How is our baby doing in the 41st week of pregnancy?

Ready for the world: All through the pregnancy you've probably followed your baby's development with excitement, and now it's finally complete. Of course your child will continue to grow in the period after birth, its full vision will develop and the lungs will continue to mature. However, the developmental steps for the time in the uterus are already fully completed. Your baby has developed enough surfactant, a substance that reduces the surface tension of the air sacs in the lungs, to be able to breathe independently in the air without problems. The other internal and external organs can now also function independently.

The time until birth: Your baby uses the remaining time until birth to rest and gather its strength. Until it starts, it will probably grow a bit more (up to 52 cm) and gain weight (up to 3,600 grams). Many babies born after their due date are little heavyweights. As long as your little person in the womb is sufficiently supplied, there is no cause for concern and it may spend a little more time in the cozy belly.

Here's what's next: What the expectant mother can expect from week 41 of pregnancy

In the 41st week of pregnancy your uterus presses heavily on the stomach. Diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea and similar pregnancy complaints are usually the result. Here you'll find out what probably still awaits you in week 41 of pregnancy:

Regular check-ups: The prenatal check-up is now performed every two days. If your baby still doesn't want to appear 10 days after the due date, you'll probably be on your way to the exam every day. The doctorchecks the amount of amniotic fluid, because this is vital for your child and is now slowly decreasing. Also the placenta begins to calcify gradually and may supply your baby less well. As long as the doctor has no concerns, the baby's heart tones are regular and the nutrient values are in the green zone, you'll have to wait until the natural onset of labor, as there are no risks for mother and child.

Increased anxiety: Once the due date is past, many women begin to worry and become more nervous, because they don't feel their baby as strongly as they did in recent weeks. This, however, is because your little miracle is now so big that it no longer has that much space available. In addition, the calculated due date is merely a guideline, because the exact time of conception is hard to determine and your baby is often two weeks younger than the current week of pregnancy is. For this reason you should try to spend the last days calmly and trust your doctor until they recommend bringing the little one into the world or you deliver it naturally.

41st week of pregnancy: How will our baby be born?

Birth by cesarean section: If during the check-ups an under-supply of your baby is detected, your doctor usually reacts quickly and initiates measures to prevent endangering your child, he or she will probably recommend that you deliver by cesarean section. The same recommendation is also given if examinations in the 42nd week of pregnancy show that your baby is relatively heavy and large or, compared to other babies in that week, too small.

Labor-inducing measures: In the 41st week of pregnancy, doctors only induce labor if risks and consequential damage arise or already exist from continuing the pregnancy. This includes, for example, an excessive birth weight. If there are in the course of the 42nd week no signs of the impending delivery, your doctor will induce labor – even if you suffer no health complications at all. In doing so, he or she or the midwife will resort to naturopathic methods, such as aromatherapy or enemas. These procedures should always only be carried out under supervision.

Other options to induce labor include prostaglandins, which are artificially introduced into the vagina and soften the cervix. If the cervix is ripe for delivery but the labor contractions have not yet been triggered, usually an oxytocin drip is usually used. The infusion of the \rbody's own hormone oxytocin leads in most cases reliably to the onset of labor, so that you'll be holding your baby in your arms a short time later.

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