THIRTY-SEVENTH WEEK OF PREGNANCY: childbirth is imminent
Introduction
With the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, during which the fetus is as big as a small watermelon, it's mainly about enjoying what could be the last days of waiting.
Labor, in fact, could be just around the corner.
For a complete and conscious maternity journey, I recommend joining Academy to access all the best video courses to support the your health in the post-pregnancy period (pelvic floor, breastfeeding, nutrition, etc.) and the development of your baby (motor development, language, cognitive, baby-led weaning, pediatric choking prevention, etc.).
Also, on my Instagram profile @drsilva.com_official and on my YouTube channel you will find lots of content designed for you and your little one.
How many months are 39 weeks of pregnancy?
The thirty-ninth week of pregnancy almost marks the end of the ninth month, which runs from 35+1 to 40 weeks.
What is the right week to give birth?
As already mentioned, at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy labor could start at any time.
A newborn is considered full-term if born between the thirty-seventh and fortieth week.
The parameters just mentioned can help you stay calm if, for example, at 39+3 weeks pregnant - or even in the following days - you do not feel any symptoms.
Symptoms of the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy
In the list of symptoms of the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, tingling in the legs can be included.
This is an effect of the weight of the uterus and fetus on the nerves at the lower pelvis.
With the breasts definitely larger than at the beginning of the sweet wait, the mother at 39 weeks may also experience Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor.
Preparatory contractions that last a maximum of one minute and do not cause pain are meant to prepare the uterus for the journey of labor.
At 39 weeks pregnant, it is normal to feel a sensation similar to menstrual cramps.
The cause?
Once again, false contractions, but also from the pressure of the fetus on the pelvis.
With the uterus having reduced its mechanical pressure on the diaphragm, the mother at thirty-nine weeks of pregnancy breathes more comfortably.
Due to the pressure on the bladder, you experience a frequent need to urinate daily.
Continue to use, to relieve back pain, another daily symptom at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, a specific pillow for pregnant women.
I remind you once again that you cannot use it while breastfeeding (you will need to buy another one).
Another notable symptom during the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy is pregnancy hydrorrea, that is, acute vaginal secretions, particularly pronounced at the end of pregnancy, caused by hormonal influence, especially estrogen.
39 weeks pregnant: how to stimulate labor
Now that you are in the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, with the day you will hold your little one just around the corner, it's time to learn, with the help of the midwife, about natural methods to stimulate labor.
What are they?
Complete and satisfying sexual intercourse: the prostaglandins contained in male semen, in fact, promote cervical maturation.
Nipple stimulation, to encourage oxytocin synthesis.
Intake of sources of phytoestrogens such as raspberry leaf infusion (better to start a bit before the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, that is, at the thirty-seventh).
Can physical activity be helpful?
More than inducing labor, it can contribute, as shown by walking, to favor the good positioning of the baby.
Always try, in any case, to choose a type of workout that does not restrict pelvic movements.
How to tell if labor has started?
At the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, physiological labor can start at any time.
You are surely wondering what the signs are that indicate it is time.
How to tell if the water has broken?
What are the signs that indicate that, around the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, the water has broken?
Here are the symptoms to watch out for:
Sensation of a nearly sudden and uncontrollable release of warm fluid from the vagina.
Fluid that, under healthy conditions, is odorless and colorless.
It is important to remember that, at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy and beyond, the rupture of the amniotic sac can occur even without the mother realizing it.
It is important to remember that, at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy and beyond, the water breaking can occur even without the mother realizing it.
It can happen, for example, that the discharge is significantly less abundant or that there is a high rupture of the sac.
In this case, the discharge is more similar to pregnancy-related hydroorrhea.
Attention!
After the water breaks, labor does not start immediately and you should not go to the hospital.
The only exceptions concern membrane rupture not at term, unclear amniotic fluid, or the presence of significant bleeding.
It takes from 12 to 48 hours, during which it is advisable to wear a thick external pad, wait patiently, and engage in pleasant tasks while waiting for contractions.
Let's see, in the next paragraph, how to recognize them!
How to recognize labor contractions?
In this table, you can find the criteria to recognize labor contractions at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, distinguishing them from Braxton-Hicks contractions, or false labor.
39 weeks of pregnancy without contractions: is it normal?
Yes, not feeling contractions yet at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy is perfectly normal.
You can start thinking about what to do when two weeks past the due date have passed and labor has not yet started.
At 39 weeks, even if the mucus plug is lost, you should not rush, but simply wait for the symptoms described in the previous paragraph to appear.
Labor induced at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy
In the presence of specific indications, among which gestational diabetes can be included, labor induction is carried out.
For accuracy, I remind you that labor induction is also practiced when the pregnancy goes beyond term, that is, when labor does not start spontaneously or with natural induction methods by 42 weeks.
Important, in this last case, is that both the mother and the fetus are well.
Induction methods
In the table below, you can find all the peculiarities, indications, and monitoring procedures associated with methods of labor induction at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy (and beyond).
The fetus at 39 weeks of pregnancy: measurements, weight, growth
About 50 cm long and weighing an average of 3 kg - a reminder, as always, that these are rough estimates and not set in stone - the fetus at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy has accumulated fat reserves that will be useful immediately after birth.
With fully developed organs, your baby at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy has eyes that will acquire their final color around 12-18 months.
The lanugo and vernix caseosa that covered your skin until recently have almost disappeared by the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy.
With eyes always open when awake, the baby at the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy is in fetal position and, almost always, cephalic.
Which tests to take?
During the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, you must continue check-ups with your trusted midwife.
If you have decided to give birth in hospital and to use epidural anesthesia, the following tests will be required:
PT
PTT
Complete blood count
Fibrinogen
Also book a urine test.
If your midwife deems it necessary, it is appropriate to also do an ultrasound with flowmetry monitoring, as well as fetal heartbeat monitoring through the cardiotocographic trace.
What to eat?
At the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, continue to follow the Mediterranean diet, which should be your guiding light also during breastfeeding.
Abound in the intake of seasonal plant foods, whole grains, varying the type, good fats, and high biological value proteins (equally divide the intake between animal and plant sources, considering a 50:50 ratio).
Remember to continue, even when breastfeeding, to avoid pro-inflammatory foods, from refined flours, sweets, to dairy products and sources of trans fats.
The infant's intestinal inflammation, which can also occur during fetal life, as highlighted by this study published in 2018 in the journal Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, is associated with neonatal colic.
They are not physiological at all and thanks to nutrition you have the possibility to prevent them!
Which sports to do?
Physical movement is a more precious ally than ever during the thirty-ninth week of pregnancy, with the day you will hold your little one ever closer.
Walking can help promote the correct positioning of the fetus and yoga and Pilates, low-impact disciplines, prepare the body for labor.
In the first case, you can try positions like the garland pose, or Malasana, or the goddess pose, Utkata Konasana.
In both cases, a squatting position is assumed - at different levels - optimizing the opening of the pelvis or, in the case of the goddess position, providing relief to the upper body, a fundamental aspect to best experience the moments of pause during labor.
Regarding Pilates, you can look at preparatory diaphragmatic breathing exercises, fundamental thanks to the work on the deep transverse muscle, to train the pelvic floor.
