Follow-up 40 weeks pregnant with no signs of birth

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Pham Thi Yen - Obstetrician - Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

At 40 weeks pregnant, mom is always ready to wait for the moment to meet her baby. However, before you meet your baby, you will have to go through the difficulties of giving birth. You should pay attention to your baby's movements and let your doctor know right away if you don't notice a lot of contractions. The baby is now fully mature, will continue to be active until the actual day of birth, so many of the risks that occur at 40 weeks of pregnancy are often heavy and reduced in intensity.

At 40 weeks pregnant, the average fetus will weigh about 3.4 kg and be about 50.8 cm long. However, there are still many perfectly healthy children with body mass greater or less than the above average number. At this point, the baby has grown and cannot stay in the womb forever. In addition, pregnant women need to pay attention if the baby's movements slow down or there is discharge from the vagina

If you don't go into labor within a week of your due date, your doctor may suggest that you have tests to monitor your heart rate and a 40-week ultrasound to see your baby's movements to make sure she's doing well. getting enough oxygen and the nervous system is still responding normally. The doctor will advise the mother on inducing labor or intervene if the baby is not born past the due date or 40 weeks pregnant, there are no signs of birth.
40 weeks pregnant with no signs of birth is what makes pregnant mothers extremely worried because they are afraid that the fetus is having abnormal problems, because most cases are born earlier or later than the due date within 2 weeks. According to many experts, it is normal for 40 weeks of pregnancy to not give birth or to give birth earlier (from 37 to 38 weeks).
However, if this delay in labor goes on for too long (when the pregnancy is over 41 weeks), it will make the placenta old, threatening the health and safety of the baby's life. Accordingly, the above effects will significantly affect the fetal heart rate, causing harm to the child such as: nerve damage, motor nervous system insufficiency. In addition, compared with babies born at full term, premature babies are also at higher risk of respiratory diseases, infections, high fevers, and even death. In addition, if not detected in time, the fetus can be stillborn or die during labor, because at this time, the amount of amniotic fluid in the uterus has gradually decreased, the umbilical cord is compressed every day. When uterine contractions appear, it is easy to cause pregnancy failure.

There are many reasons for this condition, most of which are due to the wrong information about the start of the last menstrual period, leading to the doctor's incorrect prediction of the due date. Besides, the cause may also be that the mother went to the antenatal clinic too late, when the first 3 months have passed, it will be difficult for the doctor to accurately determine the due date because the fetus is growing very fast at this time. In some cases, the baby even exceeds the standard in each week of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, women need to have regular check-ups according to the doctor's appointment. When the due date has come and the pregnant woman still has not shown any signs of labor, at this time, the pregnant mother needs to go to the hospital for a general check-up about the fetus's condition, placental fibrosis, cord function. umbilical cord, amniotic membrane...
Depending on the mother's condition, after checking, the doctor will induce the mother to give birth by stimulating uterine contractions to appear (by rupturing the membranes by artificial means or taking the hormone oxytocin or taking other medications). After 24-48 hours, if stable, the mother can give birth naturally, otherwise, pregnant women must have a caesarean section. If the mother is 40 weeks pregnant but is at high risk of danger or has any other potential complications, she may require a cesarean section.
At Vinmec International General Hospital, there is a package maternity service as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team throughout the pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of qualified doctors Regular check-up, early detection of abnormalities Maternity package helps to facilitate the process. Birth process Newborns receive comprehensive care Dr. Pham Thi Yen has 11 years of experience in examination and treatment in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Doctor with strengths and deep understanding in:
Examination and consultation of normal pregnancies, pathological pregnancies, high-risk pregnancies Examination and treatment of gynecological diseases: cervicitis, cervical ectropion Surgery Laparoscopic surgery for gynecological diseases: ectopic pregnancy, uterine tumor, ovarian tumor Surgery for breast, vulvar, vaginal, cervical tumors Obstetric surgery: cesarean section, examination and treatment of endocrine disorders in women of all ages: puberty, reproductive age; perimenopausal age.