Week 38

Can you tell if you're carrying a boy or a girl? One hint may come from the size of your baby - boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls. Babies at week 39 weigh about 6.8 to 7 pounds/ 3 to 3.2 kilograms and continue to build the fat stores that will help regulate body temperature after birth. Your little one's organ systems are fully developed and in place, but the lungs will be last to reach maturity. (Even after your baby is born, it may take a few hours before she establishes a normal breathing pattern.)

Wondering what colour your baby's eyes will be? Most African and Asian babies usually have dark grey or brown eyes at birth - their dark eyes becoming a true brown or black after the first six months or year. Multiracial children often turn out to have the most beautiful coloured eyes. Most Caucasian babies are born with dark blue eyes and their true eye colour - be it brown, green or blue - may not reveal itself for weeks or months. The colour of your baby's eyes in the first minutes after birth won't last - exposure to light changes a baby's initial eye colour.

There really isn't a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we're at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they've got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that'll keep growing with them for years to come), and they've more or less reached official baby status-- all they need to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.

And how's mom doing? Hang in there momma, it's only a matter of time before the obnoxious and painful fake contractions you felt in your back, lower belly, and pelvic region will be replaced by real contractions... which are even more obnoxious and painful. You'll know when the real ones kick in because they're if you're feeling weird electrical tingles in your legs and inside your vagina, this would be none other than your not-so-little baby hitting various nerves as they settle into the pelvic area more intensely painful (woo!) and they spread over the entire uterus, through the lower back and into your pelvis.

If you're having trouble sleeping (which about 100% of women in this phase of pregnancy are), try to take little catnaps during the day, get one of those neato full-body pregnancy pillows, or at least lots of pillows that you can shove between your legs and under your belly to support your awkward shape more comfortably.

Also, if you're feeling weird electrical tingles in your legs and inside your vagina, this would be none other than your not-so-little baby hitting various nerves as they settle into the pelvic area. If you're feeling sharp shooting pains instead of tingles, this would be your extra-evil-but-adorable baby pressing on your oh-so-very sensitive sciatic nerve. All we can recommend is some wincing, sitting down, and putting your feet up.

You may be feeling huge and uncomfortable during these final weeks. Try to take it easy - this may be your last opportunity to do so for quite a while. See a film, read a book that has nothing to do with pregnancy or babies, have your hair or nails done, or just spend time with your husband. Neither of you will have much time for cooking in the few weeks after your baby's born, but you could prepare some home-made frozen meals to enjoy when you need them.

What else can you do? Make sure the car's filled up with petrol, and read our fun baby star signs. Your husband should try to relax, too, and enjoy some activities there won't be time for after the baby arrives. Suggest some inspirational reading - he may need it when you go into labour. Is he worried about how he'll cope with a new baby in the house? Read our new dad's survival guide and debunk five myths of fatherhood.

Be Prepared
This is a good time to have an in-depth conversation with your doctor about pain relief in labour. Also consider other natural methods of pain relief as an alternative. On the practical front, make sure you know where to park and which entrance to use to get to the labour ward quickly and ask about what happens when you arrive at the hospital, if you don't already know. Make sure your mobile phones are fully charged. If you have other children, make back up plans for childcare.

Pregnancy Survival Kit: "Pack a cool bag with your husband's favourite foods and snacks to take to hospital - he should be responsible for this. Bring a video camera if you like (and if your hospital and doctor allow), a camera, extra batteries and film (or digital camera), presents for siblings from the baby, massage oil, a radio, your address book and something 'fun' to read to pass the time during a long labour." - Anonymous

Info on Induce Labour

What does it mean to induce labor?

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use medication and other techniques to bring on (or induce) contractions. She can use some of the same methods to augment, or speed up, your labor if it stops progressing for some reason. In 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 births in the United States was induced. This rate more than doubled from 1990.

Why would my labour be induced?

