Postponed pregnancy is a type of pregnancy in which the duration of gestation of the fetus is more than 42 weeks. In order to determine whether the pregnancy is postponed, you need to know the exact day of conception.
The content of the article:
Why do they reschedule pregnancy
Signs of delayed pregnancy
Diagnosis of postponed pregnancy
Consequences of postponed pregnancy
Tactics of labor management during postponed pregnancy
Prevention of pregnancy overexposure
Postponed pregnancy
The duration of a normal pregnancy is approximately 40 weeks or 280 days from the date of the last menstruation. Taking into account the individual characteristics of a woman’s body, it is permissible to give birth to a child two weeks before or two weeks after the designated period. This is not a deviation. Before you start worrying about why you are having a pregnancy, you should figure out exactly: are you overstaying your term? Do not rush to diagnose yourself, often the presumed postponed pregnancy does not turn out to be such. Studies show that in about 75% of cases this diagnosis is incorrect, so there is a true postponed pregnancy and an imaginary one. Many different factors affect the delivery period. For example, if a woman’s menstrual cycle lasts longer than 28 days, then the duration of pregnancy up to 42 weeks is considered normal. And women who have a cycle of less than 28 days can prepare for childbirth starting at 36 weeks.
Heredity should also be taken into account. If in the past, someone in the family of the expectant mother had a pregnancy, then in your case, such a possibility is not excluded.
The psychological factor cannot be excluded either. It happens that a woman gives herself an installation to give birth by a certain date, and the body is rebuilt by the appointed date.
However, in a situation when pregnancy reaches the term of 44 weeks, it is already postponed and requires a quick resolution. Such births are called belated, and the child will have signs of over-maturity: large sizes, overgrown toenails and toenails, a narrow fontanel, dense skull bones, wrinkled skin.
With an imaginary overgrowth, the baby is born without characteristic signs of over-maturity.
Why do they reschedule pregnancy
The exact causes of pregnancy overstaying and currently remain unknown. A number of factors that adversely affect the reproductive system of a woman’s body are responsible for the occurrence of an overgrown pregnancy:
violation of the menstrual cycle;
late puberty;
transmitted infectious diseases;
endocrine diseases;
metabolic disorders;
inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system;
mental injuries;
prior abortions;
gestosis.
In addition, the pathology of the previous pregnancy, drug therapy in the early stages, carried out with the threat of miscarriage, pelvic presentation of the fetus, contributes to overgrowth. Over-pacing may be due to insufficient physical activity of the future woman in labor, emotional upheavals, prolonged bed rest, or this is the first pregnancy of a woman over the age of 30. Also, overgrowth can be caused by fetal diseases of micro- and hydrocephalus, Down syndrome, pathology of the adrenal glands. Only a doctor can distinguish a true re-pacing from an imaginary one by conducting a comprehensive examination.
Signs of delayed pregnancy
The duration of pregnancy after 40 weeks of gestation is measured not by calendar calculations, but by the condition of the fetus, amniotic fluid and placenta. If the ultrasound showed signs of aging of the placenta, it means that it does not cope with the needs of a growing organism. Muddy waters indicate that the fetus is experiencing oxygen starvation, this is evidence of an overgrown pregnancy. Other symptoms of postponed pregnancy include:
reducing the weight of a pregnant woman by a kilogram or more;
reduction in the volume of the abdomen by 5-10 cm;
lack of water;
increasing the density of the muscular structure of the uterus;
the change in the rhythm frequency of fetal heart tones is evidence of hypoxia;
isolation of milk from the mammary glands;
immature cervix.
Diagnosis of postponed pregnancy
Diagnosis is based on the exact determination of the gestation period. The grounds for approving the diagnosis of “postponed pregnancy” are:
anamnesis data: the time of the last menstruation, the period of pregnancy according to the results of the first ultrasound, the first movement of the fetus;
examination data: reduction of abdominal volume, deterioration of cardiac activity and decreased fetal activity, compaction of the skull bones;
data from additional examination methods that are carried out when the first signs of fetal portability are detected. Such specialized observations include:
Cardiotocography is a study of fetal heart rhythms. With a positive course of pregnancy and a normal fetal condition, the heart rate varies from 110 to 160 beats per minute. An increase or decrease in the heart rate signals a deterioration in the child’s condition;
Dopplerometry is the study of blood flow in the vessels of the umbilical cord and the fetal brain, uterine arteries and placenta;
Amnioscopy is a study of the state of amniotic fluid. Their green color indicates intrauterine excretion of primordial feces. Amnioscopy can be performed only if the cervix passes the sensor of the device, which indicates readiness for childbirth.
