So, the time is almost up. You are in your final week of pregnancy. Your body has undergone many changes over the last 40 weeks to house the baby. You are finally going to meet your baby and your body is also undergoing the last few changes to prepare for motherhood. How does your body change during week 40 of pregnancy? Will the changes be drastic? How will your body change to start nurturing a newborn? Read on to learn all about the changes to expect mentally and physically in week 40 of your pregnancy.
How Does Your Body Change During Week 40 of Pregnancy?
This week, when you near the due date, you may experience a few new changes, like the following:
1. Cervical Dilation
Your cervix will start softening and ripening, getting ready for labor. For many women, the dilation can happen very slowly, spanning over a few days, and for some, it can be quick. Once your cervix starts dilating, you may experience contractions, a bloody show, or pain in your vagina and lower back.
If your dilation is quick, you will start having frequent contractions, which means you are getting into labor.
What to do?
If you feel dilation, check with your doctor or midwife. They will know and teach you how to check for dilation. If you are already dilating but not in labor, your doctor can send you back home and ask you to come when you dilate more. You can check your cervix from time to time to keep track of the dilation.
Anytime you feel the cervical dilation is increasing or if you start leaking fluid, it is time to go to the hospital, all ready to come back with the baby.
2. Water Breaking
You may suddenly start leaking fluid. It can be a small trickle down your leg or a big splash. When you experience clear liquid coming from your vagina, it is your water. This water is the amniotic fluid that has been surrounding the baby and protecting it in every way.
While water breaking is a sign of labor starting, you may not deliver the baby for another few hours. The Doctor might wait for your baby’s head to engage and start descending the birth canal.
What to do?
- Call your doctor and go to the hospital right away. You can go into labor soon.
- Backaches
- As the baby descends further, getting ready to come out into the world, it can be quite uncomfortable and painful around your pelvis. During the last few days of pregnancy, the baby attains full growth and starts gaining weight. If the weight gain is rapid, your back may strain more to balance the weight in the front.
- Stay off your feet as frequently as possible. Do not strain much other than going for short walks. Wear a support belt if necessary. It is a good idea to support your belly from the bottom with your hand when you are getting up or walking. Avoid sitting in very low or reclined chairs.
3. Fatigue
Your body is in the final leg of pregnancy. It has worked hard the last 40 weeks to meet the developing baby’s demands and you can feel more tired than ever this week. More than the physical tiredness, it is the mental tiredness of the entire pregnancy journey. You are finally ready to meet the baby and you slowly give mental space to all those fatigued thoughts. You may finally be letting that guard down and getting ready to take up the next role as a new mother. The increasing baby weight, body aches, sleeping difficulties, digestion issues, etc all contribute to this fatigue. It can make you impatient and eager for the due date.
What to do?
Take as much rest as possible. Sleep whenever you feel drowsy, rather than trying to maintain a schedule. If you are still very active, it might be a good time to scale back the physical activity and let your body rest. You will need the strength for the delivery and to handle a newborn very soon.
4. Panic Attacks
This week, your anxiety can reach an all-time high due to the proximity of childbirth. You may even have a panic attack when you don’t feel the baby move or when you feel intense pain close to a contraction. As the due date draws closer, it is natural to panic and feel the excitement at the same time.
What to do?
Immerse yourself in activities that can occupy your thoughts without straining you physically. If you are alone, find someone to keep you company. They can also help you reach the hospital in case you go into labor. You can distract from all those frantic thoughts by doing some arts and crafts or something intellectually challenging.
Remember, almost every other woman in this stage of pregnancy goes through this anxiety and panic when she is about to deliver.
5. Arousal / Increase In Libido
This week, you may feel very aroused. All the pressure on your pelvic bone and the extra blood rushing to your vagina, along with the fluctuating hormones, can be responsible for this sudden spike in your sex drive.
What to do?
Doctors generally don’t recommend having sex of any kind so close to the delivery date. However, if the baby’s head is engaged and you are ready to deliver, your doctor might allow you to have sex. Consult your doctor before you indulge in any sexual activity. If you prefer masturbating with an instrument, do not use it without your doctor’s approval.
6. Other Symptoms
Though it is technically the last week of your pregnancy, your body can continue to experience a few symptoms, like:
- Braxton-Hicks contractions
- Insomnia
- Leg cramps
- Pelvic pain
- Anxiety
You are close to the delivery date. Though you may be anxious, remember many women deliver even a few days after the given due date. If you do not go into labor by the given date, do not panic. Let your doctor check you and advise you.
