Week 41 Are You Still Pregnant?!
Congratulations Mama and welcome to week 41 of your pregnancy. This week your baby is the size of a watermelon, measuring around 20.4 inches long and about 8 pounds. Or more. Or less. There really is no way of knowing until he or she makes their debut.
I know that some of you may have reached week 41 and I want to make sure you know what is going on with you this week!
Chances are, you are totally over this whole pregnancy thing and just want to meet your sweet baby already! All the experts are going to tell you that you should get as much sleep and rest as possible right now, and while I don’t disagree, I also know that this advice can be frustrating and impractical to a mama on the cusp of meeting one of the most important people in your life.
Since you have gone past your anticipated due date, your doctor or provider will want to monitor you extra closely. You may be scheduled or another ultrasound, non stress test and or a biophysical profile just to check in on your little one.
A few tips on trying to naturally induce labor include: eating spicy food, having sex, acupuncture, and lots of walking! Remember to stay hydrated, even if you feel like you visit the toilet so much you may as well move your bed into the bathroom.
So why are you overdo anyway? Well, a family history of going past the 40 week mark can be part of the cause, but of course, your original due date may have been miscalculated, also.
Whatever the reason may be, it’s not important to discuss your thoughts about induction with your provider. They may or may not be on board with your personal plan to serve an eviction notice and there are a few ways they can assist in speeding up the process. Also, remember that a due date is really just an estimate.
Stripping membranes which can be painful, can be done in the doctor’s office.
You can take medication to help dilate your cervix.
Or the provider can “break your water” or rupture the membranes with a thin plastic hook. This one is usually only done when you’ve been in labor but haven’t progressed past a certain point for hours. With my first pregnancy, I was induced and in the hospital in labor for 12 hours but didn’t progress past to the point my water broke. The on-call doctor said he would break my water when he was out of surgery delivering twins via c-section for another family, and before he came back, my water broke on it’s own.
There are a lot of things I would change about my first birth experience if I had the chance, but my best advice to you is to be your own best advocate. I also recommend having a support person with you that can advocate on your behalf (and that of your baby) in case you aren’t able to, and also to remind you about your birth plan or wishes for your labor and delivery.
