Precursors of delivery at week 38

38 weeks of pregnancy - this is the line, stepping over that at any time you can wait for the onset of labor. After 37 weeks the child is already considered full, so nothing prevents his birth. Births at this time are considered to have occurred on time.

According to statistics, deliveries at week 38 occur in 13% of cases. And more often it happens in repeatedly giving birth to women. Only 5% of pregnant women with a second child "hold out" to 40 weeks.

Therefore, from the 38th week of pregnancy, a woman needs to carefully monitor her condition so as not to miss the so-called precursors of childbirth - phenomena that indicate the early onset of labor. This is especially true of women who are preparing to become moms for the first time. After all, forerunners of childbirth due to ignorance they can take for a malfunction in the body.

And for the women who are giving birth not for the first time can turn into the beginning of childbirth. Since many sensations, because they have once experienced, do not have such a vivid color, and therefore can be left without attention.

Signs of an impending birth at 38 weeks gestation

The following signs may indicate early delivery at week 38:

1. Slight pain in the lumbar region. It can suddenly start and, just as it does not increase, it suddenly ends. These are training fights , thanks to which the organism of the future mother is prepared for labor. Training fights are different from the real ones in that they are not regular and their intensity does not increase with time.
2. In the last weeks of pregnancy a woman can lose a little weight. This is also a sign of preparing the body for childbirth. So he gets rid of excess fluid. Against the background of a reduction in weight, a woman can decrease or even lose her appetite. Some women just have to force themselves to eat something.
3. At 38 weeks in primiparous women falls stomach. This is due to the fact that the present part of the fetus descends, reducing pressure on the lungs, diaphragm, stomach. Due to the lowering of the abdomen, it becomes easier for a pregnant woman to breathe, and it is heartburn. In women preparing for childbirth for the second time, the stomach can descend only immediately before the onset of labor.
4. Since the baby's head is firmly pressed against the pelvis, the expectant mother can feel the pulling and pressing pains in the lower abdomen and the sacrum area. Pain can also appear on the back of the foot due to compression of the femoral nerve passing next to the uterus.
5. At this time, there are transparent or slightly colored mucous discharge, which can be beige, pinkish, brownish in color. It's not a slimy plug. On the separation of the cork the woman will know by the presence of a tight lump of mucus. This will be an indication that the birth will occur from day to day.
6. Urination becomes even more frequent than before. After all, the baby falls still lower in the abdomen, exerting more pressure on the bladder.
7. In recent weeks, the uterus is almost always in a tonus. And this is quite normal.
8. The breast increases even more in size, colostrum begins to be allocated.
9. Becoming becomes less and less. This is due to the fact that the baby has grown and occupies almost all the free space in the mother's womb. There is practically no place for him to move.
10. At the end of pregnancy a woman suddenly has a desire to do a spring cleaning. This so-called symptom of "nesting" suggests that you can soon gather in the hospital. Such intense physical activity in 38 weeks may well cause childbirth.

The presence of these signs does not mean that the delivery will begin right now, but nevertheless, the maternity bag should already be at the threshold, and long-distance trips should be postponed until later.