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Congratulations! At 40 weeks pregnant, you are entering the final week of your
pregnancy week by week. Are you excited? It won’t be long until you meet your
little “bun in the oven” face to face. So get prepared and learn everything you can
about labor and delivery.
Braxton Hicks Contractions VS. Real Contractions
During pregnancy week 40, you may be experiencing longer and harder Braxton-
Hicks contractions than ever before. At this stage of your pregnancy week by
week, it may be hard to distinguish Braxton-Hicks contractions from the real deal.
Remember that real labor contractions become increasingly painful and last
longer as time passes, and they come at regular intervals for an hour or more.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy - Week 40
Your pregnancy weight gain at 40 weeks pregnant may be anywhere between 25
and 35 pounds for an average sized woman. With all that weight gain, in addition
to having Braxton-Hicks contractions, it’s no wonder that you can’t wait to meet
your baby!
Review the Signs of Labor This Week
If you haven’t already, review the signs of labor at pregnancy week 40 so that
you can recognize them when the time comes. Signs of labor include lightening,
effacement and dilation of your cervix, a loss of your mucous plus (also called a
bloody show), your water breaks (rupture of membranes), and labor contractions
that come at regular intervals and get progressively stronger and closer together.
When Should You Head to the Hospital?
Before 40 weeks pregnant, your doctor or healthcare provider should have
already talked to you about when to head to the hospital or birthing center.
Some doctors may prefer for you to come sooner than later, depending on your
individual situation. Women who have high-risk pregnancies may be asked to
come at the first sign of labor, whereas others with low-risk pregnancies might be
asked to come after contractions have been regular for an hour or more. Talk to
your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about his or her instructions.
If your water breaks during pregnancy week 40, regardless of whether you’re
having any other signs of labor, you need to go to the hospital right away. This is
a sign that labor is imminent.
Talk to Your Doctor About Labor Induction
Around 40 weeks pregnant, you may want to talk to your doctor about the
possibility of labor induction if you show no signs of impending labor. Although
it’s perfectly safe for your baby to remain in your womb for the next two weeks,
the longer that a baby stays in utero past his due date, the higher the risks of
complications for you and your baby.
Don't Worry About a Post-Term Pregnancy
A post-term pregnancy, or a pregnancy that lasts longer than 42 weeks,
increases your baby’s risk of being a stillbirth (baby with no heartbeat), being
overly large, and experiencing fetal distress. If you have a post-term pregnancy,
you’re at increased risk of having a difficult labor and delivery, getting tears in the
perineum area, and you may face a complicated c-section.
Although you’re anxious for baby to come at 40 weeks pregnant, try not to
worry about having a post-term pregnancy. They only occur in 10 percent of all
pregnancies. Most babies are born between pregnancy week 37 and 42. So try
to relax during this last week of your pregnancy week by week.
Get as much rest as you can during pregnancy week 40. You are going to need
it during labor and delivery and in the first months after your baby’s born. Spend
these last precious moments with your partner. Enjoy quality time alone while it’s
just the two of you. Once baby comes, you’ll have very little time together, since
your focus will be on your baby.
Make Love With Your Partner This week
You might even want to make love at 40 weeks pregnant. Not only will this help
the two of you feel closer, but it may just start your labor. Sexual intercourse is
a natural labor inducer, after all. (Remember that you’ll want to get the OK with
your doctor first. If you’re having a high-risk pregnancy, your doctor may want
you to abstain from sex.)
How to Keep in Touch and Get Some Rest
As you wait for your baby to arrive during pregnancy week 40, you may find
yourself bombarded with phone calls from family and friends. Since you probably
want some peace and quiet by now, you may want to start text messaging or
setting up a social networking site (such as Twitter) where you can send updates
to. Many pregnant women are even texting and updating their Twitter and
Facebook accounts when they’re in labor!
Congrats on Your New Baby!
Congratulations on the impending arrival of your newborn baby. Once you hold
your baby in your arms, you will soon forget all the uncomfortable pregnancy
symptoms that it took to get here!
Your baby is ready to be born by 40 weeks pregnant. He or she has reached his
or her birth weight and height. Your baby may weigh anywhere between 6 and 8
pounds, and might be around 20 or 21 inches long.
The umbilical cord is the same length as your baby at pregnancy week 40. (This
is a good week to consider donating your baby’s umbilical cord stem cells or
possibly banking it yourself.)
By 40 weeks pregnant, your baby has rounded chubby cheeks that his or her
grandma will simply love to pinch. All of the details (eyebrows, eyelashes, and
nails) of your baby’s appearance are complete now.
Since your baby is full-term and ready to be born at any moment during
pregnancy week 40, all of his or her internal organs have matured enough for life
on the outside world.
Ossification (the process of transforming soft cartilage into bone) is now
complete along the length of each bone. However, at 40 weeks pregnant, the
ends of your baby’s long bones and the tips of the bones in your baby’s fingers
and toes are still cartilage. This allows for future bone growth as your little one
develops.
After pregnancy week 40, you may be advised to undergo a labor induction.
Labor induction is commonly used when your labor doesn’t start on its own, and
your doctor is worried about the risks of a prolonged pregnancy. (After pregnancy
week 42, the placenta becomes less effective at delivering nutrients to your
little baby, and this can cause all kinds of complications - such as stillbirth.)
A Planned Labor Induction
In some cases, you may opt for a planned labor induction. Women plan to induce
labor for a number of reasons, including convenience (such as being able to
control when your baby will come into the world) and medical reasons (continuing
the pregnancy is not recommended in your situation).
In the United States, over 20 percent of all pregnancies are induced. Some
women are induced at 39 weeks pregnant, and some at pregnancy week 40,
just a few days before their due date. Because labor induction can increase your
likelihood of delivering a premature baby (due to the possibility of your estimated
due date being inaccurate), most healthcare providers do not recommend labor
induction before pregnancy week 39.
Methods of Labor Induction
To induce your labor at 40 weeks pregnant, your doctor may perform one of the
following methods:
Stripping the Membranes – Your doctor places his or her gloved fingers
just inside your cervix and sweeps the amniotic membranes (the thin
membranes that connect the wall of the uterus to the amniotic sac). The
purpose of stripping the membranes is to cause your body to produce
prostaglandins, which help soften your cervix and may cause contractions.
When your doctor stripes the membranes, you may experience intense cramping
and some bleeding (or spotting). This procedure may feel uncomfortable, and it is
only performed in full-term pregnancies.
Ripening or Dilating the Cervix – If your cervix is not quite ready for labor
and delivery, your doctor can induce labor by using certain medications or
devices that will soften your cervix and help it dilate for labor. You may be
given synthetic prostaglandins to help labor progress, either by mouth or
inserted into the vagina.
Rupturing the Amniotic Sac – Your healthcare provider may artificially
break your water to induce labor. During this procedure, called
an “amniotomy,” your doctor uses a thin plastic hook to rupture, or break,
your amniotic sac. This is performed for full-term pregnancies and only if
your cervix is partially dilated and your baby’s head has moved down into
your pelvis. You may feel discomfort from an amniotomy.
In many cases, you will go into labor within a few hours of your water breaking.
However, every woman’s labor is different. Another method of labor induction
may be performed, in addition to an amniotomy, if your labor does not occur.
Oxytocin – Your doctor may use oxytocin, which is a synthetic
hormone that causes contractions. Oxytocin may be used to induce
labor, or to make your contractions stronger. It is given through an IV.
Return to Pregnancy Week by Week Articles
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