Congratulations! Welcome to an exciting and new journey! Whether this is your first pregnancy, or this is just the newest addition to a large family, we are sure that this will be an experience unlike any you’ve had before! Every pregnancy is different, and we look forward to helping you understand and enjoy the process as much as possible!
Normal Prenatal Care
Although every pregnancy is unique, in general we expect to see you 10-14 times during a pregnancy without any problems or complications. The initial visit is usually at 8-10 weeks, and then we’ll see you every 4 weeks or so. Once you reach 28-30 weeks, we will see you more frequently, every 2 weeks or so. Then for the last month, we’ll see you every week.
Testing
There are certain tests we’ll be doing at every visit: your weight, monitoring the change from visit to visit as well as your overall weight gain; a urine sample, to help us assess your nutrition and hydration level, help identify bladder infections early, and help us pick up certain pregnancy complications; and your blood pressure, as this is often the first sign of a pregnancy complication.
There are other tests that are only performed at certain visits. Today, you probably had an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and determine your due date. After today that date won’t change. We will also draw blood today to check your blood type, blood counts (make sure you aren’t anemic), a Rubella titer (make sure your childhood vaccination worked) and for infection testing (HIV, syphilis, hepatitis).
You will have a pelvic exam today to check your cervix, uterus, and ovaries, to check for infections, and possibly a pap smear if you are due for one.
Medications
We’ll want to review your medications with you thoroughly today; many medications are safe for use in pregnancy, but there are others that you should try to avoid. There is a list of common medications in the guidebook we will give you, but be sure to talk to your doctor about any specific questions you have.
Exercise
Exercise is not only allowed during pregnancy, it is encouraged! During the first trimester you may feel more tired than usual, so this may impact your exercise routine. As a general rule, unless your doctor restricts your activity, women can continue their normal exercise as long as their comfort permits, including running and aerobics. We do ask that you limit the intensity somewhat, keeping your heart rate below 140, and not allowing yourself to become too out of breath or too overheated. You should be able to converse throughout your work out, and you should not sweat profusely. As the pregnancy continues, these forms of exercise may be less comfortable, and many women find walking and swimming to be excellent alternatives that allow them to remain active.
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This probably seems very early in the process to you, but your baby has already made some enormous changes! Your baby is now 1 to 1½ inches long, and almost all of his or her organs have finished developing! The heart is completely formed and is pumping blood through the baby’s vascular system throughout his or her body, as well as through the umbilical cord out to the placenta to be nourished with oxygen and nutrients from your body! The baby’s stomach and intestines are fully formed and in place in the baby’s belly, and the liver has started to function. Important structures that are still developing are the baby’s lungs, kidneys and urinary tract, and reproductive organs.
Morning Sickness
This is a very common complaint that for many women is not well named because it can continue throughout the day. Most women struggle with at least some nausea; often the best way to deal with this is with very frequent, small meals or snacks throughout the day. It may seem backwards, but often the nausea is a signal from your body that you need something to eat! Many women find that blander foods, like toast, dry cereal, or saltines are the best choices, but you should eat anything that sounds appetizing and that you can keep down. Especially focus on taking in enough fluids. If you find that you can’t keep anything down and you are becoming dehydrated, call the office.
Spotting
Many women experience spotting during the first trimester of their pregnancy. This can often be associated with the pregnancy implanting into the uterus. It can also occur with intercourse or exercising. The cervix undergoes changes that make it more prone to slight bleeding, and that usually is the source of the spotting. If you have active bleeding like your menstrual period, you should call your doctor’s office.
Cramping
Mild cramping is also common during the first trimester of pregnancy, especially towards the end of the first trimester. This is because the pregnancy is now big enough to expand and stretch the uterus, and as the uterus grows it will do some cramping.
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Your uterus has grown rounder, and is now starting to grow and stretch upward. It is right about at the top of your pubic bone at 12 weeks, and by your next visit will be halfway between your pubic bone and your belly button! The baby measures about 2 inches long, and is starting to develop fingers and toes. Up to this point, the development of the genital area has been the same whether it is a boy or a girl, but during the next 4 weeks, differences between boy and girl parts will begin to develop! The skin and nails have started to develop, and although you won’t feel it yet, your baby is beginning to wiggle around!
Morning Sickness
You still may be having some trouble with morning sickness, but it will start getting better during this time. You may notice a gradual improvement in your appetite, a decrease in the amount of vomiting you have, or that the times of day that you have nausea are fewer and/or shorter; you may also suddenly notice that you no longer feel sick.
