What’s Happening With Mom?
This week, your cervix, the opening to the uterus, may start to dilate in preparation for birth. Or, your cervix may stay tightly shut until labor starts. You might also loose your mucus plug. It’s a slimy, bloody plug that blocks up your cervix and stops anything harmful getting into the uterus.
You’ll probably be feeling plenty of those random practice contractions now. You might also be feeling regular contractions that start, make you wonder if you should grab your bag and head to the hospital, and then they stop. It’s all part of your uterus warming up for labor and birth. While practice contractions might rattle you some, most women just know when they are genuinely in labor and when time to go to the hospital. But if you are unsure, call your doctor’s office.
While you might be feeling too large to do any kind of physical activity, there are some gentle exercises you can do to keep moving and relive a little of the aches and pains. Tailor sitting and cat stretches can relive some of the ache in your back and hips, and kegels, exercises for your pelvic floor, can help with stress incontinence and maybe a faster recovery after the birth.
What’s Happening With Baby?
Baby continues to build up fat reserves with plenty of padding on baby’s shoulders, adorable rolls on baby’s arms and legs, and darling chubby cheeks. Baby’s cheeks also have very well developed muscles designed for one thing – sucking. Baby has been working out by sucking their thumb for the last few weeks. And once baby is born, you’ll get to see those muscles in action as baby nurses or drinks from a bottle.
Baby weighs about 6 lbs this week, and should be head down, ready to be born. Your doctor will be checking that baby is facing the exit, and if not, you’ll be scheduled for a cesarean section. While it’s possible for your baby to turn around after this week, it’s unlikely because baby is so big now, and there just isn’t enough room for baby to turn upside down.
Tags: baby's cheeks, birth, cervix, cesarean, contractions, dilation, fat reserves, hospital, labor, mucus plug, nursing, third trimester, thumb sucking, uterus
