By 32 weeks most babies are practicing breathing, and their lungs are in the final stages of development. Their skull and all their bones will still be very soft. After birth, your premature baby will be taken to a special care nursery or the neonatal intensive care unit NICU in the hospital where you gave birth.
Most babies born at 32 weeks of pregnancy have only a few temporary health issues and need to stay in the NICU for only a few days to a few weeks. After birth, your baby may need extra help learning and developing the skills needed for feeding, staying warm, and breathing on their own. Babies born at 32 weeks will generally not yet be strong enough to breastfeed because their sucking muscles are still weak and uncoordinated. That said, receiving breast milk is especially important for preterm babies.
Compared to preterm babies who receive formula, those who receive human milk typically have higher survival rates, shorter NICU stays, and fewer serious health complications. You may also consider donor milk. Some long-term issues in babies born at 32 weeks might show up months to years later. These are not common, but can include slower development.
In most cases, babies with learning or developmental delays catch up later in childhood with a little bit of extra help.
A medical study in France that followed 5, babies who were born between 22 to 34 weeks of pregnancy found that babies born at 32 to 34 weeks had very low risks of long-term health problems. The researchers found that about 1 percent of babies born at 32 to 34 weeks had the neuromotor disorder cerebral palsy.
The same study tested 2, 2-year-olds who were born prematurely. In the group born at 32 to 34 weeks of pregnancy, Most pregnant women spend some time wondering when they will go into labor, especially as the due date draws near. When the opening of the cervix starts to widen, this is called dilation, and it is one sign that labor is approaching.
Dilation is typically measured in centimeters cm. During active labor, the cervix fully dilates to 10 cm. In this article, we look at what dilation is and what dilating to 1 cm signals. We also describe other signs that labor may start soon.
The cervix is a narrow passage that connects the uterus and the vagina. During active labor, the cervix will dilate until it reaches 10 cm. During menstruation, the cervical opening allows the lining of the uterus to exit. During pregnancy, hormones cause the mucus in the cervix to thicken, fill the opening, and form what the medical community calls a mucus plug to protect the fetus.
This plug is in place for most of the pregnancy. However, in the third trimester, the cervix will begin to soften and thin, in a process called effacement.
The cervical opening also begins to widen, or dilate. A healthcare provider usually assesses the extent of dilation and effacement during routine visits. It is not uncommon for a doctor to consider 1 cm of dilation a sign of prelabor.
One woman may go from having a closed cervix to giving birth in a matter of hours, while another is 1—2 cm dilated for days or weeks.
Some women do not experience any dilation until they go into active labor. This means that the cervix is completely closed initially, but it widens to 10 cm as labor progresses. It is especially common in first pregnancies. For other women, especially those who have given birth before, dilation may start a few days or weeks before labor begins. Dilation alone is not considered a sign of labor. Once your cervix reaches 80 percent effacement, it's almost short enough to allow your baby through the uterus, assuming it is accompanied by dilation.
You may reach 80 percent effacement or higher during the early stage of labor, or this may happen once you reach active labor. The same is true for 90 percent and percent effacement. Either way, effacement and dilation must both happen completely before you can begin pushing. In other words, you must be percent effaced and 10 cm dilated for your baby to pass through the birth canal.
Video: Labor and birth. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.
We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. How to Tell When Labor Begins. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Allina Health. Stages of labor. American Pregnancy Association. First Stage of Labor. Cleveland Clinic. Mayo Clinic. Stages of labor and birth: Baby, it's time! Signs of labor: Know what to expect. When will labor start if you are 1-centimeter dilated? Am I in labor?
National Library of Medicine. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: iStock. What is dilation? What is effacement? Doctors may do a swab of the cervix and vagina to test for a protein called fetal fibronectin. The March of Dimes explains, "Fetal fibronectin fFN is a protein produced during pregnancy and functions as a biological glue, attaching the fetal sac to the uterine lining.
The presence of fFN during weeks of a high-risk pregnancy , along with symptoms of labor, suggests that the 'glue' may be disintegrating ahead of schedule and alerts doctors to a possibility of preterm delivery. If your doctor determines that you are truly in labor, they'll probably attempt to halt it, unless it's not advisable for a medical reason.
For instance, doctors might not stop preterm labor if they detect maternal high blood pressure , uterine bleeding because of a problem with the placenta, or fetal distress signals like a slowed heart rate. In some cases, preterm labor can be treated to give your baby more time to grow. Your doctor will likely choose between natural and medicated approaches.
Pelvic rest—which means no sex, no vaginal exams, and nothing put into your vagina—is often a must if you're experiencing preterm contractions. In some cases, your doctor may suggest sewing your cervix shut cervical cerclage to help avoid a premature birth, or even resting with your head below the level of your body to further reduce stress on the cervix.
You may also be put on bed rest , at least temporarily, to avoid having gravity put pressure on your cervix. To try to halt your contractions, your doctor will ask you to rest on your left side this position increases blood flow to the uterus , and if you seem dehydrated, she will give you intravenous fluids. These steps help stop contractions in about 50 percent of women. If your contractions stop and your cervix doesn't dilate during several hours of observation, you will probably be able to go home.
Your obstetrician may decide that postponing the birth through medication is the appropriate course of action. While there is no established "right" time to start treatment with medication, many doctors recommend beginning once your cervix becomes two to three centimeters dilated. These drugs don't usually don't postpone labor for long often not more than a couple of days , but sometimes even a short delay can make a lifesaving difference to your baby.
For example, your doctor can begin treatment with corticosteroid drugs between 24 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, which are aimed at preventing or lessening complications in preterm newborns.
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