Nutrition
As your nausea resolves, now is the time to start focusing on nourishing your body and the baby that you’re carrying.
Water: Your body is making drastic changes, and one of the biggest is in your blood volume. It increases by over 50% during the pregnancy! Not only this, but your body needs to provide fluid to two people, and your liver and kidneys need to get rid of the waste products produced by two people, so you need plenty of water to flush all of that out.
Calories: Your calorie requirement will gradually increase throughout the pregnancy, and at the end you will need 300-500 extra calories per day- that’s the equivalent of an extra snack. Try to make sure this increase is made up of lean protein and high fiber carbohydrates.
Caffeine: Between soda and coffee, caffeinated beverages make up an incredible proportion of the average American diet. We recommend that you keep your caffeine intake to less than 200mg per day. A 6 oz cup of regular coffee has about 100-120 mg of caffeine, so 1 or 2 cups of coffee will hit this limit. For espresso, or other beverages available at coffeeshops, check the website or at the counter for the caffeine in the drink. Most cans of caffeinated soda have about 55mg of caffeine, so again, 1 or 2 20 oz bottles will bring you to your limit. In general, less is better, but cutting out caffeine too quickly can lead to headaches.
Cravings: Pickles with ice cream have made pregnancy cravings famous! Remember, indulging cravings is fine, but be careful not to overdo it!
Genetic Screeing Test
There are many different tests that you will be offered throughout your pregnancy; an optional test you should consider is a genetic test. It is a blood test, designed to evaluate whether or not this individual pregnancy is at increased risk to have a genetic problem, like Down Syndrome, or to have a problem with the spine or skull. It is a screening test, not a diagnostic test, so it won’t tell you yes or no, your baby does or does not have a problem, it just tells you whether or not this baby is at increased risk for a problem. If it comes back positive, saying that this pregnancy is at increased risk for a problem, you will be referred to a high risk ob doctor to discuss your options for a diagnostic test to determine whether or not a genetic problem actually is present.
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Your Baby
You are probably starting to show a little (or a lot!) by now, and it all starts to become more real! Your baby is now 4 ½ inches long from the top of it’s head to it’s little bottom, and may be strong enough now that you feel a few flutters when he or she moves, although many women don’t feel anything until closer to 20 or even 22 weeks. By the end of this month, your baby will be around 7 inches long, and weigh ½ to ¾ of a pound. Your baby’s kidneys are continuing to develop and mature, with some of the more complex structures now forming; this is now where your baby makes urine. The fingernails are formed, and the tiny structures in the baby’s ear that allow it to hear are forming!
Genetic Screening Test
Hopefully you have been considering a genetic test, and have decided whether or not you’d like to have the test done today. If you do, your blood will be drawn today, and your results should return within the week or two. If they are normal, we’ll plan to discuss them at your next visit. If they come back abnormal, we will call you with the results and get you set up for an appointment with a high risk ob doctor, called a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, or MFM.
Ultrasound
By now we’re sure you are anxious to get another look at your baby, and we are too! We usually schedule you for an ultrasound at 20 weeks to evaluate your baby’s anatomy- meaning look at all of the body parts and make sure they are forming the way they should! There are many different structures to look at different parts of the brain, the heart, the stomach and liver, the kidneys and bladder, as well as the face and arms and legs. We schedule this ultrasound at 20 weeks because by that time the structures should all be big enough for a thorough evaluation, so we don’t usually make exceptions for requests to schedule this ultrasound earlier.
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Your Baby
You are now officially halfway through the pregnancy! The top of your uterus is probably right around your belly button, and your baby may weigh almost a pound now. Babies move almost every minute, although you won’t be able to feel all of the movements. The skin is still pretty see-through, although it’s now starting to be covered by fine, downy hair called lanugo. Your baby has very fine eyebrows and eyelashes, and is starting to form hair on his or her head!
Prenatal Education Classes
Especially if this is your first baby, now is a great time to start looking at your options for prenatal education. Going through labor, and especially your baby’s delivery, are meant to be joyful, exciting times, truly celebrating the miracle of life. However, these events can also be scary. If you haven’t been through it before, a lot of the process and procedures are unknown, and it can be very intimidating or frightening when you don’t know what to expect. Friends and family love to share stories that can sometimes make the anxiety and worry even worse. When you’re feeling worried or scared, it makes it much more difficult to deal with discomfort or pain, and might make it harder for you to cooperate with the nurses and doctors who are trying to take care of you and your baby. We strongly recommend that you look for classes and reading material that will help prepare you for the process of delivering the baby. Alegent offers classes at many of the hospitals that can help de-mystify the process, as well as classes to help as you transition to your new role of parent or your other children’s role of sibling. Call 1-800-Alegent, or go to www.chihealth.com to look through the class offerings.
