Swollen hands in late pregnancy mean that the baby is coming soon

In the late stages of pregnancy, the most important thing is to wait for delivery. If you choose a caesarean section, you can give birth as long as the conditions are right and the date is set. However, the requirements for natural childbirth are much more stringent, and the time of delivery varies greatly from person to person, so many pregnant women are concerned about their performance when they are about to give birth. So, does swelling of hands in late pregnancy mean that the baby is coming soon? Let’s take a look below.

After a pregnant woman becomes pregnant, her body's blood volume increases. When you wake up in the morning at this time, you will feel stiff fingers and swollen hands. At 32 weeks of pregnancy, the body's blood volume reaches its peak, so it is normal for pregnant women in the late pregnancy to feel swollen hands and stiff fingers when they wake up in the morning. However, after daytime activities, hand swelling and stiffness will be significantly improved. Therefore, if a pregnant woman has swollen hands in the morning, it does not mean that she is about to give birth. It is just a physiological phenomenon of increased blood volume throughout the body, which is the same as lower limb edema in the late stage of pregnancy. Lower limb edema is caused by uterine compression and poor blood return. But after resting and raising your feet, the swelling will be reduced. Therefore, swelling of the hands in late pregnancy does not mean that the baby is about to be born.

Pregnant women generally have the following signs when they are about to give birth:

1. Some mothers may have diarrhea and a feeling of heaviness a few days before delivery. This is mainly because the fetus has entered the pelvis, so they feel the weight has sunk. The stomach that was squeezed by the fetus feels much more comfortable, and their appetite is better. Not everyone will experience this symptom. Some mothers give birth while the baby is entering the pelvis when they arrive in the delivery room.

2. The second common sign of labor is spotting. This is mainly because the descending fetus presses on the cervix, and the capillaries at the cervix rupture and spotting occurs. Most mothers will give birth about two or three days after spotting. Don't be too anxious if you see blood. If the contractions are not very regular at this time, you can stay at home safely. Remember to wash your hair and take a shower first. Prepare what you need and when you notice a regular contraction pattern, you can pick it up and go.

3. The third sign of labor is water breaking, which is a bit dangerous. It is recommended not to move when water breaks. This is mainly because the umbilical cord may fall out if the water breaks too much, which may be more dangerous and the baby may suffer from hypoxia. Generally, if water breaks, whether you have uterine contractions or not, you need to be hospitalized, and it is best to lie flat when going to the hospital to prevent excessive loss of amniotic fluid, which may cause fetal hypoxia and brain damage. If the amniotic fluid breaks and there are irregular uterine contractions, oxytocin will be given to promote delivery.

4. The fourth is regular uterine contractions. Generally, after 36 weeks, false uterine contractions will occur from time to time, but the uterine contractions during labor are very regular, with pain every five minutes. At this time, you can pick up your things and go to the hospital.