Oooh, you're getting close to meeting your baby now! You are now 35 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 36. Your baby now weighs around 2.6kg (2,600 grams or 5 lbs 12 oz) and measures about 47 cm from head to toe (18 1/2 inches) and is starting to become quite plump!
Over the next few weeks, your baby's head may start to engage - lowering into your pelvis, possibly bringing discomfort or cramping sensations, as well as the characteristic waddle of late pregnancy.
Some unborn babies hiccup quite frequently and many newborns continue to do so after birth. You may sense your baby hiccup by your belly having small rhythmic jumps every 10 to 20 seconds or so. A very strange sensation!
What is my body doing at 35 weeks?
Your blood pressure will be checked regularly by your doctor or midwife. If they find it’s getting higher, they’ll advise you to rest a lot more and maybe even do more tests because they want to prevent pre-eclampsia.
This is also the time when some women are advised they may need a Caesarean – in fact, one in five births are C-sections. It could be because of concerns about the position or safety of the baby - for instance, if it’s breech - or because your doctor thinks it’s safer for you both. But if you don’t feel sure, research it thoroughly, ask all the questions you need to, and if you’re not comfortable, seek another opinion.
Common symptoms to look out for:
Back pain
Back pain is a common pregnancy complaint, so you need to take care with posture and lifting, especially if you have a small toddler.
Other considerations
Blood tests
A few women require repeat blood tests at around 36 weeks to check their iron levels (if this was low at 28 weeks). Sometimes iron supplements need to be adjusted if they have not helped a great deal since then.
If your blood group is Rhesus negative, you may also need another group and antibodies blood test, to continue to screen for antibodies.
Birth preparations
The placenta or afterbirth is an amazing organ that forms and grows from a layer of fertilised ovum. It implants flat against the wall of the uterus and by the end of pregnancy is about the size of a dinner plate and approximately 2cm (one inch) thick, looking very much like a body organ. Some people liken it to the human liver.
Placental rituals can mean many things to different people, which may be culturally or spiritually based. Rituals aren't necessarily ancient in origin, they can be an accepted part of a society's customs or traditions, such as the father cutting the cord. One ritual sometimes performed is planting the placenta under a special tree for the baby. A rarely practised ritual in western society these days is the parents choosing to have a Lotus birth, whereby the cord is not clamped or cut at all, they just wait for the cord to break down naturally and separate the placenta from the baby (taking about a 5 to 10 days).
Over the next few weeks, your baby's head may start to engage - lowering into your pelvis, possibly bringing discomfort or cramping sensations, as well as the characteristic waddle of late pregnancy.
Some unborn babies hiccup quite frequently and many newborns continue to do so after birth. You may sense your baby hiccup by your belly having small rhythmic jumps every 10 to 20 seconds or so. A very strange sensation!
What is my body doing at 35 weeks?
Your blood pressure will be checked regularly by your doctor or midwife. If they find it’s getting higher, they’ll advise you to rest a lot more and maybe even do more tests because they want to prevent pre-eclampsia.
This is also the time when some women are advised they may need a Caesarean – in fact, one in five births are C-sections. It could be because of concerns about the position or safety of the baby - for instance, if it’s breech - or because your doctor thinks it’s safer for you both. But if you don’t feel sure, research it thoroughly, ask all the questions you need to, and if you’re not comfortable, seek another opinion.
Common symptoms to look out for:
- Constant peeing: If the toilet is the most frequently visited area of your home, you’re like most pregnant women at this stage, who just can’t stop peeing! This is because your growing uterus - which now reaches up under your rib cage - is crowding all your internal organs and putting pressure on the bladder. Your baby’s new position, head-down in preparation for delivery, puts even more pressure on the bladder, meaning you’ll need to urinate even more than usual. Rest assured, this will all be over soon! In the meantime, lean forward when you pee to make sure you’re emptying your bladder as much as possible, and practise your Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles and prevent incontinence.
- Feeling stuffy: Thanks to those good old pregnancy hormones, the mucus membranes in your nose often swell, leading to a stuffed nose. A box of nasal strips can help unclog those nostrils.
- Bleeding gums: Yup, pregnancy hormones are to blame once again, and this time, they’re responsible for swollen, tender and bleeding gums. Make sure you’re brushing and flossing regularly - don’t be put off by blood! - and make sure you’re getting enough vitamin C to boost gum strength. Who needs an excuse to grab another glass of orange juice? Make sure you visit your dentist for advice if the bleeding persists, as you don’t want to risk ending up with gingivitis or tooth decay.