Breastfeeding
Now is also a great time to start thinking about how you want to nourish your newborn! The verdict is in, and the studies strongly show that breastmilk is the ideal food for babies. It can help prevent illness and allergies in your newborn, and allows babies to set the pace and eat how much they want, when they want without external pressure to stop because the bottle’s empty or continue to eat because they haven’t finished the bottle. It is composed of the ideal nutrients, and it changes in composition as the baby gets older. It is cheaper than formula, always the right temperature, and allows for a wonderful bonding and nurturing experience between mother and baby. It can also be difficult; just because it is natural, that doesn’t mean it is easy, and it can require some practice before both mom and baby get the hang of it. It also requires a lot of commitment, not only from mom but from the entire family, because one of the crucial components is that the baby needs to be able to nurse whenever he or she wants to nurse- that demand is what sets up the supply, so if there are obstacles to the baby being able to freely nurse, this can lead to a compromised supply, and frustration for both mom and baby. If you are at all interested in breastfeeding, ANY amount that your baby nurses will give a benefit to the baby. Please consider a breastfeeding class, again you can find them through the Alegent prenatal classes, or consider a meeting with one of our lactation consultants.
Ultrasound
Today is most likely the big day, where if you wanted to find out what you were having you were able to find out, and we evaluated your baby’s body parts to make sure everything is forming well! We’ll discuss the results with you today, and let you know if we want to follow up on anything that was seen.
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Your baby is now almost 1 foot long and weighs 1½ pounds. The lungs are starting the final phase of developing, where the very tiniest structures that allow them to breathe and take in oxygen are beginning to form. These structures have a lot of developing to do before they are able to function the way they are supposed to. The skin looks wrinkled, and the baby is just starting to plump up and deposit fat.
Preterm Labor
This is still very early for a baby to be born, so now is a time to start keeping an eye on your body and watching for signs of preterm labor. Some women will start to feel their belly get hard or tight, or feel the baby “balling up”; these might very well be contractions, but not all contractions mean you’re in labor. So-called Braxton-Hicks contractions are very common, and can be confusing. In general, occasional contractions that are not painful or are irregular are not labor, and are called Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor. If you notice that you have had 6 or more contractions for at least an hour please call your doctor’s office. If your contractions rapidly become very painful, if they are coming more often than 6 in an hour, or if you ever notice active vaginal bleeding like a period or a gush of fluid and you suspect your water broke, then you should go to the hospital immediately.
Glucose Tolerance Test
You will receive a bottle of orange liquid at your visit today; this is the glucose drink for your sugar test to see if you have gestational diabetes (diabetes of pregnancy). This is for you to take home, and we recommend you put it in the refrigerator (it tastes better cold!) When you come in for your next visit, drink it about 30-45 minutes before your appointment. The instructions are on the bottle. We will draw your blood exactly one hour after you have finished drinking it.
Anemia
As your body continues to make changes to accommodate the growing fetus, your iron count tends to drop. This drop tends to get more pronounced in the third trimester. When we draw your blood at your next visit for your blood sugar, we will also test your hemoglobin, a way to measure the iron in your body and see if you are becoming anemic. If so, we will ask you to add some extra iron on to your prenatal vitamins, to make sure that the baby has an adequate supply for making his or her own red blood cells without taking too much from you! This is especially important because some blood loss is expected at the time of delivery. If you become too anemic you may be at increased risk of needing a blood transfusion, and we might avoid this by preventing the anemia in the first place.
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Your Baby
Your baby now measures more than a foot from head to toe, but spends most of his or her term curled up in what we call “the fetal position!” He or she weighs about 2 pounds now, and the skin is covered with a thick, creamy white covering called vernix. The eyes are open, and the eyelids are forming. Your baby now has his or her very own fingerprints!
Frequency of Visits
Congratulations on reaching the third trimester! You will now need to see the doctor every 2 weeks for the next 8 weeks. You should have finished the orange drink before your visit today, and you’ll have your blood drawn an hour after you finished to check for pregnancy diabetes and anemia.
