9 Months Pregnant, Your Baby Was Born to the World

At 9 months pregnant, your fetus has the size of a small watermelon, and its lungs have developed perfectly. Your baby is ready to be born at this gestational age. However, only about 5 percent of babies are born on the estimated date. Then you should stay calm if the baby is not born or is born earlier than the estimated date. During this 9-month pregnancy, the baby's development is complete. You need to prepare yourself and be prepared so that you can immediately go to the hospital to give birth if the contractions feel stronger and more orderly.

How Does Fetal Growth?

By week 37, your baby's body weight will be around 2.8 kilograms with a length of 48 cm. Childbirth during 9 months of pregnancy is considered to be quite months because the baby's development is complete. Here is the development of Little One in your stomach, namely:

Pregnant week 37

• If this is your first pregnancy, at this age your baby's head will generally be in the pelvic cavity and supported by the pelvic bone. But if this is the second pregnancy and so on, then chances are the baby's head has not come down until it's time to give birth.
• Most baby's heads at this age are already full of hair about 2.5 cm long. But there are also those who do not have the slightest hair.
• Most of the lanugo or fine hair covering the baby is lost, swallowed and stored in the baby's intestine. Later this material will be removed through the first impurities called meconium.

Pregnant week 38

• The baby's weight will continue to increase to regulate his body temperature after birth later.
• All his organs have been perfect and are in their proper place.

Pregnant week 39

• Your baby can be born any time of the week with an estimated weight of about 3.3 kg with a body length of about 50 cm.
• The layer of vernix caseosa that protects the baby's skin has decayed so as to make the amniotic fluid that was previously clear becomes turbid.
• The outer layer of skin peels off, when it forms new skin in the lower layer.
• Her lungs produce more surfactants, which are substances that make her tiny air sacs open and are ready to inhale the first breath when she is born.

Pregnant week 40

• By this week, most fetuses have been born. But if not, it's okay as long as there's no interruption in your uterus.
• Your fetus has mastered all the abilities he needs to survive outside the mother's womb. He often sucks his thumb, just as he will later look for mother's nipples to suckle.

What Changes Happen to Mother's Body?

In this last trimester, you may gain a little weight. Amniotic fluid will decrease even more since the 37th week of pregnancy. False contractions may also be felt more often. The body will prepare for labor with a cervix that begins to stretch by releasing mucus. During pregnancy, this mucus covers the birth canal to prevent bacteria from entering. This mucus discharge is a sign that labor will occur in the near future. The 37th week is the last period of your pregnancy gymnastics class and the last week of labor preparation. Do not forget to prepare all the needs of labor. When returning from the hospital, make sure your home is ready to welcome the baby.

What should be checked?

Normally, within two hours, you will feel a minimum of two baby movements. If you do not feel the movement within two hours, wait for some time. When there is still no movement felt, consult a doctor immediately. In general, women will give birth at between 38-42 weeks of gestation. But at 41 weeks' gestation, the doctor will usually decide whether another action is needed or is still waiting. Swollen limbs are a common condition during pregnancy. But if you feel excessive swelling in the hands, face, or legs, you should be alert and see a doctor. This can be a sign of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) or preeclampsia. In addition, other conditions to watch out for are gestational diabetes, anemia, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or stunted fetal growth. All of this can be monitored for its presence by going to the obstetrician regularly during pregnancy.

What should be considered?

At 39 weeks gestation, you may feel uneasy waiting for a baby to be born soon. You and your partner may also have heard lots of labor advice and preparation. What is needed is to remain calm and think positive. Communicate everything to friends, spouse, and also family. Before undergoing labor, it helps you recognize the three stages.

• The first stage: begins when the cervix has opened up to the size of 10 cm with a sign of contraction every 5 minutes. At this stage you should immediately go to the hospital.
• The second stage: the cervix has opened 10 cm until your baby is born.
• Third stage: discharge of the placenta from the birth canal. This stage can take 5 to 30 minutes.

During labor, when you push, the baby's head will be seen in the birth canal, called crowning. At this time, you will feel pain and sensation like being stung in the vaginal area, because the vaginal opening is stretched and wide open. In this position, stop pushing! Continuing to push can make the vaginal opening tear so that it requires an episiotomy. This pain will only last for a few seconds which will then be followed by numbness. This is due to stretching the lining of the vagina making the nerves become blocked and become a natural pain reliever. Even though everything has been anticipated, you still need to be prepared for several conditions that can occur during labor, including:

• Induction: the action taken to get the labor started. Usually induction is given in certain conditions, such as babies who have health problems or if the membranes have broken first.
• Labor with a baby's bottom below (breech birth): labor with a high degree of difficulty where the baby's bottom comes out first.
• C-section: surgery to remove your baby by an incision in the lower abdomen.

There are so many questions to be asked during this 9 month pregnancy, one of which is, "When should I go to the maternity hospital?" This is the most common question that comes to the mind of a pregnant woman, especially if this is her first pregnancy. Here are some things that can be a benchmark for mothers.

• If the membranes have ruptured, you should immediately go to the hospital.
• If this is your first pregnancy and you have contracted, but it's not too strong and your membranes haven't ruptured, you might be able to wait.
• Go to the hospital immediately if the contractions feel strong, continue for 45 seconds to 1 minute, and occur at least once every five minutes.

If your home is located some distance from the hospital, then you should have left when the contractions begin. Likewise if the fetus contained is a second child who is generally the process is faster than the first child. If labor is carried out at home, immediately contact a doctor or midwife who will assist the delivery process if the contractions have felt strong. Generally, babies will be born at around 40 weeks' gestation. If at 41 weeks the baby has not yet been born, the doctor may perform cervical examinations and stimulation to produce hormones that can trigger normal labor. If the baby is not born at 42 weeks' gestation, the doctor will suggest an induction or caesarean section because the risk of the baby dying in the womb has increased. 9 months pregnant is a time where you and your partner must be prepared for the birth of a baby. However your pregnancy process and whatever path the baby takes to be born into the world, the most important thing is the health and safety of the mother and baby and the journey afterward in caring for and raising your child.