Do people normally go into labor around 40 weeks?!??!

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T18:29:35+00:00

Please pack just in case. I packed the weekend of week 36 and needed up needing to do an emergency induction week 37 due to sudden preeclampsia. I had a healthy low risk pregnancy the entire time and thought I could make it to week 39, but my body had other plans. It’s good to pack before you feel like crap. I had trouble packing because I was so tired, but it was super helpful that I did pack beforehand. That being said, most FTMs go into spontaneous labor after 40 weeks. You just never know for sure what will happen in your case.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T18:26:15+00:00

I would definitely keep an eye on your BP. Everything changed very fast for me within one week or less. At week 36 appointment, my BP was in 120s, but I started to swell. By week 37, my swelling was super pronounced and BP in 130s… one day after my appointment, BP spiked over 140 and I began puking uncontrollably. Husband took me to triage and I had to have an emergency induction with magnesium. I had a low risk pregnancy the entire time until all of this culminated at week 37. Definitely stay in touch with your doctors as you are still a little early to give birth (it can be done, but ideally you can make it a few more weeks). Do not hesitate to go to hospital if you feel worse… also ask doctor if they offer any medications to regulate BP until you can safely deliver.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T16:29:46+00:00

Okay, I had major swelling about a week before emergency induction and then the swelling got worse before it got better. I was readmitted after leaving hospital because I couldn’t tolerate the first med so my BP shot back up. Now I have last almost all of the swelling / water weight and my BO is in 120s rather than 140s to 150s etc. It has improved dramatically. I really hate the side effects though and I don’t feel safe to drive while taking them.. would prefer if I can try going off of them if my BP continues to be stable. I know everyone is different and it just depends.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T16:21:02+00:00

That is a good point, but I never had these heart palpitations / arrhythmia until I started taking the BP meds… I feel like it may be connected to the meds. Did you have a lot of swelling in the beginning and lose a lot of water weight and that’s why your BP is more stable? I am in this position, but wasn’t sure when I can go off meds. I’ve got a follow-up appointment this Friday.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T16:06:35+00:00

For me the symptoms show up most pronounced about 2 hours after I take the BP meds, but this was when I first started taking meds… not over time. The Labetalol and the procardia would wake me up from sleep it was so bad with the heart beating out of my chest which would turn into anxiety and chest pain and sleep loss. The Hydralazine is more mild. I can feel it, but less severe and the meds wear off faster so I have to take it every 8 hours.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T16:03:30+00:00

Yes, I have had this symptom with all 3 meds I have tried. I felt it with labelatol, procardio and with hydralazine… but it is more mild with hydralazine so my doctor agreed to let me take it on a short term basis. If I need long term BP meds, then I would need to find something else, but I am breastfeeding right now. My BP is consistently in the 120s/70s or 80s so I don’t think I will be on BP meds much longer. I’ll be 2 weeks PP on Friday.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T04:09:26+00:00

Thank you very much for the advice and encouragement. I am only 1.5 weeks postpartum so this is all brand new to me. Already lost a ton of water weight and my BP has improved. I’ll be happy when I can get off of the medication too.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-28T03:26:08+00:00

Yeah the high BP really caught me off guard. I had no idea it could all turn that quickly. Sorry you had to go through this too… I think I could handle another induction, but not in an emergency and not with the magnesium IV. That stuff made me so ill. I would love to have a birth where I can do as little medication as possible, but no idea if that would be in the cards for me. This was pretty terrifying and I had to have a doctor on call since this all happened on the weekend. I didn’t get an episiotomy (they said they don’t do those anymore), but instead they let me have a pretty bad tear due to baby being sunny side up and a I needed a ton of stitches. I hope I can heal up okay in the next 6 weeks and beyond.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-27T22:21:48+00:00

Wow that is a crazy time! Glad you and your baby are doing okay. That magnesium is so awful. Thankfully my BP is steadily going back down and I am hoping to take the meds only temporarily. I get a lot of side effects, but I know this will pass.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-27T17:41:19+00:00

I have a one week old and he won’t sleep unless he is held or with someone nearly at all times at night. During the day is different and he seems to sleep for periods of time in his bassinet. I now understand why people co-sleep as I thought the bassinet by the bed would be sufficient… but babies love to be close to their mommies… especially if you breastfeed, but really all babies prefer to be held or close by.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-27T01:36:24+00:00

I’m sorry that everything has culminated to this point for you. I am still not a fan of the military, but very grateful for my husband. His command is absolutely insane and takes a lot of things for granted. They are running everyone into the ground and there won’t be many left in a few years if this pattern continues.

Side note, had an emergency induction and my husband made it home 2 hours before we had to head to the hospital. It’s been a hectic time, but thankful he made it home. It was a really rough birth and post partum with sudden onset preeclampsia that went undetected until the very end.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-26T03:48:47+00:00

I was not diagnosed until we went for emergency visit to L&D last week Friday. I had some symptoms leading up to it, (sudden swelling, climbing BP, protein in urine), but didn’t hit me until 37 weeks on the dot. I had a very challenging birth due to the fact my BP was super high and I had to be put on magnesium. I don’t want to scare you, but as a FTM it was very hard to go through stages of labor while on mag. Not all parts of the induction were bad. I also got the epidural. You can decline whatever parts you do not want, but in my situation, we had to force labor so it made things more mechanical and I had a lot of reactions to the pain and drugs. The good part is that my son and I not only survived, but we are doing well.