Circumcision
If you are having a baby boy, now is the time to discuss with your partner whether or not you’d like to have him circumcised. In this country, the majority of males are circumcised. Circumcision has been shown to slightly decrease the risk of STD transmission, as well as improve hygiene. Circumcision also nearly eliminates the risk of penile cancer and an inflammatory condition called phimosis, which are both very rare even in uncircumcised males. These benefits impact a very small number of people, so The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend circumcision from a medical standpoint. It is an elective, optional procedure done primarily for cosmetic reasons.
If you choose to have your son circumcised, this may be done by the OB-GYN, or by the family physician or pediatrician who cares for the baby in the hospital. Numbing medicine and Tylenol will be given to help the baby be more comfortable. Usually the nurses will monitor the baby for about 2 hours before discharging him, and they will teach you how to care for the circumcision site.
Contraception
Now is also a great time to start thinking about your family planning goals. Ovulation can occur as early as 4 weeks after delivering your baby, so any unprotected intercourse could lead to another pregnancy. If you do not plan to have any more children, you should discuss options for sterilization with your OB-GYN. Forms for tubal ligation usually need to be signed at least 30 days before the procedure can be done, so it’s a good idea to sign these at the beginning of the third trimester. If you plan to have more children, or just aren’t 100% sure that you are finished with childbearing, talk to your doctor about reversible options. Think about your time frame of when you would want to have another child, whether that’s within a year, in a few years, or not for several years. Also, make sure to communicate with your doctor about your plans to breastfeed or bottlefeed your infant, as well as what other medications you will be taking.
Preterm Labor Review
Up until this point, your body, especially your uterus, has focused on remaining quiet, soft and stretchy, allowing the pregnancy to grow and develop. Around this time, your body is just beginning to transition to a new phase, in which it’s preparing for delivery. During this time you may start to notice your belly occasionally feeling crampy or tight. Remember that in general, occasional contractions that are not painful or are irregular are not labor, and are called Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor. If you notice that you have had several contractions in a short time, try emptying your bladder, drinking a full glass of water, and resting on your left side while continuing to sip on fluids. Watch the clock; if you continue to have more than 6 contractions in an hour then you should call your doctor. If your contractions rapidly become very painful, if they are coming more often than 6 in an hour, or if you ever notice active vaginal bleeding like a period or a gush of fluid and you suspect your water broke, then you should go to the hospital immediately.
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Your baby’s senses are becoming more and more developed. Your baby can sense some light and darkness, and can hear and recognize your voice! Now is a great time to start reading and singing to your baby so that he or she comes to think of those sounds as loving and soothing. Your baby can suck his or her thumb, and cry, and may get the hiccups. It can even taste sweetness, or sour. He or she weighs around 3 pounds, and those kicks are very strong!
Glucose Tolerance Test Review
You should have had your blood drawn at your last visit for your sugar test; if you weren’t called regarding your results they should be discussed with you today. If they were abnormal, your doctor will make arrangements for a follow up test to confirm whether or not you have diabetes of pregnancy, and set you up for further education and testing as needed.
Vaginal Bleeding
As you get closer to your due date and your body is getting ready for delivery, your cervix can become more sensitive. At times you may notice spotting after you urinate or after intercourse, or you may have brownish discharge, or you may lose your “mucus plug” which might look like slime with either a yellowish tinge, or streaks of red or brown blood. All of these things are very common, and not a cause for concern on their own. If you have pain in your belly, if you are having a lot of contractions, or if you have active bleeding, either a large gush or a steady trickle, you should call to discuss this with the doctor or come in to the hospital to be evaluated.
Leaking Fluid
Many women notice an increase in the amount of vaginal discharge they have during the last trimester of pregnancy. Some women may also find that they leak urine when they cough or sneeze, or that it is tougher to make it to the bathroom in time. These are common complaints during pregnancy, but it is important to separate this from leaking amniotic fluid, or fluid from the bag of waters around the baby. Sometimes water breaks in a big gush; usually this not only makes your underwear feel wet, but will soak your clothes and leave you sitting in a puddle. Other times it can break in a slow leak; again, although it does not all come out in a big rush, it usually is a steady trickle that is truly water, not discharge or moist feeling, and it does not stop. It will almost always soak through to your pants if you are not wearing a pad. If you think your water has broken, it is important that you be evaluated right away, either in the office or on labor and delivery.
