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the final weeks - coles baby clubAs you enter the final stretch of your pregnancy, you'll experience plenty of physical and emotional changes just as you did in the first and second trimesters. Common physical changes include abdominal growth and back pain as your growing abdomen shifts your centre of gravity; your ankles may swell in late pregnancy; you may experience fatigue and shortness of breath because your growing uterus leaves your lungs with limited space to expand. The length of pregnancy varies from woman to woman. You may be surprised by the onset of labour before your due date, but most women experience a period of waiting before the baby comes, which can seem endless at the time. What to do in the final daysYou are on the threshold of labour and it's possible that any fears or anxieties you have about labour and birth may surface at this time. It may be helpful to confide in someone you feel close to and make use of the emotional support around you.
Pre-labourPre-labour can last for days and identifying the start of 'real' contractions is not always easy. There are various signs that might occur in the days leading up to labour, which may show that you don't have long to go. Braxton HicksThese contractions are 'practice' contractions, or strong tightenings of the uterus, which can be quite painful. Braxton Hicks contractions are erratic, and varying in length and duration. You can distinguish them from real contractions by changing your activity, which causes them to stop. These contractions soften the cervix, rather than dilating it.The showThis is the plug of mucus which has sealed the cervix shut during pregnancy. As the cervix starts to soften and open a little, the plug comes away. You may notice this as a pinkish discharge. The show can occur at any time from immediately before labour to up to two weeks before labour starts. In many cases, though, it doesn't come away until during labour, when you may not notice it. You may also notice a low backache, caused by the baby settling down into the pelvis, and you may suffer from diarrhoea or a frequent need to empty your bowels. Although these are all things that may indicate that labour isn't far off, they aren't actually part of the labour process.LabourIf you notice the following, it is likely you are in the early stages of labour: Waters breakingFor about 10 per cent of women, the breaking of the waters is the first indication that labour is imminent. When this happens, some women feel a distinct 'pop' or 'ping' and then a gush of warm clear fluid; others just notice a gentle trickle. For most women, though, the waters don't break until they're well into labour. ContractionsThese are muscular tightenings of the uterus, which dilate the cervix so that your baby can be born. Once these contractions have started, you are in labour. If your waters break or if you start bleeding from the vagina, go immediately to hospital.Coles is committed to protecting your privacy. Click here for more info. |
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