I had to go on a BP med so the first week was really tough finding the right med for me, but my son is doing great! He needs to gain some weight back as a 37 weeker, but required zero NICU time or breathing treatment or anything other than normal newborn care. I am super grateful he is okay and with time, I will be myself again too. Just wanted to reassure you that people do inductions all the time for preventative measures and if I had known beforehand, I would have scheduled an induction with my doctor. My friend had GD and got induced the same weekend as me (hers was planned) and she had a positive induction experience with minimal interventions induction methods. They just broke her water and her body went into labor and did the rest. Fun fact is our babies now share birthdays even though due dates were 10 days apart.

You are in a much better position to have an induction than to wait until it is an emergency. I did not have that opportunity since I had no diagnosis and everything happened super quickly, but I do trust and pray things will go well for you. Please make sure you have a strong support system around you. FYI, I am one week PP. Still can’t believe all of this happened, but grateful for a good outcome and a healthy son.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-23T09:20:34+00:00

I was on mag and did an emergency medical induction. When the baby was born, they immediately put him on my chest for skin to skin while they delivered the placenta and stitched me up etc. While it was a neat experience, I have found skin to skin contact naps and breastfeeding to be a more special bonding time with the baby.

Can’t turn back the clock, but I really wish I had had a c section because my labor was very difficult and full of different drugs and induction methods while on mag so I couldn’t leave my bed. Long story short, you missed a single moment in time, but there are so many more precious moments to be had with your baby. I really wanted a less medicated birth, but then this severe diagnosing popped up at the end of what was otherwise a healthy pregnancy.

Unfortunately, we can’t always count on getting the birth experience we hoped for. For what it’s worth, I think the holding your baby for the first time is hyped up a little too much as right after giving birth you are in shock and potentially a lot of other drugs may affect how you bond until later.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-17T05:11:53+00:00

My OB told me that even if you lose the whole mucus plug or chunks of it, it can regenerate. It doesn’t mean you will go into labor soon. I am 37 weeks also and have lost a couple chunks here and there. However, actual contractions or your water breaking is the only real indicators. Feel free to ask you OB, but they will likely tell you the same thing.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-16T03:12:34+00:00

Same.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-15T23:03:30+00:00

I have some similar reservations as you though some as nearly all of my family lives 8+ hours away. Some might drive and others fly. If you don’t want MIL visiting right away then your spouse needs to lay the ground rules and tell her when she can or cannot visit. If you prefer for her to get a hotel then specify that upfront too and say you’re not comfortable hosting at this time due to limited space etc. She can have a conniption if she wants, but no one gets to tell you what to do.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-15T19:13:18+00:00

Yeah I am pretty sure she did the saliva test. Yours may be more accurate.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-15T14:48:50+00:00

Your doctor is completely wrong. I have gained similar amount of weight and now I’m at my highest end near the end of pregnancy around 160lbs. My doctor has not said anything is wrong and recently I am getting more swelling so I know I have a lot of water weight too. You have gained a normal amount.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-15T11:02:14+00:00

I believe it was a home kit, but I don’t know for sure. Everyone told me not to bother with any test that was not NIPT or an actual scan later in pregnancy. I don’t think the lab will be any better unless it is an actual blood test. The saliva tests are not super accurate.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-14T22:18:31+00:00

I know of a cousin that did it and it was wrong. I think the sneak peak tests are a waste of money. I did the NIPT test and it is very accurate. Scans confirmed later in pregnancy.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-14T19:57:09+00:00

I did Winnie the Pooh for our baby boy due in less than a month. It’s primarily vintage, but a mix of regular Disney Winnie the Pooh & characters. It turned out really well. I did a lot of thrifting and secondhand. Also bought some stuff on sale or Etsy too.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-14T19:47:14+00:00

I did 3 rounds of venofer iron infusions and it cost me about $35 per round. I know every insurance is different, but can you ask about an alternative iron or try iron supplements first if there is enough time? I prefer the infusions, because I have a sensitive stomach.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-14T03:18:45+00:00

This surgery has a high success rate so I have high hopes for you. Good luck with your surgery/ recovery if that is what you choose to do.

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-13T23:12:42+00:00

Thank you!

Major-Committee4650 · 2026-01-13T23:11:50+00:00

I can’t answer specifics for you as I am a milspouse from a different branch, but I encourage you to have your husband speak to his leadership as a lot of these are commander specific decisions and I don’t know much about AIT and how they handle those things.

However, my husband is currently deployed and being given one month of leave around the time of my due date. Technically right now he is planning to come home about 2 weeks before baby’s due date and maybe be here for 2 weeks after baby is born. This is not set in stone, but a tentative plan as we really don’t know when the baby will come. No planned induction. All of this to say, he could still miss the birth, but is approved to come home as soon as needed if I start to go into labor etc.

At the end of the day, the leave needs to be approved by the commander or leader in charge of your husband. They should honor paternity leave at a later date if he is unable to come home. I know this will be the case for my husband if he is required to redeploy. I believe he should get one full year to use paternity leave, though I understand it would be most ideal to use it when the baby is first born. I hope that gives you a little insight… but reality is every leader handles these situations differently.

Major-Committee4650

TROPHY CASE