Your practitioner will recommend induction when the risks of waiting for labor to start on its own are higher than the risks of the procedures used to get your labor going. This may be the case when:

• You're still pregnant one to two weeks past your due date. Experts advise waiting no longer than that to give birth because it puts you and your baby at greater risk for a host of problems. For example, the placenta may become less effective at delivering nutrients to your baby, increasing the risk of a stillbirth or serious problems for your newborn.

In addition, if your baby gets too big, your labor is more likely to be prolonged or stalled, your chances of needing a c-section are higher, and both you and your baby have an increased risk of injury during a vaginal delivery.

• Your water breaks and your labor doesn't start on its own. In this case, you'll be induced to decrease the risk of infection to your uterus and your baby, which is more of a concern once your membranes have ruptured. (However, if your baby is still very premature, your practitioner may hold off on inducing labor.)

• Tests show that your placenta is no longer functioning properly, you have too little amniotic fluid, or your baby isn't thriving or growing as he should.

• You develop preeclampsia, a serious condition that can endanger your health and restrict the flow of blood to your baby.

• You have a chronic or acute illness – such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney disease – that threatens your health or the health of your baby.

• You've previously had a full-term stillbirth.

You may also be induced for logistical reasons -- for example, if you live far away from the hospital or have very rapid labors. In this situation, your practitioner will schedule your induction for no earlier than 39 weeks, unless fetal lung maturity testing (which requires amniocentesis) indicates it's safe to induce before then. This minimizes the risk of inducing a baby whose lungs are not yet fully mature.

What are some of the techniques used to induce labour?

This depends in large part on the condition of your cervix at the time. If your cervix hasn't started to soften, efface (thin out), or dilate (open up), it's considered "unripe" – or not yet ready for labor.

In that case, your practitioner would use either hormones or "mechanical" methods to ripen your cervix before the induction. This tends to shorten the length of labor, and sometimes these procedures end up jump-starting your labor as well.

If your labor doesn't start, you'll get an IV infusion of oxytocin. This drug (often referred to by the brand name Pitocin) is a synthetic form of the hormone that your body naturally produces during spontaneous labor.

Some of the methods used to ripen the cervix and induce labor are:

• Using prostaglandins. Typically, if you need to be induced but your cervix is not yet dilated or thinned out, you'll be admitted to the hospital and your caregiver will start the induction by inserting medication that contains prostaglandins into your vagina. This medication helps to ripen the cervix and, as mentioned above, sometimes stimulates enough contractions so that you don't need oxytocin.

• Using a Foley catheter. Instead of using medication to ripen your cervix, your practitioner may insert a catheter with a very small uninflated balloon at the end into your cervix. When the balloon is inflated with water, it puts pressure on your cervix, stimulating the release of prostaglandins, which cause the cervix to open and soften. When your cervix begins to dilate, the balloon falls out and the catheter is removed.

• Stripping or sweeping the membranes. If your cervix is already somewhat dilated and there's no urgent reason to induce, your practitioner can insert her finger through the cervix and manually separate your amniotic sac from the lower part of your uterus. This causes the release of prostaglandins, which may help further ripen your cervix and possibly get contractions going.

In most cases, this procedure is done during an office visit. You're then sent home to wait for labor to start, usually within the next few days. Many moms-to-be find this procedure uncomfortable or even painful, although the discomfort is short-lived.

• Rupturing the membranes. If you're at least a few centimeters dilated, your practitioner can insert a small, plastic hooked instrument through the cervix to break your amniotic sac. This procedure (called amniotomy) causes no more discomfort than a vaginal exam.

If your cervix is very ripe and ready for labor, there's a small chance that rupturing the membranes alone will be enough to get your contractions going. If that doesn't happen, your practitioner will give you oxytocin through an IV.

Once your water has broken, most practitioners will want you to deliver within 12 to 24 hours because the risk of infection for you and your baby increases over time.

• Using oxytocin (Pitocin). Your practitioner may give you oxytocin through an IV pump to start or augment your contractions. She can adjust the amount you need according to how your labor progresses.

What risks are associated with inducing labour?

