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Week By
Week
11/15/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
Pregnancy Week
25
You're Pregnant! Week
25
As you're getting close to the last trimester, you may be
feeling some anxiety about labor. What will it be like? Will it
hurt a lot? Will you know that you're in labor? Worries like
these are perfectly normal. We are surrounded by births we see
on television. The stereotypical birth often shows a mom
screaming in the throes of labor, cursing her partner and
yelling for drugs. Reality shows often show women lying in bed,
being told that they're not progressing fast enough so they'll
be doing a cesarean section. How can you not have fears and
worries after seeing these births?
In reality, labor is a natural process that we are made to deal
with. If your childbirth classes haven't started yet, they will
address a lot of your fears and teach you about the process. If
they have started, be sure and ask questions to address your
fears and worries. There are some good books to read to help
prepare you as well. "Birthing From Within" by Pam England
specifically has exercises to address fears in it. For your
partner, "The Birth Partner" by Penny Simkin gives a
great insight into what to expect in a hospital situation
and what they can do to help you.
If you still don't think you can deal with the pain, there are
a few options you can choose in the hospital. Be sure and find
out the risks and benefits of your choices, so you know what to
expect if you need to choose a method of pain relief.
YOUR BABY
Your baby is continuing to develop his or her brain and lungs.
Layers of brown fat are continuing to develop to help baby
regulate the body temperature when they are born. The immune
system is developing in preparation for baby's entrance into
the world. Baby now measures around 14.5 inches in length from
head to toe, and weighs a little over 2 pounds.
YOUR BODY
You may find yourself noticing more contractions. These Braxton
Hicks contractions are toning the various layers of muscles in
the uterus, in preparation for the big day. The uterus is made
of three layers of muscles, and they don't work together until
labor begins. If you find that the contractions are coming too
frequently, drink several glasses of water and lie down on your
left side for awhile. Dehydration can cause contractions. Lying
on your left side will let your body rest while providing your
baby and your uterus the maximum amount of blood flow.
Eating enough of the right foods can also help keep your
Braxton Hicks from leading to labor. Some women are very
sensitive to caffeine as well, so cutting down or even giving
it up all together may be in your best interest.
You want to do everything you can to keep your baby inside
until term. He or she needs that extra time to continue to grow
and develop. Babies born at this time may survive, but they may
also develop many health problems due to their
prematurity.
At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try
to provide you with all of the latest information about going
through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first
years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest
quality books and products to help you through that time.
Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/pregnancy-week-25.html
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