Week 35: Hey!! It's getting cramped in here!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 35:



fetus in eighth month
Congratulations! You’re now carrying nearly 6 lbs of baby not counting
their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. We’re
impressed because that’s a LOT of work non-stop. Are you feeling proud
of yourself yet? Well, get to it—you’ve done an amazing job! At this
point, your little grower is almost busting out of the womb size-wise,
which make their restricted attempts to move much challenging. Of
course, your stubborn little sucker is still trying to move around as
if they weren’t in a cramped space. And the accumulationg baby fat
deposits are starting to level off so your little butter ball will be
padded and warm when they head out of their super snug little home.


And how's mom doing?
We’re sure you’ve noted that the
contractions are picking up and despite the obvious appeal of getting
the pregnancy over with at this point, try not to jump the gun too soon
by declaring actual labor. Of course, if it’s getting to the point
where you’re having contractions continuously— you’re in The
pain experienced depends on several things including your own natural
pain threshold, medication, birthing position, fetal position, previous
births, your general health and the actual birthing environment
labor and yes, it’s time for the "grab your bags we’re gonna have a
baby" rush. For the rest of you not yet in labor, your
watermelon-betwixt-my-legs waddle is as charming as ever, not to
mention the glorious ongoing back pain and fatigue. Hang in there! Once
you’ve got your miracle baby on the outside, this will all be a dim
memory. So, catch the cat naps whenever possible and keep yourself
hydrated with water and try to imagine how all of this will (hopefully)
be much funnier in hindsight.Your doctor or midwife should soon
start monitoring cervical effacement (thinning of the cervix) and
dilation in order to predict labor. If your cervix is already dilated
labor is probably not far away—although there are some moms who walk
around with a dilated cervix for a couple of days prior to labor. And
if you haven’t heard about the joys of discharging the mucus plug
(which protects the uterus from infection) along with some spotting,
commonly called “bloody show”—both are signs that labor is around the
corner. Should you discharge anything unusual in consistency and/or
coloration, don’t hesitate to call you health care providor, it’s
probably nothing, but you certainly don’t need the extra stress right
now.Let’s talk about pain. Reports on the intensity of pain
experienced during labor and childbirth are widely varied from woman to
woman. The pain experienced depends on several things including your
own natural pain threshold, medication, birthing position, fetal
position, previous births, your general health and the actual birthing
environment. Of course, there are natural births, cesarean deliveries,
spinals, IV’s and other pain medications, all of which also play into
how you experience pain during child birth.Ideally, you should
attempt to be as relaxed as possible and willing to accept the pain as
part of the birthing process. In reality, your experience of the
birthing process is unique to your body and how you choose to respond
to it. Pain is a two part process: the first part is the physical
experience of the pain and the second is your emotional reaction to
your experience—and that is the part you have the most control over.
Choosing to accept and endure the pain of child-birth (with or without
medication) can be an empowering experience for any woman, as well as
making the birthing process notably easier for those assisting you.