While induction is generally safe, it does carry some risk, which may vary according to the methods used and your individual situation. Oxytocin, prostaglandins, or nipple stimulation (explained below) occasionally cause contractions that come too frequently or are abnormally long and strong. This in turn may stress your baby.

In rare cases, prostaglandins or oxytocin also cause placental abruption or even uterine rupture, although ruptures are extremely rare in women who've never had a c-section or other uterine surgery.

One commonly used prostaglandin, misoprostol, is associated with a relatively high rate of rupture in women attempting a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC) and should never be used in women with a scarred uterus. Some experts don't think women attempting VBAC should be induced with oxytocin, either.

To assess the frequency and length of your contractions as well as your baby's heart rate, you'll need to have continuous electronic fetal monitoring during an induced labor. You'll probably have to lie or sit while being monitored, but some hospitals offer telemetry, which lets you walk around during the process.

Inducing labor can take a long time, particularly if you start with an unripe cervix, and this process can be hard on you and your partner psychologically. (On the other hand, among women who go past their due date, the seemingly endless wait for labor to begin may be even more trying.)

And if the induction doesn't work, you'll need a c-section. Having a c-section after a long labor or unsuccessful induction is associated with higher rates of complications than you'd face with a planned c-section.

Remember that your practitioner will recommend inducing your labor only when she believes that the risks to you and your baby of waiting for labor to begin on its own are higher than the risks of intervening.

Are there any circumstances in which my labour shouldn't be induced?

Yes. You'll need to have a c-section rather than an induction whenever it would be unsafe to labor and deliver vaginally, including the following situations:

• Tests indicate that your baby needs to be delivered immediately or can't tolerate contractions.

• You have a placenta previa (when the placenta is lying unusually low in your uterus, either next to or covering your cervix).

• Your baby is in a breech or transverse position, meaning that he's not coming headfirst.

• You've had more than one c-section. (Some practitioners believe that women with even one previous c-section shouldn't be induced.)

• You had a previous c-section with a "classical" (vertical) uterine incision or other uterine surgery, such as a myomectomy (surgery to remove fibroids).

• You're having twins and the first baby is breech, or you're having triplets or more.

• You have an active genital herpes infection.

Are there any techniques I can try at home to get my labour going?

No do-it-yourself methods have been proven consistently to be both safe and effective. Here's the scoop on some of the techniques you may have heard about:

• Sexual intercourse: Semen contains some prostaglandins and having an orgasm may stimulate some contractions. A few studies have shown that having sex at term may decrease the need for labor induction, but others have found no effect on promoting labor.

• Nipple stimulation: Stimulating your nipples releases oxytocin and may help start labor. While it's a time-honored approach, more research is needed to determine how effective it is. And because there's a possibility of overstimulating your uterus (and stressing your baby), it's not something you'd want to try without being monitored. Sometimes – more often when the end of labor is in sight – a practitioner will suggest nipple stimulation to provide a little extra help with contractions.

• Castor oil: Castor oil is a strong laxative. Although stimulating your bowels may cause some contractions, there's no definitive proof that it helps induce labor – and you're likely to find the effect on your gut very unpleasant.

• Herbal remedies. A variety of herbs are touted as useful for labor induction, but there isn't enough evidence to prove that any of them are both safe and effective. Some are risky because they can overstimulate your uterus and may be unsafe for your baby for other reasons as well.

Induced Labor May Prevent Need for C-section

Tue, Aug 18, 2009 (HealthDay News) — Inducing labor doesn't necessarily increase the risk of cesarean section delivery, according to a study that challenges the widely held opinion.

Researchers reviewed available data on elective induction, in which women choose to have labor induced rather than requiring it for medical reasons. Most of the studies included women who were about one week past their due date.

The review results suggest that, compared with waiting, elective induction of labor at or after 41 weeks' gestation lowered cesarean delivery risk by 22 percent. In addition, women whose labor was electively induced were half as likely to have meconium-stained amniotic fluid, which is a sign of fetal intrauterine stress.

