During your first pregnancy you’ll get heaps of information about what to expect in labour, so I won’t add another description to your collection. As well as your antenatal classes you’ll learn about labour from books, films, your doctor, family and friends. Information and advice often comes from surprising sources: your hairdresser; people in the queue at the post office; strangers at the bus stop; everyone wants to tell you about their own experience, and you’ll hear many different stories.
Not long to go
During the final couple of weeks of pregnancy, you’ll notice some changes that warn you that the big day is near.
• The top (fundus) of your uterus moves down in your abdomen as the baby’s head usually moves further down in the pelvis and stays there (engaging of the head), and because the amount of amniotic fluid decreases (‘lightening’). People will remark ‘You’ve dropped. Not long now’. Engaging of the head brings changes to how you feel: some good and some not so good. The ‘drop’ takes the pressure off your ribs and makes breathing easier, but it can throw your centre of gravity further forward and put more strain on your back.
The head in the pelvis leaves little’ for the bladder to fill, so you’ll need to pass urine more frequently. Other changes will develop.
• Foetal movements lessen because there’s less room for your baby to move
• Braxton-Hicks contractions become stronger and more frequent.
• There’s often mild diarrhoea during the last few days.
• Many women mention a burst of energy when the head engages. They busily check that everything’s in readiness for going to hospital and for bringing home the new baby.
• You may feel excited, restless and impatient, especially if you’ve passed your EDD.
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