Your baby has now put on enough weight to make them look a little chubby! The fine hair that covered their entire body (called lanugo) disappears from their face, but remains on their body. Most unborn babies sleep about 90% of the time, in between short bursts of movement when awake (every 1 to 2 hours). It is common for babies to be active during the evenings, when their mother is trying to sleep, between 9pm and 1am!
Physical changes
Heartburn
Heartburn (indigestion or reflux) is a feeling of burning or discomfort in the chest and throat, usually after eating. Heartburn is experienced by up to 66% of pregnant women and is more common during the last 3 to 4 months of pregnancy.
Emotional reactions
For most potential parents, being nervous or anxious about the labour and parenting is very normal, but often not acknowledged by others. We are lucky it takes around nine months to get used to the idea! If you are feeling anxious, take some time out. Learn all you can about dealing with labour and birth, or a planned caesarean, and research your options for pain management. Contemplate how you feel about having a new baby and accepting this inevitability. Talk about it with your partner or friends to help come to terms with any issues you have. Consider counselling, hypnosis and/or homeopathies to help support you.
Other considerations
Choosing support people
As part of planning for your birth, you may wish to consider having an extra support person during your labour (in addition to, or in place of your partner or primary support person). This decision may be influenced by your choice of caregiver(s) and where you plan to give birth. There is now quite a bit of research supporting the benefits for women having a close female support person during their labour.
Raspberry leaf
Raspberry leaf is a traditional herb that has been used for centuries by indigenous cultures for medicinal purposes. It was not until the 1940’s that western medicine recognised its possible use as a uterine tonic for childbirth. It is now estimated that up to 20% of pregnant women take some form of raspberry leaf extract (as a tea, tablet or tincture) during their pregnancy, generally after about 32 to 34 weeks.
Birth preparations
Waters breaking – no contractions
The sac of waters (known as the amniotic fluid) can rupture or break before labour starts, during the labour process or not until the actual birth. If your waters break at home, you should let your caregiver know.
Augmenting the labour
Augmenting means to ‘increase or enlarge’. The augmentation of labour refers to interventions used to increase the intensity of labour contractions, particularly after the waters have broken. Augmentation differs from induction, in that the labour has already started in some way. Labour can be augmented using natural therapies or through medical interventions.
Monitoring your baby
Your baby’s heartbeat may be electronically monitored during the pregnancy, if your waters break, or during prelabour or labour. This is done using a continuous cardiotocographic machine (CTG), which records the baby’s heart rate continuously on a piece of paper.
Meconium stained amniotic fluid
Around 10% of unborn babies open their bowels before they are born. This turns the amniotic fluid green, yellow or brownish in colour. Meconium stained waters can be associated with the baby having a short temporarily reduced oxygen supply at some point in time, or a slowly reducing level of oxygen over a longer period of time.
Acupressure during labour
Acupressure is a simple, non-invasive technique that can be used to support the physical and emotional well-being of women during labour. It may also be used to help stimulate contractions.
