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| Your Pregnancy: 36 Weeks |
How your baby's growing:
Your
baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a
day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more
than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of
hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy
substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month
amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with
other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will
form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this
week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42
weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42
are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she
isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic
version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby
into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your
belly.
See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)
Note:
Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our
information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's
development.
How your life's changing:
Live birth:
Epidural
Bonding with your newborn False labor Low back pain
during pregnancy What to pack for the hospital when you're having a
c-section Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may
have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are
often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have
less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts
to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening —
often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If
you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor
starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in
your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable,
and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If
your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and
discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a
bowling ball between their legs!
Video Inside pregnancy:
Labor
and birth A 3D animated look at the stages of labor from
contractions to birth. You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks
contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor
with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As
a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated,
and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in
until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each,
coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call
right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think
you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding,
fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or
vision changes.
Even if you're enjoying an uncomplicated
pregnancy, it's best to avoid flying (or any travel far from home)
during your final month because you can go into labor at any time. In
fact, some airlines won't let women on board who are due to deliver
within 30 days of the flight.
Eating in "Start
collecting take-out and delivery menus from local restaurants. You
won't have time to cook in the early weeks after giving birth. Even
restaurants without a visible take-out business will usually accommodate
a to-go order (especially if it's for a new mom!)."
Surprising Facts:
The
stages of laborFor first-time moms, labor takes an average of 15 hours,
though it's not uncommon to last more than 20. (For women who've
previously had a vaginal birth, it takes eight hours, on average.) The
process of labor and birth is divided into three main stages. Here are
the highlights on how childbirth progresses:
First stage The first
stage begins when you start having contractions that progressively
dilate and efface your cervix and it ends when your cervix is fully
dilated. This stage is divided into two phases, early and active labor.
It
can be tricky to determine exactly when early labor starts. That's
because early labor contractions are sometimes hard to distinguish from
the inefficient Braxton Hicks contractions that you may have been
feeling for some time.
Unless there are complications or your
midwife or doctor has advised you otherwise, expect to sit out most of
your early labor at home. (Be sure, though, to check in with your
caregiver to make certain.)
Early labor ends when your cervix is
about 4 centimeters dilated and your progress starts to speed up. At
this point, you enter what's known as the active phase of labor. Your
contractions become more frequent, longer, and stronger.
The last
part of the active phase — when your cervix dilates from 8 to 10
centimeters — is called the transition period because it marks the
transition to the second stage of labor. This is the most intense part
of the first stage, with contractions that are usually very strong,
coming about every two and a half to three minutes and lasting a minute
or more.
Second stage Once your cervix is fully dilated, the
second stage of labor begins: the final descent and birth of your baby.
This is the "pushing" stage of labor, and it can last anywhere from
minutes to a few hours. (It's likely to be quicker if you've previously
given birth vaginally.)
Your baby's head will continue to advance
with each push until it "crowns" — the term used to describe the time
when the widest part of your baby's head is finally visible. After your
baby's head comes out, your midwife or doctor will suction his mouth and
nose, and feel around his neck for the umbilical cord. His head then
turns to the side as his shoulders rotate inside the pelvis to get into
position for their exit. With the next contraction, you'll be coached to
push as his shoulders deliver, one at a time, followed by the rest of
his body.
You may feel a wide range of emotions now: euphoria,
awe, pride, disbelief, excitement (to name a few), and, of course,
intense relief that it's all over. Exhausted as you may be, you'll also
probably feel a burst of energy, and any thoughts of sleep will vanish
for the time being.
Stage three The final stage of labor begins
immediately after the birth of your baby and ends with the delivery of
your placenta. The contractions in the third stage are relatively mild.
Get a more detailed account of what happens during each stage of labor.
This Week's Activity:
Create
a grapevine. Make a list of all the people you want to hear about your
baby's birth — with their phone numbers or e-mail addresses — and pass
this along to a friend who can spread the news. That way, when you're
ready for others to know, all you have to do is make one call. Include
at least one person from work on the list, so they can spread the word
there.
