I've dilated at 34 weeks. What are my chances of delivering early? скачать в хорошем качестве

I've dilated at 34 weeks. What are my chances of delivering early?

You mentioned that you're 34 weeks, and congratulations on that. You're on the downslope and heading towards pregnancy. The doctor has mentioned to you at your last appointment that you are dilated. I'm not sure if you're one, or two, or three, or four but there are women who can be one, two, three, or even four centimeters at 34 weeks. Sometimes they even stay that way until they're 39 weeks or beyond. Sometimes they deliver early, like before 37 weeks. Really it's impossible to say what you're going to do. I wish I had a crystal ball and I could tell you what is going to happen but I can tell you norms and the process your body is going through as it gears up for labor. Your body in the days and weeks leading up to labor will start releasing hormones called prostaglandins that act on your cervix that cause it to soften, move forward in your pelvis, and thin out. Then if your brain starts to release oxytocin which is a hormone that tells your uterus to contract, then your cervix will usually respond to having regular and intense contractions and will dilate. The true definition of labor is cervical dilation or change over short periods of time, like from hour to hour. You may have irregular contractions here and there or these prostaglandins that your body is releasing and doing all this prep work, it can get you to dilate a little bit while you're preterm. Hopefully you don't deliver too early and that this process isn't too efficient, too early on. Ideally we would like you to make it to at least 37 weeks, which is full term, and beyond that studies have shown that babies do best if born at 39 weeks or beyond. The good news is that you've made it to 34 weeks. With everything I just said I don't want you to be scared if you end up delivering at 34, 35, or 36 weeks. There will be some hurdles to overcome definitely. Statistics have shown that many of these babies end up in the newborn ICU with breathing problems, and they often get jaundice because their livers are immature, and they don't come out with a very strong sucking reflux so sometimes they have issues with eating and growing. That's usually what ends up keeping them in the NICU so that we can make sure they're growing well so they can go home. Obviously these are hurdles that make things more difficult for you but studies have also shown that babies that are born after 34 weeks have the same longterm effects as full term babies. That's very reassuring, you can kind of breathe a sigh of relief that you've made it this far. Do what you can to keep your baby in longer. If between 34 and 37 weeks you start to have contractions begin paying attention to how regularly they're happening. If you're having four to five an hour, which may be only be every 10 to 15 minutes then it's actually time to go get checked out. They can watch you and your baby and decide if there is anything that needs to be done about it. There are other signs of preterm labor that include not only contractions that I just discussed, but constant lower abdominal cramping, constant lower back ache, an increase in vaginal discharge, or any vaginal bleeding, any leaking of fluid that might make you suspect that your water is broken, and a decrease in your baby's movement. Those are all reasons to go to the hospital. Just to be clear, if you're not contracting but you feel like your water broke you still go to the hospital. If you're not contracting but you're not feeling your baby move at least six times an hour you still go to the hospital. When it comes to contractions once you've reached full term or 37 weeks you can wait to go to the hospital until your contractions are four to five minutes apart and have been going on for at least an hour or two. This increases the chances of you actually being in labor where your cervix and changing from hour to hour. Don't ever hesitate to call your doctor if you have questions or start to feel something or encounter something that is abnormal to you. They can give you more direction and give you best advice after asking you more specific questions over the phone. In case I don't have a chance to talk to you in the future before you deliver your baby, congratulations ahead of time. If you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at   / intermountainmoms   and recommend us to your friends and family too.