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Overview

This is a week of rapid weight gain for you as well as your baby. The baby’s lungs and digestive tract are nearly mature by now and the baby will be able to open and shut its eyes by now. The baby’s demands for nutrients are the greatest in the last few weeks and you might love or hate the size of your body as it keeps growing. Your skin and face will be glowing during this time and you will be enjoying the pregnancy period. You can take this chance to pamper yourself with scented baths or gentle massages provide by a doula. Pregnancy is nature’s way of making you feel good about putting on weight and do not regret the weight that you have put on at this time because your healthy eating habits will go a long way in helping you get right back in shape soon after delivery. Breast feeding is also known to have positive effects on regaining your original weight hence one should avoid bottle feeding the baby as breast feeding is best for the baby as well as the mother. This is the time to get maternity gowns stitched to accommodate your increasing weight and make you feel comfortable.

Baby’s Development

The baby is growing very rapidly and has reached 15 inches in length and weighs around 3 ½ to 4 pounds which is more than half of the size at birth. The baby continues developing a layer of fat under the skin and in the coming weeks the baby will put on a lot of weight. This week there is an incredible development in the baby’s lungs as they will be able to inflate properly from now onwards. The lungs start producing surfactant from this week preventing the baby’s lungs from collapsing as the baby starts breathing smoothly after delivery. The fetal ear is completely developed from the inside as well as outside and the baby can hear your voice as well as other familiar voices before she/he is born. The baby’s skin is pink in color instead of red at this point. The baby has well developed finger nails and might scratch itself in the womb. The baby’s bones are growing stronger and will require calcium to grow well. The baby is receiving all the nutrients through the placenta and the placental blood flow enables the baby to make urine. The baby urinates about half a liter of urine every day and the baby also swallows some of the amniotic fluid which is replaced a few times daily. The amniotic fluid needs to be measured as a routine to detect any problems. If there is too much fluid in the amniotic sac it could indicate that the baby is not swallowing properly or having a gastrointestinal difficulty. If there is less fluid in the amniotic sac it could indicate that the baby is not urinating enough nor has a problem with its kidneys.

Changes with your body

The average weight gain at this point is between 21 and 27 pounds. This weight gain is more due to the baby’s weight, placenta, fat, water storage, uterus and the amniotic fluid. The ligaments and muscles supporting the back relax and loosen to prepare for childbirth making backaches more severe now. You will notice changes in your breast size and shape as they get ready for lactation. A thick creamy yellowish substance might leak from the breasts called as colostrum or pre-milk which occurs during pregnancy and lasts for several days after the birth of the baby. Not all women experience this but it is considered normal either ways so there is no reason to fear if you experience this or even if you do not. Many women experience Braxton hicks contractions as the pregnancy period comes to an end. Some feel these contractions from the second trimester of pregnancy as well but generally they are more common in the third trimester. Hemorrhoids or piles are quite common during pregnancy and these occur in the third trimester due to the pressure on the rectum as well as due to the effect of constipation. Prolonged standing and advanced age of the women can contribute to the growth of hemorrhoids. They generally reduce or disappear after delivery. One can take the following steps to reduce their formation. The most important step is to avoid constipation, secondly taking warm baths with baking soda in the water, using tucks pads or using some lotions or creams to reduce the swelling or bleeding.

What to expect

The baby will be taking in all the nutrition from the food that the mother has so it would be sensible to continue having a healthy diet till the end of the term. It is not too late to stop smoking if you are still smoking as the baby will benefit from an increased supply of oxygen that it so requires at this stage. Encourage people around you not to smoke as well because research shows that the baby is at a higher risk of cot death if a parent or caregiver around them smokes. Getting a sound sleep will become more difficult as the pregnancy advances and your weight increases. Frequent urination also creates problems especially when you have to get up a number of times in the night. Vivid dreams can also affect the quality of your sleep as this can leave you feeling disturbed. Sleeping on the side especially on the left side can be beneficial as this will avoid putting pressure on the baby and improve circulation as well. Sleeping on the back should also be avoided as the baby will not receive the supply of nutrients that it requires. The position of the baby keeps changing and some women might not feel the movements as the baby also has sleeping and waking patterns which might be different from yours. As long as the weekly check ups are all right and the baby shows movement in the sonography there is no reason to worry.