This article will focus on false contractions in late pregnancy, diet, signs of preterm labor, cord winding, premature rupture of membranes, labor analgesia, signs of labor, and the role of the father-to-be, as well as provide practical knowledge and advice for pregnant mothers in conjunction with the maternity clothing brand "Gomamee".

1.What Is Pseudo Contraction?

As the fetal head gradually descends and stimulates the lower part of the uterus, this pulling stimulus will prompt the uterus to contract, and this contraction is what we often call "pseudo-contraction".

When a pseudo-contraction occurs, the mother will have a feeling of falling abdomen and inability to straighten her back, but it lasts for a short time, is not regular, does not have a cycle, does not feel pain, does not dilate the cervical opening, and is not a sign of labor.

True contractions, on the other hand, last longer and longer, and the level of pain gradually increases as labor progresses, and the interval between contractions becomes shorter and shorter.

However, for mothers who are not yet full-term (less than 37 weeks), if they have frequent false contractions with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible to prevent preterm labor.

Full-term mothers should not be too nervous about pseudocontractions, and should take care to relax their bodies, adopt a left-sided position and rest in bed for a while.

The difference between the two should be remembered by pregnant mothers, so that you may make fewer trips to the hospital.

2.What Are The Considerations For Dieting In Late Pregnancy?

As the due date approaches, some pregnant mothers will eat and drink a lot during the late pregnancy in order to give birth to a "fat doll", which is not advisable. Compared to mid-pregnancy, a pregnant mother's daily energy requirement only increases by 200 kcal, which corresponds to about 100 grams of lean meat or 3 boiled eggs or 400 ml of milk. The weight gain in late pregnancy should be limited to 0.5 kg per week. Pregnant mothers can determine if they have eaten too much by measuring their weight gain. Excessive nutrition and weight gain will increase the risk of having a "huge baby", which will not only be detrimental to a normal delivery, but will also affect your postpartum recovery.

The daily intake of protein in late pregnancy should be increased by 30 grams compared to pre-pregnancy, and should reach about 85 grams per day; eggs, lean meat, and soy products can provide high quality protein. For those who are fat, need to control weight and avoid excess nutrition, protein intake can be more through plant food intake, appropriate choice of high protein, low fat fish or poultry meat is also possible. The intake of calcium is 1000 mg per day; milk and milk products, shrimp, beans and soy products, sesame and other foods are rich in calcium; the intake of iron is 29 mg per day; animal offal, animal blood, red meat, purple cabbage, fungus and other foods are rich in iron. Pregnant mothers in late pregnancy should develop the diet of eating less and more meals, and eat less raw, cold, greasy and hard-to-digest food. It is important to avoid unclean diet.

3.What Are The Signs Of Preterm Labor?

If regular abdominal pain occurs at 28 weeks of pregnancy or less than 37 weeks, and its frequency increases gradually to 10 times a day or more, and it is difficult to be relieved even if you change your posture or lie down to rest, it indicates the possibility of preterm labor. Besides, seeing red is also a reliable sign that labor is about to happen, and it often appears 24-48 hours before labor.

For preterm labor, pregnant mothers should have regular maternity checkups and abstain from sex during late pregnancy to avoid premature rupture of fetal membranes; early detection and early hospitalization.

4.Is It Dangerous To Have The Umbilical Cord Wrapped Around The Neck?

If the umbilical cord is too long, the baby is too small, too much amniotic fluid or frequent fetal movement, the umbilical cord may wrap around the baby's neck, limbs or torso. The effect of the cord on the baby depends on the tightness of the cord, the number of weeks and the length of the cord.

One week is the most common, and the cord may take longer to deliver. If the cord is wrapped too tightly or with too many turns, the baby's blood circulation may be blocked and he may even suffocate due to lack of oxygen. In fact, if there is no evidence of oxygen deprivation in the baby, the mother should not be too nervous. Do count fetal movements, have regular maternity checkups and fetal heart monitoring so that a professional doctor can assess whether the fetus has intrauterine hypoxia.

If the baby's general condition in the uterus has been very good, and the umbilical cord has not been wrapped around the neck for 3 turns or more before delivery, or the umbilical cord has not been wrapped around the neck combined with the umbilical cord around the limb, the pregnant mother can safely give birth to the baby.

5.What Should I Do If The Membranes Break Early?

Under normal circumstances, the water will break only when the uterus is almost fully opened, but 10% of pregnant mothers who are full term will have their water break before delivery. That is, premature rupture of membranes, and 2%-3.5% of pregnant mothers will have premature rupture of membranes before full term. In premature rupture of membranes, there will be a sudden flow of clear yellowish fluid from the vagina, which may be mixed with meconium or fetal fat.

If the water breaks, the umbilical cord may slide into the vagina with the amniotic fluid if the mother continues to sit or stand after the water breaks, and the umbilical cord may prolapse. Therefore, after the water breaks, pregnant mothers must pay attention to: one is to immediately lie flat and raise the buttocks; two is to immediately seek medical attention at the hospital!

6.What Is Labor Analgesia?

Labor analgesia refers to the use of various methods to reduce pain during vaginal delivery. The current analgesic methods are broadly divided into non-pharmacological analgesia, pharmacological analgesia and anesthesia analgesia.

Non-pharmacological analgesia mainly refers to psychoprophylaxis, including prenatal education and guidance during labor; pharmacological analgesia includes intramuscular or intravenous injection of painkillers, which is effective, but the drugs can easily pass through the placenta and may inhibit the baby's breathing; at present, intraspinal anesthesia is the most common method of labor analgesia in clinical practice, which can significantly reduce pain by injecting anesthetics into the spinal canal of the mother through the lumbar spinal space, and at the same time ensure that the mother is awake and the baby is not affected. It can significantly reduce pain and ensure that the mother is awake and the baby will not be affected. In China, in order to avoid prolonged labor, labor analgesia usually starts when the opening of the uterus is 3 cm and stops when the uterus is fully opened.

7.What Are The Signs Of Labor?

The symptoms that indicate imminent labor are called "aura of labor", which mainly include 3 kinds of symptoms:

① Feeling of descent: as the fetal head descends, the pregnant mother will have a feeling of abdominal cramping and frequent urination, etc. Generally, the feeling of descent occurs early, so you only need to pay more attention to it, and there is no need to rush to the hospital.

②Redness: a small amount of vaginal bleeding before delivery, less than the amount of menstruation, mostly occurs 24-48 hours before delivery. There is some individual variability. You should go to the hospital for further examination after finding redness.

③ Contractions: The pregnant mother will feel a burst of tightening and hardening of the belly and a feeling of cramping. The contractions of preterm labor are usually less regular and of short duration. If the contractions become regular and gradually intensify, the pregnant mother will start to enter the labor process. You should go to the hospital as soon as possible at this time.

8.What Can The Father-To-Be Do For The Delivery?

A week before the expected date of delivery, the father-to-be should adjust to the state of preparation for labor and keep his cell phone open, waiting for the call at any time. Besides, he should prepare in advance: waiting bag, toiletries, clothes, food, ID card, birth certificate, medical insurance card, consultation card, various examination and test results of the mother during pregnancy, and design the best route to the hospital in advance. In addition, the father-to-be should be more patient and considerate, serving tea, chatting and massaging should be more active. After the birth of the newborn baby, you should first give care to the great pregnant mother and then to the baby.

Conclusion