Physical changes
Symphysis pubis pain
A few women experience pain at the front of their pelvis, as their symphysis pubis joint loosens. Discomfort or pain is usually felt low, in the middle at the front, just below the pubic hairline and can range from being an annoying twinge or ache to a sharp, shooting pain or a clicking sensation. The way you move can aggravate symphysis pain and sometimes the position of your baby affects the level of discomfort, especially if your baby's head is engaged.
Symphysis pubis pain
A few women experience pain at the front of their pelvis, as their symphysis pubis joint loosens. Discomfort or pain is usually felt low, in the middle at the front, just below the pubic hairline and can range from being an annoying twinge or ache to a sharp, shooting pain or a clicking sensation. The way you move can aggravate symphysis pain and sometimes the position of your baby affects the level of discomfort, especially if your baby's head is engaged.
Back pain
Back pain is a common pregnancy complaint, so you need to take care with posture and lifting, especially if you have a small toddler.
Other considerations
Visits with your caregiver
Most women see their caregiver every week during the last month of pregnancy. This is aimed at monitoring your blood pressure more regularly, checking the growth of your baby and perhaps the position they are lying in, as well as discussing your personal well-being on both physical and emotional levels. Your visits also provide opportunities to talk about your plans for the birth and any concerns you might have. If you think of specific things you wish to ask your caregiver, write them down to take with you to help you remember.
Most women see their caregiver every week during the last month of pregnancy. This is aimed at monitoring your blood pressure more regularly, checking the growth of your baby and perhaps the position they are lying in, as well as discussing your personal well-being on both physical and emotional levels. Your visits also provide opportunities to talk about your plans for the birth and any concerns you might have. If you think of specific things you wish to ask your caregiver, write them down to take with you to help you remember.
Blood tests
A few women require repeat blood tests at around 36 weeks to check their iron levels (if this was low at 28 weeks). Sometimes iron supplements need to be adjusted if they have not helped a great deal since then.
If your blood group is Rhesus negative, you may also need another group and antibodies blood test, to continue to screen for antibodies.
Birth preparations
The placenta or afterbirth is an amazing organ that forms and grows from a layer of fertilised ovum. It implants flat against the wall of the uterus and by the end of pregnancy is about the size of a dinner plate and approximately 2cm (one inch) thick, looking very much like a body organ. Some people liken it to the human liver.
Placental rituals can mean many things to different people, which may be culturally or spiritually based. Rituals aren't necessarily ancient in origin, they can be an accepted part of a society's customs or traditions, such as the father cutting the cord. One ritual sometimes performed is planting the placenta under a special tree for the baby. A rarely practised ritual in western society these days is the parents choosing to have a Lotus birth, whereby the cord is not clamped or cut at all, they just wait for the cord to break down naturally and separate the placenta from the baby (taking about a 5 to 10 days).
What to do this week:
Talk to your partner, friends or family member if you’re feeling worried about giving birth. It’s absolutely normal to be nervous about what to expect when it comes to labour. In fact, some women have such an extreme reaction that they have panic attacks – there’s an actual condition called tokophobia which means ‘fear of childbirth’. If your anxieties are overwhelming you, then speak to your antenatal team who will do all they can to help and reassure you and can even offer counselling in extreme cases.
But rest assured that a lot of women are worried and self-conscious about things like pooing in labour (it happens all the time - your midwife will deal with it and you probably won’t even notice), screaming, shouting and swearing (they’ve heard it all before), and not looking your best (frankly you’ll be so busy giving birth that will be the least of your worries on the day). Also, don’t stress about the safety of your baby – it’s the job of your medical team and midwife to do everything they can to keep you both safe and healthy and make sure that you have the best possible birth experience.
Talk to your partner, friends or family member if you’re feeling worried about giving birth. It’s absolutely normal to be nervous about what to expect when it comes to labour. In fact, some women have such an extreme reaction that they have panic attacks – there’s an actual condition called tokophobia which means ‘fear of childbirth’. If your anxieties are overwhelming you, then speak to your antenatal team who will do all they can to help and reassure you and can even offer counselling in extreme cases.
But rest assured that a lot of women are worried and self-conscious about things like pooing in labour (it happens all the time - your midwife will deal with it and you probably won’t even notice), screaming, shouting and swearing (they’ve heard it all before), and not looking your best (frankly you’ll be so busy giving birth that will be the least of your worries on the day). Also, don’t stress about the safety of your baby – it’s the job of your medical team and midwife to do everything they can to keep you both safe and healthy and make sure that you have the best possible birth experience.
Comments
Post a Comment