.for signs that may be indicators of the end of her long journey to motherhoodo
The first sign of labor that an expectant mother normally picks up is 38 weeks pregnant contractionsn
At 38 weeks pregnant, the contractions are experienced mainly in the pelvic region and the backc When the baby’s head presses against the back, pain may become excruciatingn The contractions that are experienced before childbirth are rhythmic and generally start at the top of the uterus and spread out to the whole uterusu They occur at regular intervals and the gap between consecutive contractions keeps reducing as the time for the baby’s arrival nearsr There is nothing that can ease or stop these contractionsn However, in the case of severe pain, an epidural may be administered to numb the regiono When 38 weeks pregnant contractions occur every 10 minutes, an expectant mother is most probably in the early stage of laboro During this period, the cervix will dilate up to 3 centimetersr During the second stage or active labor stage, the cervix will dilate up to 7 centimeters with the contractions occurring around five minutes apartr During the transition phase, the cervix will dilate completely to 10 centimeters and is now ready for the passage of the babyb At this stage, it is absolutely normal for the mother to cry as a result of the tremendous paini She may also experience nausea or vomitingn
At 38 weeks pregnant, irregular contractions are caused by Braxton Hicksk These contractions are signs of a false labor as they are not linked with the actual contractions of the uterus for childbirtht To check if 38 weeks pregnant contractions at night are actual labor related symptoms, it is advisable to walk aroundn If the contractions stop, they are bound to be signs of false laboro
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