Week Thirty Six Of Pregnancy
Week 36 Of Your Baby’s Development!
Your baby is the size of a romaine (cos) lettuce
Baby is getting ready for delivery by engaging in the right place and position in your pelvic area. She still continues to put on weight right until delivery. Right now she weighs about six pounds and measures over 18 inches, similar in size to a romaine (cos) lettuce.
The downy hair covering her skin is continuing to shed and so is the white waxy covering (vernix) over her skin that kept it protected all this time (but don’t be surprised if baby is born with some still covering her). Baby’s immune system is all ready to face the world and so is her circulatory system. The digestive system is working as well as it should for the first few months of baby’s life and it will continue to develop after birth.
Week 36 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes
Apart from the anticipation and anxiety about delivery, you may be finding that eating your regular sized meals is getting more and more difficult. This is because baby is occupying a lot of space inside your belly. If baby has moved down into position, your heartburn and numbness problems may be fading away now.
However, you may be feeling more pressure on your lower abdomen now that baby is resting lower. This could make walking more of a strain. Expect to experience Braxton- Hicks contractions even more frequently as your body gears up for the actual birthing.
As the date of the delivery approaches, you should be getting organised for your trip to the hospital. At the same time, enjoy the last few days you have as a couple or as a small family before your newest member makes an appearance.
Try this: If you already have kids, it’s a good time to reinforce how much you love them and do some special activities together as a family to create some wonderful memories before their world changes.
Week 36 Of Your Next Steps!
- If your baby is not yet in the classic head down position, your midwife or physician may try to ‘encourage’ him to move by manually manipulating your abdomen to move him. Or if this is not considered a viable option for your situation, different birthing options, like a Caesarean section, may be discussed.
” My obstetrician gave me the option of trying to manually move my breech baby into the correct position, however there was a high chance she would turn back and it would be painful, so I opted to book in for a Caesarean. Turns out I had low fluid levels and a heart shaped uterus, so the turning would not have been successful had I chosen it. ” Cassandra - Eat smaller meals if you are finding it difficult to take in your usual amount. Take frequent breaks if you are standing for too long or walking for too long and sit down to relax.
- Any vaginal bleeding, pain or fever should be brought to your physician’s attention immediately as should any long term pause in baby’s activity levels at a time when he is usually quite busy. Talk to your midwife or physician about contractions and how you can tell them apart from the Braxton- Hicks.
