Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Week 36 Welcome to Week 36 of the KidandParent Pregnancy
Show. Your baby is getting ready to come out of the womb. Baby may move further down into
the pelvis. This is called lightening. In today's show we will discuss lightening, how
to handle pain during labour and what are the popular pain relief methods.
Changes Taking Place in Mother You may go into labour anytime from this stage.
So, it is a good choice to consider packing your hospital bag and ask your spouse to keep
the car refilled. You may have to increase your daily food intake to 2400 calories from
this week on to ensure the birth of a sound and healthy baby. Your doctor will monitor
you for polyhydramnios. A balance is maintained by the baby inside the womb as he swallows
aminotic fluid and passes it is as urine. If this balance is upset in any way, you may
experience polyhydramnios. You are coming to the end of waiting game,
relax and make the best use of time by reading the book or watching the movie you had been
intending to but couldn't.
How is Baby Doing ? He continues to gain weight like the previous
weeks. The bones of your baby’s skull start overlapping each other when his head is inside
your pelvis. This overlap is called molding and helps the baby to pass through the birth
canal safely.
Lightening Lightening is a process where the baby moves
further down the birth canal. Although pressure from your lungs are released and you can breathe
easier, you may find walking more difficult as the baby has come down now.
What is Lightening ? Lightening is the indicator that you may go
into labour anytime now. This is the sign that the baby has dropped into the pelvis
and is getting ready to face the world. Although this is not the sign of labour. In every woman
lightening occurs at different time as every pregnancy is unique. It is considered normal
to have lightening before 4 weeks of due date, but if you feel it much earlier you should
consult your doctor.
I am really scared of delivery, will it be too painful ? Will be I be able to cope ?
Well,pain during labour is intense but you are just as strong as every other woman and
will be able to bear it. It is few times more than your menstrual cramps and degree differs
for every woman. Do not worry about it. There are a large number of pain relief methods
available today. We will try to give a comprehensive picture of pain relief during labour in the
show.
Pain Relief During Labor Pain during labour is a concern among most
pregnant women. The pain during child birth is mainly due to the uterine muscle contractions.
Other reasons for the pain are the pressure on the ***, pressure on the bladder and
bowels by the baby's head and the stretching of the birth canal and ***. This pain occurs
in various forms and differs from person to person. Some of you may feel cramps in the
abdomen, groin and back. Others might experience a tired feeling with pains throughout the
body. Some women experience pain in their sides or thighs. Although the pain that you
experience during labour cannot be avoided entirely, you can adopt non medical and medical
measures to provide you some relief during child birth.Some helpful measures to achieve
pain relief during child birth are:
Methods of Pain Relief 1. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
(TENS): This equipment looks like a small radio and has electrodes on either end. These
electrodes are placed on particular parts of the body and electricity is passed through
them. Signals are sent to the brain and blocks the nerve signals that induce the pain. TENS
is usually used during the early stages of labour.
2. Doula: A doula is a trained person who is hired to stay with a woman during her labour.
Doulas comfort the mother greatly and encourage her through the painful labour process. Remember
that a doula's charges may be expensive. 3. Gas and air: This combination of gas and
air is called Entonox. This is one of the most used pain relief technique world wide.
Although it may not relieve you of the pain fully, it helps in making the pain tolerable.
You inhale deeply throughout the contraction. Once the pains have passed off or reduced
considerably, the gas and air mask can be removed from your mouth. The main advantage
of this method is that the baby is unaffected by this process.
4. Acupuncture: If you have tried acupuncture before for any other kind of pain relief,
you can try it out again for pain relief during labour.
5. Massage, Change of Position and Vocal Release: Changing the position or massage may help.
You can make different sounds such as moaning, groaning or screaming as a way to release
your tension due to the pain. 6. Epidural: This is a regional anesthetic.
Epidural is becoming increasingly popular as they provide complete pain relief during
child birth if administered properly into a specific area near your spinal cord. An
epidural blocks pain signals. Usually an anesthetist administers the epidural into your body. Epidurals
can be administered into your body any time during labour and the dosage is increased
as required. It is usually given in the beginning of the labor. Your baby is monitored constantly
till he is born. Some side effects are severe headaches and blood pressure problems after
and during birth. The labour process may also get extended. In some cases if an epidural
does not work correctly, you may feel numb when it is time to push and need help in directing
them. Forceps or ventouse may become necessary in order to deliver the baby.
7. Hypnosis: You can try mastering this in the early stages or get someone or a CD to
play the role of a hypnotist during labour and child birth.
8. Birthing pool: Relaxing in warm water helps you to go without drugs during labour or for
an extended period of time. You can request your hospital staff to arrange
for one during your labour. But make sure that the water temperature in the pool is
controlled carefully. Whatever method you choose for pain relief,
should be discussed with your doctor and approved by her.
According to a Time Magazine article published in 1945, the longest pregnancy on record is
375 days (as opposed to the usual 280 days). Amazingly, the delivered baby was only 6 pounds,
15 ounces
Have a nice week with this lovey thought by Florynce Kennedy
If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.
Florynce Kennedy