36th week of pregnancy for mom and baby - 9th month of pregnancy
Mother's health
The date of delivery is approaching. Will it be a natural birth or a caesarean?
The caesarean can be decided at the last moment, to avoid any complications that could arise during natural birth (fetal suffering, malposition of the fetus, breech presentation ...).
In other cases, it is decided in advance to resort to this type of birth, it is scheduled for a specific date. Often, the reasons for choosing a caesarean are related to the health of the mother: weakened uterus, diabetes, uterine fibroid, placenta previa ... size of the mother's pelvis, malposition of the fetus ...
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37th week of pregnancy for mom and baby - 9th month of pregnancy
By now, the techniques used for cesarean delivery are much less "traumatic" than those used in the past, and postpartum recovery is much faster.
The development of the child
The fetus has less and less room to move. It weighs a little less than 3 kg ... approximately, as the weight varies from one child to another. In practice it will no longer grow, but its weight will increase. He is immersed in amniotic fluid (0.5-1.5 liters), which he swallows to progressively set his digestive system in motion, which slowly begins to function.
If, for one reason or another, you gave birth now, your baby would not be very premature: all his organs are almost completely mature, including his respiratory system.
Our advice
Time to go to the hospital
Contractions that indicate the onset of labor are easily recognizable because they are painful and increasingly frequent. Pay attention to their rhythm. If this is your first pregnancy, if the contractions last at least a minute and if they repeat every 5-10 minutes , it's time to go to the hospital.
First, these are normal, low intensity contractions. That said, if the end of your pregnancy is approaching and you are afraid of giving birth, take a trip to the hospital: it is better to fail than to worry unnecessarily.
Loss of amniotic fluid (the equivalent of a glass) can be caused by a laceration of the water bag or by its breaking.In both cases, there is a "risk of" infection for the baby and complications: go to the hospital right away! On the contrary, it is good to know that the breaking of the waters occurs during childbirth, in full labor. If it doesn't happen sooner, don't worry, so don't wait for your waters to "break" before going to the hospital.
Don't panic!
It is true that, on average, the first birth lasts between 8 and 10 hours, which is longer than the birth of a second or third child. But the duration of a birth varies from one woman to another. There are women who take 20 hours to give birth to their babies and others for whom delivery is very fast.
To reassure yourself, think that you will surely have all the time you need to arrive calmly at the hospital and that the future dad will be able to stay next to you all the time. Finally, know that you will not suffer all the time: painkillers and epidural can help you cope with the pain, depending on the solution you have chosen. If the labor lasts too long and presents dangers to you or your baby, delivery could be induced, unless a caesarean has already been planned.
Bring everything you and your baby need with you, following the list that will be provided to you by the maternity ward. Avoid driving! Rather, let your partner or family member accompany you. Taxi drivers are not particularly fond of these rides, which are often too "delicate" in comparison to their driving style ...
Not to be forgotten
Begin to prepare the room and the necessary for the baby
Prepare the maternity bag
Seventh and last obligatory prenatal gynecological examination, blood analysis, complete urine examination
The maternity bag is ready
