38 weeks plus 4 days of hard stomach

A hard abdomen in late pregnancy is a major manifestation of uterine contractions. Uterine contractions are divided into painless uterine contractions and painful uterine contractions. Painless uterine contractions are also called false contractions. It is the irregular, weak, painless contractions that occur during pregnancy. So, what should I do if my stomach feels hard at 38 weeks and 4 days of pregnancy? Let’s take a look together below.

What should I do if my stomach becomes hard at 38 weeks and 4 days of pregnancy?

Considering that the birth is imminent, it is normal to give birth 2 weeks before and after the delivery. The mucous discharge containing blood from the vagina is called "pregnancy spotting". Generally, you should go to the hospital for a check-up within a few hours of spotting during pregnancy. But sometimes you still have to wait 1 to 2 days after the onset of bleeding during pregnancy, and sometimes regular uterine contractions begin several days later.

Generally, pregnant women will experience increased urination frequency more than ten days before delivery. At this time, the prostate drops into the pelvis, and the fundus of the uterus also drops, compressing the bladder, which reduces the bladder's urine storage capacity, resulting in increased urination frequency. Secondly, there will be periodic uterine contractions, which may not be regular at first, and then gradually turn into periodic uterine contractions, and the contraction force becomes stronger and stronger, so you should also pay attention to this time.

There may also be a small amount of stubborn mucus discharged from the vagina, which is a more reliable sign before the pregnant woman is about to give birth. If there is a lot of bleeding or blood, you should go to the hospital in time for examination. Although you may not be about to give birth in your situation, you should still go to the hospital for safety reasons.

Older pregnant women should pay attention to going to regular hospitals for regular prenatal checkups and carry out relevant pregnancy examinations and screening. It is best to have a B-ultrasound before 12 weeks of pregnancy to check the delivery date and understand the growth and development of the fetus. If the pregnancy is normal, early Down syndrome screening can be carried out. If the previous baby was delivered by caesarean section, B-ultrasound is needed to identify the relationship between the gestational sac and the uterine incision of the previous caesarean section to determine whether there is a risk of placenta accreta, make an assessment in advance, and make preparations to deal with the embedded embryo during delivery. Mid- to late-stage Down syndrome screening should be carried out between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy to identify possible diseases in the fetus. For older pregnant women over 35 years old, it is recommended to do amniocentesis after 20 weeks of pregnancy to determine whether there are any abnormalities in the fetus based on the fetal sex chromosomes.

Older mothers are more susceptible to pregnancy-related heart disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, they should pay attention to indicators such as sugar and blood pressure. In addition, because the blood flow of pregnant women continues to increase compared to the non-pregnant period, the heart pressure increases, and pregnant women who already have heart disease may not be able to bear it and have to terminate the pregnancy early. The difficulty of natural childbirth will increase for older mothers, so they need to prepare adequately in advance.