Consequences of postponed pregnancy
There are three points of concern: this is the state of the fetus before childbirth, the process of childbirth itself and the state of the mother and child after childbirth. A postponed pregnancy, as well as a premature one, has its own dangers and problems. The placenta, through which the fetus receives nutrition, gradually ages, its blood circulation is disrupted, a precipitate of calcium is formed. The child begins to suffer from a lack of oxygen, dangerous deviations occur. Glucose processing is minimized, which threatens the development of diabetes mellitus. The muscles of the rectum relax, feces enter the amniotic fluid. It is dangerous if the child starts to inhale it. After birth, his airways will not be able to function normally. Reducing the amount of water increases the likelihood of fetal entanglement with the umbilical cord. The hardening of the bone structure of the child is no less threatening. This complicates delivery and can lead to serious injuries. The baby grows as if he had already been born, this makes his uterine life uncomfortable. The protective mucus covering the fetus disappears, which can cause infection of the skin.
Mom’s health is also affected by over-pacing. Labor activity in such situations is most often poorly expressed, which leads to prolonged labor (more than 24 hours), increases the risk of damage to the uterus itself or rupture of the cervix and perineal muscles. And the period of postpartum recovery is fraught with the occurrence of sudden bleeding.
It is very important to monitor the health of the transferred children in the postpartum period. Such babies are characterized by low resistance to various diseases due to a decrease in the work of the body’s immune system. In some cases, jaundice, infectious skin lesions, decreased ability to adapt, neurological disorders can be observed. Studies show that such children can start standing and walking late.
Tactics of labor management during postponed pregnancy
If you have been diagnosed with overexposure, the doctor will try to establish whether the child continues to develop correctly, in accordance with the norms. According to the results of the follow-up examination, the question of the subsequent tactics of pregnancy management and the birth process itself is being resolved.
With a postponed pregnancy, labor activity may occur spontaneously. This is an ideal option for the expectant mother and baby.
When there are signs of overexposure, but the condition of the child at the same time allows the woman to give birth on her own, doctors may decide to stimulate childbirth. If the cervix is soft and open by two fingers, then you can open the amniotic bladder. Part of the waters will move away, the volume of the uterus will decrease, and the baby’s head will fall to its lower part. This should provoke the onset of labor. If the contractions do not begin, the doctor introduces stimulating medications.
It also happens that the cervix is not ready for childbirth. Then, in a few days, its preparation is carried out with the help of hormone-containing gels. After the cervix softens and its channel expands, the pregnant woman is prescribed drugs that provoke contractile activity of the uterus.
Constant monitoring of fetal cardiac activity is a necessary condition for the delivery process during post—term pregnancy. The doctor leading the delivery listens to the baby’s heartbeat every 15 minutes during the first period of labor. In the second period, the heart rate is monitored after each attempt. If there are signs of hypoxia of the baby, they try to speed up the delivery.
In some cases, doctors have to resort to a quick delivery — a “Caesarean section” operation. Among them is the combination of overgrowth of pregnancy with a large fetus, the age of the primiparous, the pelvic presentation of the fetus, the discrepancy of the birth canal with the size of the fetus.
Prevention of pregnancy overexposure
The prevention of these complications is similar to the prevention of all other pathologies of pregnancy. Women with endocrine diseases, suffering from chronic infectious and inflammatory processes, who have experienced frequent intoxication, are at risk of having a pregnancy. Such patients should be very careful to determine the timing of childbirth.
To prevent the development of complications during a postponed pregnancy, your doctor may take the following measures:
to determine as accurately as possible the term of the expected delivery;
choose a fully fortified diet for the period of pregnancy;
send them to classes on physical and psychological preparation for childbirth;
make hospitalization at 39-40 weeks with an immature cervix;
to carry out ultrasound monitoring of the state of maturity of the placenta;
to carry out accelerated preparation of the cervix for childbirth after 40 weeks.
For the pregnant woman herself, it is important to maintain a mobile lifestyle throughout all 9 months, to walk in the fresh air more often.
What to do so that pregnancy is not postponed
The information given in our article will allow us to correctly assess all possible consequences for a pregnant woman who does not fulfill a doctor’s appointment when diagnosing a postponed pregnancy. Pregnancy planning and preparation for childbirth significantly reduces the risk of any complications during the birth of the baby. A positive attitude and compliance with all the doctor’s prescriptions will help you prepare for future motherhood, as well as compliance with all the doctor’s recommendations on the course of the pregnancy process.
