Community35 Weeks Pregnant
Your Pregnancy Week by Week
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Your Baby at 35 Weeks
Size: 18.19 inches (46.2 cm) - crown to heelWeight: 5.25 pounds (2383 grams)
At thirty-five weeks, your baby is nearing the weight of a honeydew melon - even if they feel much bigger. Your baby's organs are complete, and his or her length is pretty much what it will be at birth. The liver and the kidneys are starting to produce bodily waste in preparation for their big day. But the most quickly developing organ is still your baby's brain. Right now those tiny nerve connections are linking up to send signals to and from the brain to tell your baby all about their new world. Your baby can now process all five senses, detect light, practice breathing, and make purposeful movements like shielding his eyes and sucking their thumb.
Because your baby is quickly running out of room in the uterus to move, you should be noticing a difference in how it feels when your baby moves. What may have felt like an obvious kick, roll or flip in the beginning may only feel like a nudge or push these days - there simply isn't room for acrobatics. Your baby should be head-down by now. If not, your doctor is probably going to begin talking with you about your birthing options and some ways to try to turn your baby into a head-down position. One option includes a procedure known as an external version where your doctor manually turns your baby by a series of pushes from the outside. While it has some risks, you may want to discuss the procedure with your physician should the need arise.
Just remember, getting your baby here in the safest way possible is most important, regardless of how that is. Some women will try a breech vaginal delivery and some are successful - but expect to be laboring in an operating room just in case there is an emergency.
If the baby is born at week thirty-five, they have a pretty solid chance of surviving well. The nervous system and circulatory systems are fully functional and the baby's lungs are mostly developed - though breathing issues, temperature and blood sugar regulation could still pose a significant problem if delivered now.
Mom at 35 Weeks Pregnant
Your uterus is now about 6 inches above your navel and snuggling itself up under your ribcage.
Probably making you feel like you could roll easier than you walk, it can be hard to move around
gracefully.If you have been struggling with shortness of breath, the next week or so should bring relief as baby descends into the pelvis in preparation for birth. Known as lightening, some women feel or see an obvious drop in their bodies when the baby moves down. Others may never notice anything - but where you get a little relief, you may have to give some too. As you gain an easier breath, you will begin making even more frequent trips to the bathroom to urinate as baby puts some serious restrictions on the size of your bladder.
Your friends constipation, heartburn, and urinary frequency will be back to visit for these final weeks. Braxton Hicks contractions may also become more regular as your body prepares for real labor.
Speaking of which, real labor may begin any time - so be on the watch for any early signs. Some women claim to lose a large plug of mucus from the vagina as labor approaches, yet other women never do. This plug of mucus prevents bacteria from moving up through the cervix into the uterus during pregnancy and is lost during labor for some women. Any bleeding, sudden gushes of clear or green-tinged fluid, or contractions that are regular and increasing in intensity over time should be reported to your doctor or labor hall.
Weight Gain:
You should be near your ideal weight gain amount soon. If you were on target for a bit more or a bit less than 25-35 pounds, you should (hopefully) be within a few pounds either way. The coming weeks will still result in about a pound per week of weight gain until delivery.
Tips/Advice:
Pack that bag and make your plans. Have a list of phone numbers and contact information for friends, family and especially your partner or birth coach. Do your best to limit travel now until delivery to prevent the struggle of going into labor or having a complication away from your doctor and hospital.
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