The findings suggest that elective induction of labor may be safer than continuing pregnancy past 41 weeks, according to the researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Their study appears in the Aug. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"It appears there is misunderstanding regarding the association of increased cesarean deliveries with elective induction of labor, a procedure which has been rising in frequency," review lead author Dr. Aaron Caughey, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, said in a Stanford University news release. "However, our findings need to be tempered with women's and physicians' expectations of choosing to induce labor."

The message for pregnant women is that labor induction can be done without increasing cesarean risk if doctors give induction sufficient time to work, said co-author Dr. Douglas Owens, director of the Stanford-UCSF Evidence-based Practice Center.

"Women should talk with their physician about how they would handle induction and what their approach to the procedure would be," Owens said in the news release.

-- Robert Preidt

Check out also information about "inducing labour" at:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_inducing-labor_173.bc

Oatmeal Cream Cheese Pancake

What you need:
250g Self-raising flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oats
1 small/medium Egg
250ml Milk
2 tbsp condensed milk
125g Cream cheese
1/4 Tsp Vanilla extract
A pinch of Salt

Method:
Mix the flour, sugar, salt and oats.

Make a well in the flour and add in the egg.

Add in the vanilla extract.

Mix with a whisk, adding in the milk bit by bit.

Stir in the cream cheese.

Set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes before starting to cook them in a lightly-buttered crepe pan.

Served with fruits, honey or maple syrup.

So in Love

Yesterday we went to see our obgyne and he told me that my baby is now 3.1 kg. :) Wow! ain't my baby's appetite is getting better.. Me on the other hand weight at 56.7 kg. Not bad at all... still managed to maintain at that weight despite my BIG appetite (suprisingly my baby loves anything with dark chocolate flavour) ! :)

We also managed to peep my baby with the ultrasound scan. I guess my little angle was sleeping at that time... my gyne told us that his face was face my backbone and that his legs was at my right hand side tummy... my little baby looks so comfortable and relax inside my womb. Dear baby, mummy and daddy can't wait to hold you... :) Hope you are getting ready to meet us very soon.

In addition, I totally forgotten yesterday to take in my washed laundry before I went out :S It was true what my pregnancy book told me that I will be more absentminded, apprehension, and excitement plus anxiety @_@ So, there goes my clothes... all wet under the shining moon.

My pregnancy book also said that I will become more irritability and oversensitive, impatience & restlessness, increase difficulty in breathing, buttock & pelvic discomfort and achiness, swelling of ankles and feet, increaseing clumsiness and difficulty getting around... etc. which is all applicable to me! *_* Therefore, I highly recommend you to have this book with you as your reference during or before your pregnancy. :) It's the best book I bought so far!

My hubby on the other hand, was not showing enough support at all..... :( Recently, at night I'm having difficulty getting out from my bed to go to toilet and he repeatedly "grumpy" about helping out of bed!! :( This is the MAIN reason why men also should also experience pregnancy!

No matter how you explained to him that it's the hormones and not my fault (nor the baby) that I've these difficulty!!!! >_<" And he also does it for 2 nights and he started to grumpy about it!!! Can't imagine if the baby is out... will he really do like what he told me to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of my baby?? I will update you on that.... stay tuned! ;-)

Hello Febuary!

Finally the month I've (or we've) been waiting for, working toward and possibly worrying about just a little bit is here at long last... :)

Today, as i logged on to my FB, I was surprised to receive a message from a friend (Lx3) in FB letting me know that she is excited that Feb is just around the corner and that my due date is drawing near... X) I have to say it's very nice of her to remember that I told her my due date was on the 1xth Feb. :) Me on the other hand are feeling a bit nervous + anticipated + uncertain (as I really dunno what to expect) + fear + anxiety + relief (it's the final month) but at the same time excited that I'm going to meet my newborn sweetie pie very soon! :) Even, today I received a call from my mum asking me how I was doing with all the preparation to welcome my dear sweetie pie... :)

I can see that everyone including my hubby were getting excited about meeting my sweetie pie. I pray that dear Jesus will give me a safe and fast delivery when the day comes. And that my baby will be healthy and I will have no complications whatsoever during my labour. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.