Size of baby thirty eighth week
The baby weighs around six and half pounds during the thirty eighth week of pregnancy. Its size is approximately twenty inches. By this time the bladder gets too compressed because of the pressure put by the baby. It is important to get acquainted with the process of labor and delivery so that you can expect the things which will be in the offing for you, during the period of delivery. It has been observed that only ten percent of the women can experience the natural water break. For the rest of them, it has to be induced by the doctors.
Types of labor pain
Labor is basically divided in the following three types: actual labor, pre term labor and false labor. Pre term labor, as the name suggests is the labor which occurs before the actual labor. During this phase the body prepares itself for the birth of the baby. During the preterm labor the baby’s head reaches the pelvis. Occurrence of Braxton Hick’s become more frequent around this time. One can also experience the increase in the amount of vaginal discharge during the period of preterm labor. False labor might feel like the actual labor, but technically it cannot be deemed as the actual labor. During false labor, the contractions despite being painful are not regular. You can be sure of experiencing a false labor if the intensity of your pain remains constant and occur in irregular intervals. During false labor the contractions can come to a halt if one changes the position. An easy way to determine whether you are experiencing actual labor is to assess the frequency of the contractions. During actual labor, the pain will get worse with time and the contractions will not stop even if you change positions.
Meconium or black discharge after baby birth
By the thirty eighth week of pregnancy, the baby develops the muscles to swallow. During this time the baby keeps on swallowing amniotic fluid and it is quite natural that the waste material will get collected in his intestines. Meconium is considered as the first bowel movement of the baby after the delivery. It is greenish black in color and it consists of lanugo hair, cells of dead skin, etc. From the thirty eighth week of pregnancy the baby gains around one ounce of weight every day. At this time the production of a substance called surfactant also increases. This substance avoids the air sacs present in the lungs to get attached to each other from the moment the baby starts to breathe. From the thirty eighth week of pregnancy every women should be ready for labor as it might occur anytime. During this phase the baby is still trying to get settled into the pelvic area of your body.
Swelling in feet
Swelling in the feet is very common during the last phase of the pregnancy, but if any swelling occurs in the face, then you should consult your doctor. Swelling in the hands or face is a symptom of hypertension during pregnancy. This might have an adverse affect on the baby because he might not receive adequate amount of blood supply, when the mother suffers from hypertension.