Your due date has just passed and you still don't have contractions? Don't worry, because only five percent of women give birth on the date set by their gynecologist. Find out how to speed up labor and when a transferred pregnancy requires medical attention.

What doespost-term deliverymean? For obstetricians, pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the date of the last menstruation. But for the so-calledtermthey consider each birth of a baby between 38 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. Babies born earlier are premature babies. A pregnancy that ends after the 42nd week is a transferred pregnancyfor doctors . However,the length of pregnancyis always an individual matter. It depends not only on the mother's monthly cycle, but also on her age, lifestyle, he alth condition, race, and whether it is the first or subsequent pregnancy. Therefore, do not become too attached to the designated date - it is better to be prepared for the fact that the baby will be born around this date.

Late delivery - control required

If your due date has passed and you are not feeling any contractions yet, don't get upset. Perhaps you had irregular menstrual cycles before pregnancy and fluctuations in their timing meant that the doctor was unable to accurately calculate the due date. But it may also be that the baby is not yet ready to be born. Instead of worrying, use this time. Get enough sleep, because then you may not be able to do so for a long time. Go for walks, do some stretching exercises to help prepare your body for the hardships of labor.

Also contact your attending physician or the hospital where you will be giving birth. Most doctors recommend that you check your baby more during this period - this means that you should count the baby's movements 2-3 times a day, and you will have to come to the hospital for a consultation once every few days. During this, the midwife will definitely give you a KTG (cardiotocography). The examination takes about a quarter of an hour. The midwife places a special sensor against the abdomen to register your uterine contractions and the baby's heart rate. Sometimes the CTG result is bad because the baby is sleeping and his heart rate is slower then. The doctor then wakes the baby up by gently grabbing his head through the abdominal wall and repeats the test. Although it is not the rule,during such consultation, an ultrasound is also performed, which assesses the maturity of the placenta, the condition and size of the child, the amount of amniotic fluid (the correct amount is 1.5-2 liters) and the quality of blood flow in the umbilical artery, aorta and cerebral artery of the child. During each subsequent check-up, the doctor decides whether you can still wait or whether you need to induce labor.

Important

How do I calculate your due date?

You need to add seven days to the date of your last period, then subtract three calendar months and then add one year. For example, if your last period started on November 2, 2007, you add 7 days, so you have November 9, 2007, you subtract three months - and you have August 9, 2007. Now you have to add one year - August 9, 2008, that's what the expected date of delivery.

Late delivery - how to speed up labor

If the baby is fine, but you are tired of waiting for a baby, you can try to speed up the birth yourself. Doctors, first of all, recommend more exercise: walking, birthing exercises, going up and down stairs. Sex is the effective way. Sperm contains a hormone called prostaglandin that makes the uterus contract. In addition, during intercourse, oxytocin is released, the hormone responsible for inducing labor. Childbirth is also accelerated by massage and nipple rubbing - this is also when a lot of oxytocin is released, as well as drinking a tablespoon of castor oil. The substances contained in it soften the cervix. Additionally, castor oil accelerates intestinal peristalsis and defecation. This will allow the baby's head to move a little lower, which may initiate labor.

Late delivery - when it is necessary to induce labor

When the pregnancy is too long, the placenta, which supplies the fetus with nutrients and oxygen and cleans the baby's body of waste products, works less and less. The child is at risk of malnutrition and hypoxia. Therefore, when the 42nd week of pregnancy has passed and you still do not feel contractions, your attending physician may refer you to the hospital for the pathology department of pregnancy. More tests are waiting for you here. A CTG is performed several times a day, and an ultrasound is performed once every two or three days. Sometimes amnioscopy is also performed, i.e. a test to assess the condition of the amniotic fluid - if it is clear, it is a sign that everything is fine, while a cloudy, green fluid indicates that the child has excreted meconium, which is not safe (for the doctor is a sign that labor must be induced artificially) Another test that provokes labor is the oxytocin test,showing the baby's reaction to uterine contractions. The doctor prescribes it when the pregnancy is transferred for more than 2 weeks. During the examination, the woman is given an oxytocin drip, which causes severe contractions. During this time, the doctor monitors the work of the child's heart with the help of CTG. If, under the influence of contractions, the baby's heart rate increases or decreases alarmingly, it is necessary to induce labor quickly. Doctors can do this in several ways:

  • by further administration of oxytocin
  • piercing the fetal bladder - this method is used to induce uterine contractions; the treatment does not hurt, you may only feel something like a "pop" in the lower abdomen
  • doing a cervical massage - an unpleasant and usually painful procedure: during a gynecological examination, the doctor places a finger between the cervix and the fetal bladder and gently removes the lower part of the bladder from the uterine walls
  • by putting a gel or a prostaglandin cap into the cervix - the drug softening the cervix may cause the onset of labor.

If all methods fail or the condition of the baby or mother suddenly worsens, a caesarean section is necessary.

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Pregnancy