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Pregnancy is a very special time for women. Despite the happiness, some discomfort may arise, but other symptoms as well, in addition to those already known. However, the last few weeks can be filled with anxiety, pain and lack of sleep, right?
In reality the symptoms can be different at this stage of pregnancy, which can last up to 2 weeks longer or less than expected. What do you mean, 2 weeks or so? We will explain below, but mainly, what to expect in the last week or weeks of pregnancy?
Duration of Pregnancy
The pregnancy lasts an average of 280 days , that is, 40 weeks or even 10 months and not 9 as they say. However, as it is counted from the first day of menstruation , there may be a divergence in the dates if the woman became pregnant after the expected date of the fertile period , there may be a difference of 1 to 2 weeks in relation to the true gestational age. Therefore, what should be taken into account is really the first ultrasound exam, with this , the weeks are counted correctly.
Feelings in the Last Week of Pregnancy
The prevailing feeling at this stage is anxiety . As soon as the woman enters at the end of the 8th month of pregnancy, things start to become tense and intense. This is because, most of the time, the woman is already ready to receive her baby.
The feeling starts to get intense every day and the desire to get to know your baby becomes bigger and bigger as delivery approaches. It is common to hear from a pregnant woman: I can’t wait for the baby to be born!
The feeling of fear can also take over Mom at this stage. The fear of childbirth, the fear of not being able to be a good mother, the fear of not being able to take care of the baby, the fear of not working in the maternity ward, fear, fear and more fear.
Everything that is still unknown, becomes a reason to be afraid. However, nothing that a good conversation with more experienced women with childbirth and even the obstetrician does not help, the fear is relative, if you know that your baby is well, there is nothing to worry about.
Nest Syndrome
It is time to prepare the nest to receive the baby , and this is also one of the feelings that dominate the last few weeks of pregnancy. Tidy up the room, tidy up the clothes, the maternity bag for the baby and mom, and in several situations, couples make minor renovations to receive the baby with the house in order.
A legend that becomes more and more real is that the desire to clean up in the last days of pregnancy , means that childbirth is approaching! When the urge to leave everything sparkling is called the nest preparation syndrome.
Physical Part in the Last Week of Pregnancy
Throughout pregnancy, the body is radically transformed, organs are relocating, uterus is growing and many sensations never felt before. There are practically 9 months changing little by little, and all this change becomes more evident and quite uncomfortable in the last weeks of pregnancy and even more intense in the last week of pregnancy. The main symptoms in the last week of pregnancy can be:
Fatigue and Shortness of Breath:
An immense tiredness for not being able to sleep well, neither at night nor during the day. The immense abdomen in relation to the non-pregnant phase, which compresses the lungs, can cause a lower quality of sleep than the previous phase of pregnancy. In fact, shortness of breath becomes much greater in the last week of pregnancy.
The third trimester is the most problematic in terms of sleep and fatigue for mom. The naps can be great allies, but nothing like a restorative night’s sleep, which will be a distant reality soon, with the birth of the baby.
In fact, it is common and you always hear from other people: Sleep a lot now, because then it becomes more difficult. But who said that the pregnant woman finds a position to rest completely? No matter how much sleep she has, the baby’s movements wake her up every 10 minutes, not to mention nature’s constant calls to the bathroom.
Swelling:
As much as the blood pressure is ok, the swelling will appear with everything in the last week of pregnancy. This is because the liquid retention is very intense. It is possible to notice this swelling in different parts of the body, both in the legs and feet, as well as on the face.
The mouth, cheek and nose get bigger , and return to normal size a few days after delivery. A great tip for pregnant women even in the last week of pregnancy is lymphatic drainage. However, if you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, it is best to be aware of these bumps. Just check the pressure to see if everything is ok, better to be safe than sorry.
Cramps:
If you haven’t felt cramps so far feel lucky! The last week of pregnancy is marked by pain, one of which cramps. This is due to the approach of childbirth. To avoid problems of this nature, it is recommended to eat bananas, they are sources of potassium that prevent such intense pain from appearing.
Pee all the time and poop only sometimes:
With the baby’s weight, placenta and liquids on the bladder, the urge to urinate greatly increases! The sensation will be much more intense if the baby is already seated and the worst moment is during the night, which is already uncomfortable due to the position that the belly makes uncomfortable when denting. Constipation of the intestine can also be a problem. Some pregnant women in the final stages of pregnancy may have hemorrhoids due to the force they use to empty the colon. For some pregnant women it is not easy to poop at the end of pregnancy, and what can help is fiber intake and perhaps a natural plum juice.
Training or actual contractions:
False contractions will certainly intensify in the last week of pregnancy. In fact, they may not be false, but a smooth principle of labor. The belly becomes stiffer and a discomfort may appear at the bottom of the belly during contractions. It is as if someone is squeezing your belly with moderate force. As the pain gets more intense, it is best to see your doctor to check for active labor . Do not think that these contractions are bad, on the contrary, they are preparing the cervix for childbirth!
Intense heat:
You may be sweating profusely even in winter! The increase in blood circulation and heart rate is at its limit, and certainly this will have a consequence, the heat! Just walk a little further than expected and the sweat comes on strong and the feeling of being under a thousand suns as well. Don’t worry, this is normal.
Stitches in the vagina, pain between the legs and the back:
Pricks are very common symptoms, in fact, the pregnant woman may start feeling even in the second trimester, but intensify a lot in the last week of pregnancy. That’s because the cervix is getting ready to dilate. The pains between the legs, more precisely in the pelvis bone, can also appear from one hour to the next. Opening the pelvis for childbirth leaves the bones more distant and it will certainly hurt. Back pain does not escape from the same reason, as the delivery approaches the pains will inevitably intensify.
Some mothers report that on the eve of birth or even on the day of delivery, the baby’s movements become more intense. This is still a mystery to be clarified, but each day more and more frequent reports of mothers who feel their babies agitated on the eve of being born, either by normal delivery or by caesarean section.
See also: Childbirth Work – How to Recognize the Time Has Come
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
