figure is now. After the baby is born, she’ll be able to start doing sports again. As a result, she will be able to get fit again.

40 Weeks Pregnant Belly Pictures Show

Images: big bellies at 40 weeks plus 3 days pregnant.

How Does a Woman Feel at 40 Weeks?

For many women and men movements of the baby are a significant event. It’s even possible to see the outlines of a hand or a leg on the belly of a woman.

But along such like benefits, there are also disadvantages:

• You’ll be able to fall asleep only after the baby has done so because it’s hard to sleep when you’re being kicked from inside. It is necessary to control the intensively of the baby’s pushes. If a woman feels that the intensity of the kicks has decreased, there’s a need to consult the doctor who keeps the course of your pregnancy under control. if the intensity is too high, there’s also a need to consult the doctor. In case of such like intensity, there’s a possibility that the baby lacks oxygen. Consequently, the labor may start earlier than expected;
• Pain in junctions and back will occur. This pain may also spread to other parts of your body. This is the so-called process of preparation for the main event of the pregnancy;
• Painful sensations in the area of vagina and lower part of the body will get stronger, once the pressure of the baby’s head on the pelvis gets stronger;
• The femoral nerve gets jammed and, consequently, pains in the sacrum occur;
• The tonus of the uterus increases. The belly gets lower and lower because of the baby’s weight. Consequently, the belly solidifies and the sensation of the belly being pulled down.

40 Weeks Ultrasound Pictures

Unpleasant Discharges at 40 Weeks Pregnancy

The discharges occur because the uterus slightly opens up and gets softer. The mucous substance may get out completely, a big piece of mucous with specks of blood may get out or this process may happen gradually in the form of pink or brown water with small balls.

Besides, the discharges are a real evidence of a woman’s health:

• If the discharges with an unpleasant smell occur, you need to get medical treatment. This may be a sign of an infection. This situation is very dangerous because the baby is most likely to be infected when he gets through the maternal passages. When the baby only comes into the world, he or she doesn’t yet have a good immunity. That’s why an infection may lead to drastic consequences;
• If there are discharges with a small amount of bloody, this means that the placenta is exfoliating from the uterus’ wall. You need to urgently visit your doctor. The more the placenta is exfoliated, the less chances the baby has to survive;
• If watery discharges occur, this means that the labor waters are breaking. You need to urgently consult your doctor as well. The baby can’t be in the uterus without labor waters for long. In such case, there’s a high possibility for the baby to get infected.

40 Weeks Pregnant: Your Baby is Now Ready For Delivery

Is Sex Allowed at 40 Weeks Pregnancy?

On this stage, the sex is allowed only on condition that the doctor says so and in accordance with the doctor’s recommendations. On the one hand, a mother gets positive emotions that stimulate the labor pains to occur. Besides, the sperm of a man makes the walls of the uterus softer. On the other hand, being extra excited while having sex may influence the baby in a negative way. Besides, the number of poses and places where you can have sex is limited. Therefore, you may not feel that big pleasure from having sex.

Dangers Signs

You should not worry if the labor starts on the 40th week or even later. The doctors are often mistaken when defining the term of the pregnancy. It’s normal if the labor starts 2 week later or so. When a woman went to the doctor for the first time before the pregnancy was detected, she could be nervous and, therefore, she gave the doctor an incorrect date when her last periods occurred.

On the 40th week there’s a high possibility of not so long-lasting contractions to occur. This causes panic and lots of emotions on the part of future mothers. That’s why it is so important to have somebody nearby who is able to calmly look at the situation, calm down a woman and call an ambulance.

Recommendations for Women

If the first labor pains occur while you’re walking in the street or just at home, you need to note the time and how long the contractions last. if the process goes on for an hour, the contractions last for 1 minute and there is a 4-minute break between them, then you need to urgently contact your doctor and get to the maternity hospital.

A very important factor here is the moral condition of a future mother. It’s necessary to focus on positive emotions, and get rid of the feeling of being afraid of the result of the labor. You need to be aimed at working during the process of labor. Being too much nervous may influence negatively not only the process of labor, but also the time after it.

Video Guide: 40 weeks pregnancy