Preterm Labor Review
As you get further into the third trimester, your body continues to make the very gradual transition to prepare for labor and delivery. Remember, occasional contractions are very common, and do not necessarily mean you are in labor; if you haven’t had any contractions at all yet, don’t worry about that either! Some women don’t ever have contractions until they go into active labor. If you notice that you have had several contractions in a short time, try emptying your bladder, drinking a full glass of water, and resting on your left side while continuing to sip on fluids. Watch the clock; if you continue to have more than 6 contractions in an hour, and this goes on for at least an hour, then you should call your doctor or come in to labor and delivery to be evaluated. If your contractions rapidly become very painful, if they are coming more often than 6 in an hour, or if you ever notice active vaginal bleeding like a period or a gush of fluid and you suspect your water broke, than you should go to the hospital immediately.
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Your baby now weighs about 3½ pounds, and your uterus is up in your rib cage. The skin is thicker, with a red and wrinkled surface. The smallest structures of the lungs are finishing development during this time, and are just beginning to function and produce proteins that help the baby breathe more easily. This process continues throughout the next 6-8 weeks!
Ultrasound
If everything has been progressing smoothly, you may not have another ultrasound at all during your pregnancy! However, if your doctor notices anything usual, now is a typical time to have a follow up ultrasound to check the baby’s growth.
Fetal Kick Counts
Your baby is getting stronger, and is likely very active! You have probably noticed a pattern to your baby’s movements that you have come to expect each day. If you have a day where your baby doesn’t seem to move as much as he or she usually does, it’s a good idea to do what we call a “Fetal Kick Count.” It’s best to do this after you’ve had something to eat or drink, so after lunch is often a nice time. Find a quiet place to relax on your left side, and just notice whenever your baby moves; any little wiggle counts as a movement. When your baby has moved 10 times, you have completed the kick count. If it has been an hour and you have not counted 10 movements, you should call your doctor or come in to the office or the hospital to be evaluated.
Preterm Labor Review
This is still a little too early for the baby to be born, so keep looking for signs of preterm labor. Remember, occasional contractions that are not painful or are irregular are not labor, and are called Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor. If you notice that you have had several contractions in a short time, try emptying your bladder, drinking a full glass of water, and resting on your left side while continuing to sip on fluids. Watch the clock; if you continue to have more than 6 contractions in an hour, and this goes on for over an hour, then you should call your doctor or come in to labor and delivery to be evaluated. If your contractions rapidly become very painful, if they are coming more often than 6 in an hour, or if you ever notice active vaginal bleeding like a period or a gush of fluid and you suspect your water broke, than you should go to the hospital immediately.
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From the top of the baby’s head to the toes, your baby is now about 1 ½ feet long, and when he or she stretches, you feel it! He or she weighs around 5 pounds, and is continuing to develop body fat under the skin, crucial to his or her ability to keep warm after birth. The tiny structures in the lung are not quite functioning fully, but getting close. You may be having some contractions, and if labor starts now we probably won’t try to stop it; most babies do fine after this time. The brain still has some growing and maturing to do though, so we won’t try to deliver you until after 39 weeks at least unless there is some other medical problem.
Group B Beta Strep Testing
You will probably have the test for the Group B Beta Strep (GBS) today; remember, this is not an infection, but a bacteria that naturally lives in around 30% of women. We do the test to identify those women with it, and give them an antibiotic during labor to prevent the newborn from developing an infection.
Preterm Labor Review
You may be experiencing contractions occasionally; we worry about them a lot less the closer you are to your due date. Remember, occasional contractions that are not painful or are irregular are not labor, and are called Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor. If you notice that you have had several contractions in a short time, try emptying your bladder, drinking a full glass of water, and resting on your left side while continuing to sip on fluids. Watch the clock; if you continue to have more than 6 contractions in an hour, and this goes on for over an hour, you should call your doctor. If your contractions rapidly become very painful, if they are coming more often than 6 in an hour, or if you ever notice active vaginal bleeding like a period or a gush of fluid and you suspect your water broke, than you should go to the hospital immediately.
Anesthesia During Labor
If you haven’t given any thought to your wishes for pain control during labor, now is a good time to consider them. Many women like the idea of going “natural;” there are many techniques and non-pharmacological (non-medicine) ways to control pain and discomfort from labor. These include breathing techniques, movement, massage, warm baths or showers, heating pads, or music. There are several different IV pain medications that you can receive intermittently though out the process to help with the pain, just remember that the baby will receive some of any medication we give you in your IV, so if we have any concerns about how well the baby is tolerating labor that may limit how much pain medication you can receive. You can also receive numbing medication in your back around the spinal cord to make your belly and bottom numb; this is called an epidural and is usually very effective in controlling the pain of labor and delivery. However, this may limit how much you can move, and you may require a catheter to help empty your bladder.
