Pregnancy Week 36

What’s your baby up to?

Your baby now weighs a whopping 2.7kg (6 pounds) and measures about 47.4cm long from head to toe. He will continue to gain a little more weight until he is born. Your baby may have dropped lower in your pelvis with his head “engaged” in preparation for birth.

By now, your baby’s lungs are mature and ready  for the outside world. He has been practicing sucking motions, so he will be able to feed successfully when he’s born, and his digestive system is ready for breast milk. Infact, your baby is no longer considered premature after this week. He is ‘early term’ at 37 weeks, ‘full term’ at the end of 39 weeks and ‘late term’ at 41 weeks.

The lanugo is disappearing, as well as the waxy vernix , both of which your baby swallows in addition with dead cells and amniotic fluid. All these will form the greenish-blackish content of his first bowel movement, called meconium.

How are you doing?

With 4 more weeks to go, the countdown has definitely begun!

From this week onward, you will be closely monitored. Your appointments will be every week until your baby is born. You will be receiving a pelvic examination to check how dilated (widened) and effaced (thinned out) your cervix is.

Now that your baby has probably dropped lower into your pelvis, your ribs and lungs will be relieved and you won’t be as breathless as you previously were. However, your waddling gets to a whole new level, as you now walk like you have a heavy weight between your legs.

Your uterus is also getting ready for labour, and you would have noticed you are having more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions.

The usual niggles are still there: constipation, heartburn, indigestion and headaches. They won’t let up until baby is born.

By now, anyone that sees you will know you are so ready to pop. Besides your humongous belly, your nose has also popped in size, your complexion is significantly darker, and you’ve gained a significant amount of weight, about 25-35 pounds.

What should you do this week?

In preparation for the D-day, keep practicing breathing and relaxation techniques. Have you decided on what pain relief you will be using or do you prefer a drug-free labour? If you are in the UK, you should get your TENS machine by now (the machine that blocks pain by sending out electrical impulses).

If you haven’t taken your maternity leave, you really should consider doing so this week. From week 37, anything can happen, and you deserve some rest before your labour day.

A lot of pregnant Nigerian women would braid their hair around now for these last days, and for the first few weeks of taking care of a newborn.

Stay active, stay hydrated, drink lots of water to help with swelling, put up your feet while sitting, and get some comfortable sleep with pregnancy pillows.

Finally, stay informed, healthy and inspired, by reading  Maternity Nest. Connect with other moms-to-be for moral support, by joining your Due Date Club in the The Nest.