Overview

The 35th week of pregnancy brings you closer to your due date and after the 36th week your healthcare provider might want to see you more often for about once every week. The healthcare provider will ask you to keep track of the fetal movements which should ideally be felt at least 10 times within two hours. You can use a notebook to record the movements and if you still do not feel the movements do not panic as for a couple of weeks it might be difficult to tell the difference between gas and the actual movement. Once you learn your baby’s waking and sleeping cycles then you can set aside a certain time each day when you know your baby is very active to count the kicks and identify problem areas if any to avoid stillbirths. If you do not feel 10 movements within 2 hours or notice a significant deviation from the pattern for 3 to 4 days you can consult your doctor. Till the 36th week it is normal for you to gain weight at a slightly faster rate. To avoid gaining unhealthy weight you can eat healthy low fat food with high quantities of fruits and vegetables to provide the roughage and bulk required to prevent constipation. The iron, calcium and vitamin supplements prescribed by the doctor need to be taken regularly even now though the baby is fully developed as it will help to build the baby as well as your immunity for the forthcoming labor besides the boost of nutrients can help you in gaining speedy recovery after the delivery. These supplements need to be taken along with a healthy and nutritious diet to increase their effectiveness.

Baby’s Development

The baby is growing fast and measures around 18 inches long with a weight of around 5 ½ to 6 pounds. The majority of the baby’s growth is complete by the 35th week. The development of the baby’s kidneys is complete and the liver is beginning to produce waste. The baby will have less space in the body to move however its kickboxing routine that you might be counting at a specific period of the day will remain the same. If you have not started bonding with your baby this is a good time to start as the baby’s hearing faculty is fully developed by now. Do not feel awkward while chatting in baby talk as experts say that newborns pay close attention to high pitched tones. 99% of the babies born in the 35th week can survive outside the womb without any problems. The baby’s central nervous system is still developing but the lungs are mostly fully developed. Most of the protective tissues and hair tend to disappear but some of it might remain as a scaly coating. Tiny vellus hair grows in the next few weeks. Your baby is getting plump and the fat deposits begin to form which add fullness to the baby’s arms and legs.

Changes with your body

By this time you must have gained about 24 to 29 pounds and the distance from your belly button to the top of the uterus will be about 6 inches. Till the baby shifts to the head down position which lowers the baby into the pelvis you might experience difficulty in breathing. This is due to the pressure of the uterus on the rib cage. Towards the end of the pregnancy the baby drops into the pelvis and this phenomenon is called as lightening. Lightening can cause pressure on the bladder increasing your trips to the bathroom. You can start noticing a tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvis region due to the pressure of the baby on the nerves and this may not subside till the birth of the baby. Pelvic girdle pain or hip pain accompanied with back pain is very common. The pain starts from the pubic area and may travel down the inside of the thighs and can worsen while walking, moving or separating legs and they become worse at night. Getting up to go to the toilet can be very painful. You can practice relaxation methods, resting regularly, avoiding swimming or exercising, change positions and practice massage learnt in the antenatal class to help you cope with the uncomfortable position. The other symptoms which you can experience by this stage are changes in the breast size and shape with darkening of the areolas, constipation, occasional headaches, itching, frequent urination, indigestion or heartburn, hemorrhoids, round ligament pains and stretch marks.

What to expect

Your routine visits to the doctor can increase as they might require checking your cervix for signs of effacement and dilation. You can face sleeping difficulties as the pressure on the bladder can increase the frequency of urination. You can develop backaches or swollen feet. You can try doing pelvic tilts before sleeping, limiting fluids at night and being tired to make you fall asleep faster. Stress inconsistence is very common in pregnancy and is embarrassing for the pregnant women. In this urine can leak while doing normal daily activities like exercising, coughing, laughing or changing positions. This occurs due to change in hormones as well as due to the pressure of the uterus on the bladder. This occurs more frequently in women who have given birth before rather then first time mothers as the muscles that surround the pelvic floor and vagina or urethra tend to become weak. To strengthen these muscles and reduce the occurrence of stress inconsistence you can practice kegel exercises up to 50 times a day. Contracting the muscles of the perineum after delivery can increase the flow of blood to the area and speed up healing. This is the time that a woman might worry about her forthcoming delivery hence it would be useful to familiarize you with the stages of labor and read positive experiences of others who have gone through the process of delivering a baby. You can join a HypnoBirthing class to remain positive and relaxed during labor.