Whatever method you choose for pain control, it is very clear that having positive, encouraging, involved support people around you is very helpful in managing pain, as well as making the delivery a joyful and not scary event. Make sure you carefully choose who will be present at the delivery so that you will be surrounded by people who help you feel calm and positive!
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Babies’ weights and lengths vary by quite a bit at this time; most babies will be between 5 ½ and 6 pounds, and will be 18 inches or so long. You may notice that your baby’s movements are more rolling and shifting than kicking. Most babies will be head-down now; less than 5% of babies are still breech at this gestational age.
Labor Education
Congratulations! You have now reached full term! Most babies born after this time do very well and are able to go home when their mother is discharged, so you don’t need to be as vigilant about watching for contractions. It is always a good idea to stay well hydrated and get adequate rest, but if contractions begin, you can continue about your usual activities until they become painful or intrusive. In the early phases of labor, contractions can seem regular for awhile and then become irregular, can be painful for awhile and then get less so, especially with rest or drinking fluids. This phase can last for hours or even days, and many women find that movement, warm showers or baths, frequent resting and naps, and continuing to stay busy especially with activities you enjoy can help this phase pass more easily. Once your contractions are becoming more regular and more painful, are lasting for a minute or more, and occur every 5-7 minutes or so for at least an hour, you may be entering into the active phase of labor. Call your doctor, or come to labor and delivery to be evaluated.
Labor Precautions
As outlined above, if you think your labor is becoming more active or if you are feeling pressure or an urge to push, you should come to the hospital. If you have any question, call the doctor or come in; it’s always better to be evaluated, reassured and sent home then to be at home worrying and possibly miss something. As always, if you have active bleeding like a period, or if you think your water might have broken, you should call the doctor or come in to be evaluated.
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Although this can vary by a large amount, most babies are between 6 and 7 pounds now, and the head may have dropped lower in the pelvis. The vernix, or creamy white coating on the baby's skin, is still there, but is starting to be reabsorbed. Your baby has more and more hair on his or her head, and less of the downy hair on the body (lanugo).
Labor Precautions
Remember, the early phase of labor can last hours or even days, so keep moving, take warm baths and showers, and try to get some sleep. If you think your labor is becoming more active (contractions more regular and painful, and 5 minutes apart for an hour) or if you are feeling pressure or an urge to push, you should come to the hospital. If you have any questions, call the doctor or come in; it's always better to be evaluated, reassured and sent home then to be at home worrying and possibly miss something. As always, if you have active bleeding like a period, or if you think your water might have broken, you should call the doctor or come in to be evaluated.
","Although this can vary by a large amount, most babies are between 6 and 7 pounds no...",http://cms.assets.mobilesmith.com/Alegent/Milestones/List/Alegent-Milestones-List-38.png,http://cms.assets.mobilesmith.com/Alegent/Milestones/PhoneCarousel/Alegent-Phone-Carousel-38.png,21,https://youtu.be/vOhGdBEv-Tc 0,22982400,Week 39,"Your Baby
Again, sizes can vary by a wide margin, but by now your baby is probably more than 7 pounds, and ready to breathe, eat, keep him or herself warm, and yes, cry! If you are planning a c-section, it probably will be scheduled during this week!
Labor Precautions
Remember, the early phase of labor can last hours or even days, so keep moving, take warm baths and showers, and try to get some sleep. If you think your labor is becoming more active (contractions more regular and painful, and 5 minutes apart for an hour) or if you are feeling pressure or an urge to push, you should come to the hospital. If you have any question, call the doctor or come in; it's always better to be evaluated, reassured and sent home then to be at home worrying and possibly miss something. As always, if you have active bleeding like a period, or if you think your water might have broken, you should call the doctor or come in to be evaluated.
","Again, sizes can vary by a wide margin, but by now your baby is probably more than 7...",http://cms.assets.mobilesmith.com/Alegent/Milestones/List/Alegent-Milestones-List-39.png,http://cms.assets.mobilesmith.com/Alegent/Milestones/PhoneCarousel/Alegent-Phone-Carousel-39.png,22,https://youtu.be/KFG8bmN0DZw