At 38 weeks pregnant, delivery has never been so close. Your body is preparing to give birth and the contractions are intensifying. Discover the explanations of Anh-Chi Ton, midwife on this 40th week of amenorrhea.
At 38 weeks of pregnancy, you can give birth at any moment! The last weeks are often long and tiring for expectant mothers. Most of them can’t wait to give birth and hold baby in their arms. It is true that at 38 weeks of pregnancy, the belly is heavy, sometimes difficult movements. A few more days of patience! Anh-Chi Ton, midwife, gives us her advice to approach this end of pregnancy serenely.
How many months and SA at 38 weeks of pregnancy?
There 38th week of pregnancy corresponds to the 40th week of amenorrhea. You are at end of your ninth month of pregnancy.
What symptoms at 38 weeks of pregnancy?
At this stage of pregnancy, you are very tired and you may have lower back pain (the stomach feels heavy!) and frequent urges to urinate. Don’t worry, this is all perfectly normal!
Fatigue
Intense fatigue, sleep problems, constant urges to pee, pelvic pain… the end of pregnancy is marked by many little ailments. But don’t worry, you won’t have much longer! Take care of yourself as much as possible and give yourself all the necessary rest.
Abundant white discharge
At the end of pregnancy, loss of the mucous plug can cause mucus discharge streaked with blood. Please note, this is not the loss of clots or red blood, but traces mixed with white losses. This discharge can also be heavy at this stage of pregnancy. However, in case of frank blood loss, the cause is rarely serious, but it is better to consult.
Diarrhea
At this stage, diarrhea can be a sign that childbirth is imminent!
pubic pain
Pubalgia is common at the end of pregnancy. “Under the effect of hormones, the ligaments can stretch, causing sometimes intense pain. But these pains can also be caused by the weight of the baby, the pelvis which is more lax at the end of pregnancy. We call it the Lacomme’s syndrome. For all ligament pain, it is recommended to take magnesium.”, explains Anh-Chi Ton.
“Under the effect of hormones, the ligaments can stretch, causing sometimes intense pain”.
Signs of childbirth at 38 weeks of pregnancy
Besides the close and intense contractionsthe other sign that should encourage you to go to the maternity ward without delay is the loss of water. You feel (and see) that you are losing a lot of fluid (a good drink) all at once. No doubt your water broke.
Stomach ache
If you feel any severe abdominal pain and/or increasingly intense and close contractions (every five minutes or less), it may be a good time to go to the maternity ward.
38 weeks pregnant and still nothing
If some future mothers have contractions very early in pregnancy and approach the last month with a pass already modified, for others, on the contrary, it’s dead calm! Nothing unusual or worrying about that. It’s not because your cervix is closed at 38 weeks of pregnancy, i.e. 40 SA, that you are going to overstay or be triggered. At this stage, the situation can change very quickly.
Can you get triggered at 38 weeks pregnant?
It is possible for medical reasons (baby growth retardation, unbalanced gestational diabetes, hypertension etc.) or for reasons of convenience. “For example because the dad is going on a business trip the following week, or for reasons of family organization. Before, we only did it if the cervix was favorable (a little shortened, softened, open) but an American study has shown that the optimal term was at 39 weeks of pregnancy. This is very new, but some hospitals are starting to trigger women at this term, even if the cervix is not yet favourable.”, details the specialist.
After nine months of development, your baby’s organs are now operational. They are now ready to really function, and are preparing for the many changes that will follow birth. The lungs, for example, will have to function with oxygen from the ambient air, and no longer with amniotic fluid. This vital oxygen for your baby will no longer be provided by the blood of the umbilical cord, but by the ambient air. Your baby’s digestive system will also now have to digest milk in order to provide energy to the body. As for your baby’s brain, it will continue to mature into adulthood.
Baby moves a lot
At the end of pregnancy, baby lacks space and the amount of amniotic fluid decreases. It is therefore possible that baby moves less or in any case that you feel it less. Conversely, other babies continue to be very active. Rest assured, this does not bode well for baby’s temperament once outside!
What is baby’s position at 40 weeks?
At 38 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is ready to go out any moment. He takes advantage of these last days and these last hours to make himself beautiful. Her rosy skin becomes smoother and softer. Your baby also assumes its exit position: its head is now well positioned, in the narrowest part of your uterus. When the cervix has softened and opened, descent and delivery can begin.
What to do at 38 weeks pregnant?
Soon the end of your pregnancy and your baby still hasn’t arrived? Rest assured, this is completely normal. This week, you will just have to do a new urine test, even a monitoring in some cases, and show a little more patience.
Latest pregnancy exams
Like the previous week, you are invited to make a urine test to check the presence of protein in the urine. At the end of pregnancy, you may also have to carry out one or more monitorings, a few hours apart, to check that your child is doing well. In the event of an anomaly, the maternity team may decide to induce the delivery.
To have a good time
Are you starting to spin around? This is completely normal. At this stage of pregnancy, everything should be ready for the birth and your stay in the maternity ward. To reassure you, you can always do a last check-up: maternity bag, papers, organization of the departure to the maternity… Everything is ok? Take advantage of your last hours of respite to rest, watch a good movie, read a book or simply sleep peacefully!
Thanks to Anh-Chi Ton, midwife.