Canada's Largest & Oldest Cord Blood Bank
You are now officially passed the end of your pregnancy. Do you feel like your pregnancy zipped by in a flash?
This Week’s Highlights
Your baby continues to plump up
Your baby’s skin may become dry
Your healthcare provider will closely monitor you
Your Baby at 41 Weeks
At 41 weeks, you are not over due yet! Your baby is still the size of a watermelon, perhaps a little bit bigger than last week. Your little ones endocrine system (the system that produces hormones) is gearing up at this stage, to make the hormones that induce labour.
You will likely be offered a membrane sweep, a natural way to induce labour. A sweep is performed during a pelvic exam, where your healthcare provider will simply “sweep” a finger around your cervix, separating the membranes around your baby from your cervix. You likely also have a discussion about medical induction and the possibility of a caesarean delivery.
If you choose to have an induction, there are several methods that may be used. For instant you can use a prostaglandin (the hormones that start labour) suppository, which will be inserted in like a tampon overnight, to get your cervix to dilate. Oxytocin is another medication that can be given via IV. It may be necessary to get an epidural with oxytocin because it can bring on labour fast, such that your body doesn’t have time to adapt. The induction methods used will depend on your pregnancy and labour.
Pregancy Tip
Remember your due date was an estimate. Try to distract yourself with non-pregnancy related activities and enjoy these final days of “me” time.
How Your Body is Changing at 41 Weeks
You may start feeling restless at this point, particularly if this is your first pregnancy. Just remember that every pregnancy is different, and you are not considered ‘overdue’ yet.
Your baby is now positioned low in your pelvis, and is ready to make his or her grand entrance at any moment. You have likely experienced Braxton Hicks contractions already, so now you will want to keep a look out the true labour contractions that will continue to increase intensity.
Take this time to make final preparations of the nursery, have the car seat installed and triple check your hospital bag. Also make sure you stock up on post-partum mommy essentials.
How Far Along are You?
41 weeks in, o weeks to go! Congratulations! You are at the end of your pregnancy.
What Happens At The Lab
At Healthcord, the lab follow stringent quality control measures to ensure your baby’s stem cells are safely stored. Stem cells from cord blood and cord tissue samples are purified, concentrated and cryogenically preserved using computer operated controlled-rate freezing. There are 9 crucial steps that happen at the lab:
- STEP 1: Stem Cell Processing
- STEP 2: Sterility Check
- STEP 3: Viability Testing
- STEP 4: Infectious Disease Testing
- STEP 5: Cell Count
- STEP 6: CD34+ Stem Cell Analysis
- STEP 7: Computer Controlled-Rate Freezing
- STEP 8: Next generation vapour phase storage
- STEP 9: Certificate of banking
Early Signs of Labour
Contractions – You may have already started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions or you may have not. These practice contractions usually do not increase in intensity and go away when you change positions. But, if you have painful contractions that are less than 5 minutes apart and have had them for more than 2 hours, it is time to head out to the hospital.
Bloody show – Sometimes the mucous plug (which was covering your cervix during the pregnancy) is lost right before labour begins. You will notice thick mucous like discharge, which may be tinged with blood. This is a sign that your cervix is becoming dilated.
Water breaking – If water is trickling down your legs, this means your water has broken. This is a sign of labour and you should contact your healthcare provider to find out when you should be heading to the hospital.
How do you know if it’s amniotic fluid? Amniotic fluid is odour-less and colour-less. You will not be able to stop the flow of amniotic fluid with a Kagel exercise.
Back pain – Dreaded back labour, intensifying pain in the back, is another sign of labour. Contact your healthcare provider if you back pain suddenly intensifies and is constant.
Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 41
Pelvic pain – Around 80% of moms-to-be experience pelvic pain, mainly in the third trimester. It will become more noticeable following lightening, when the baby drops down to the pelvic area. Pelvic pain can range from being a minor discomfort to extreme pain when walking. You will want to distinguish between pelvic pain and pelvic pressure, since pelvic pressure is a sign of labour. Pelvic pressure is felt in the pelvis and the rectum, and is similar to the menstrual cramps and groin pain. Pelvic pressure is also associated with back pain.
Insomnia – Several other pregnancy symptoms that keep you from getting a good night of sleep like heart burn, leg grams, and frequent need to urinate can be behind insomnia. Some moms believe it is nature’s way of preparing you for the sleepless nights to come once the baby is born. Exercise, getting fresh air, reducing your caffeine intake, and limiting screen time right before bed can help you get some shut eye.
Changes in vaginal discharge – It is normal to notice changes in vagina discharge at this stage of pregnancy. But, if this discharge looks watery it may be amniotic fluid. In this case, you will need to contact your healthcare provider. You may also notice pinkish (blood-tinged) vaginal discharge when you lose your mucous plug. Loosing your mucous plug may be a sign of impending labour.
Have Questions about Cord Blood Banking?
