Signs of Vaginal Discharge During Pregnancy Week 37 and 38
You may have gained a weight of about 35 pounds by the time you are 37 weeks pregnant. In most women, the uterus stops growing and this is perfectly normal as the uterus stays roughly the same size between pregnancy week 37 and the delivery.
The labor pains are quite normal during this time and it is very essential that you have regular prenatal checkups as you are now at a stage where you can get into labor at any time.
You will also notice more vaginal discharge this week as your body is preparing for the labor. In some women who are overdue or who are having conditions like gestational diabetes, bleeding or pre eclampsia, the health care provider decides to induce the labor using a pitochin drip which stimulates the contractions.
Most of the pregnant women find that the pitochin drips leads to stronger contractions. However, the contractions are steady with this medication and also minimize the complications.
The uterus has stopped growing now and will remain the same until delivery. Due to this, the movements of the baby become less during this week and if you give birth now, your baby is considered as full term.
The internal organs of the baby are now completely developed and the baby is now preparing for the life outside with regularly practicing breathing, sucking ad swallowing.
By this time, the baby has even acquired enough coordination to grasp thing with the little fingers. The baby now weighs around 6.5 pounds and measures about 21 inches long.
Take good care of your health and keep eating healthy as you continue the pregnancy from this point.
At 38 weeks pregnant you may start worrying a little about the labor as your belly is sitting probably a little lower. You may experience pelvic pressure because the baby is settling into the pelvic region.
As the baby is hitting at your nerves while pressing, you may experience unusual stings in your legs and inside the vagina. In order to overcome this, lift your legs up while you are sitting down in a comfortable position.
As the cervix begins to dilate, you may lose your mucus plug which seals the cervix and prevents the infection during pregnancy. This occurs in the last month of pregnancy in most of the women and is not a predictor of labor contrary to what many people say.
Frequent urination is another problem you will experience at this stage because of the pressure on the bladder and the thighs.
Your baby continues to put on some weight even in this week and weighs about 6 ½ pounds and is around 19 to 20 inches long.
By now, the baby’s intestines have accumulated a considerable amount of meconium – a mass of cells and waste products from the pancreas, liver and the gall bladder – that will be eliminated shortly after the birth.
All the internal organs of the baby are well developed now and the baby is ready for the outside world.
Increase your iron intake and continue taking your prenatal vitamins as the baby experiences rapid growth during final weeks. Increasing your water intake is also very important at this stage as it will help in preventing dehydration during labor.
Author Bio:
Stephanie writes on health, pregnancy and parenting. Visit ThePregnancyZone.com for more information on pregnancy week by week and everything you want to know about getting 37 weeks pregnant and 38 weeks pregnant.
Processing your request, Please wait....
