36th week
LET'S GET MEASURED!
Size of baby: 46 cm
Baby's weight: 2.75 kilos
From the 36th week, you enter at last... in your due day month! From now on, you can go into labour at any moment. So prepare yourself for the most beautiful adventure of your life! Your baby, however, at the end of the week will be more than ready to meet you! If this is your first child, it is very likely that it has taken its position, i.e. with its head downwards. Isn't it time to take out the maternity suitcase near the front door? I think so!
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
...The shortness of breath you feel these days is (too) because of pregnancy and it is expected? Yes, if you are pregnant for the first time, you notice some shortness of breath around 36th week and that is logical, since the baby presses the breathing diaphragm. It is likely to feel this way until birth. Women in a subsequent pregnancy feel it later, almost at the same time that labour starts. As the baby descends lower in your pelvis, the lower part of the uterus softens and then takes its final position (upside-down). This movement is called "foetal head molding" and when this happens, you will feel relieved from breathlessness causing discomfort (so you will then be able to breathe easier).
With the baby's head so low, of course, pressure shifts from the top to the bottom of your body. Now, you will start feeling some vaginal pressure. Some women describe it vividly like... carrying a bowling ball between their legs!
You may also notice that Braxton Hicks contractions (which we mentioned last week) are more frequent now. As a general rule, pregnancy is relatively simple in the last month, as things have almost taken their course. Talk regularly with your doctor and inform him about the developments. Now you need to observe the duration of any contractions and their frequency. If you notice something happening faster or more slowly and less often than before and generally, if you notice any change in the daily course of pregnancy, call your doctor immediately. It may be a sign of labour!
What you should have your mind in the last few weeks, is to be very careful when moving around. Even if your pregnancy is progressing normally and naturally, it is not particularly a good idea to go on a trip (some airlines anyway will not allow you to travel less than 30 days before labour) and generally to be away from home. Don't frown, you will have the chance to travel later. For now, what matters is being in a familiar place and of course, being prepared to head for the hospital! And when we say prepared, we mean completely ready, with her suitcase in hand (I hope you have already made it last week, as we said)! The baby may decide to be born day or night, today, tomorrow or after a few days. You don't know that yet, so don't risk it.
Advice
Now is a good time for your partner to help you with something else. Have him make a list (on the computer, men like that) of all necessary information required in the hospital, while you will be... in labour! We mean everything. Your and his full name, ID and registry numbers, insurance number and details (if any), emergency phones and phones of closest relatives, the doctor's and midwife's details of course, and even contact details of the paediatrician (if none already present). Finally, he will have to write down the important aspects of your pregnancy, such as what tests have been done, whether there has been some complication and what treatment was followed, the latest advice from the doctor, any drug treatment and of course, any allergies.
Have a pleasant week... and have fun listing!
Source
http://www.paidorama.com
