QuestionI have a few of questions I need answered.
1.What is the purpose of the oppointments of the last trimester, when you only go once a week. I understand the first couple, but after that what do they do that's helpful?
2.How do I know when I lose my muckus plug, or if I already lost my muckus plus, and what is a muckus plug exactly?
3.What kind of symptoms would you get from a braxton hicks, like where could they possibly be located, and how can I tell real from fake contractions, and can real contractions happen in the back?
4.Can braxton hicks be regular for many hours, and go irregular again?
5.Why do I get backpains, they are constant sometimes, but on and off at other times, is there a reason this, could mean labor is coming soon?.
I am 41 weeks this upcoming tuesday, do you have any advice?
AnswerThe reason that you have an appointment with your obstetrician every week from 36 weeks gestation until you go into labor is to assess the wellbeing of the baby and to see if you are getting closer to deliver. At each visit, the baby's heartbeat shouold be listened to, and the position of the baby should be ascertained. Your blood pressure must be taken, and your urine must be tested for protein.This is to make sure that you do not develop preeclampsia, which can be dangerous for you and the baby. YOur sugar should also be checked by testing your urine. Some women will notice that their mucus plug ("bloody show") has been lost. It usually looks like a pinkish discharge or a glob of bloody discharge or even a clear mucousy discharge.The mucus plug is the secretion that has been plugging up the cervix for the entire pregnancy in order to prevent anything from enterine the uterus. If you have Braxton-Hicks contractions, they are usually less than 39 seconds in duration and can start in your back or low down in your abdomen and usually disappear when you walk around. They are not regular and can occur at irregular intervals. When you start regular contractions, they will occur more and more regularly and will last longer and be stronger. When you start to have contractions at the level of your belly button and are every 5 mintues (from the beginning of the contraction to the beginning of the next cohntraction) and each one lasts for at least 45 seconds ini duration, and this all continues for a full hour, then we consider you to be in labor. Then you should be checked to see if your cervix has started to dilate past 3cm. If you are having regular contractions like than for many hours, they will not slow down. The backpaines are due to the added weight of the baby against your spinal column. As the baby causes your abdomen to protrude, your center of gravity moves backwards and there is a lot of pressure upon your vertebrae in your spine, causing you to have constant backache. If you are 41 weeks, you should be getting non-stress tests twice a week and should have a biophysical profile (a sonogram) that checks your amniotic fluid and several parameters to make sure the baby is O.K. If the NST and BPP is all right, you can continue in pregnancy until 42 weeks (14 days after your due date), at which time you should be induced or delivered by cesarean section, if there is a problem with inducing you. Good luck.
