Week 35
Your baby now measures about 45 cm (17.7 in) from crown to heel and weighs roughly 2.1 kg (4.6 lb). Babies vary widely in these last weeks, and your care provider will watch your baby's growth rather than any single number. The lungs are close to mature, the kidneys are fully working, and most of the growth from here on is fat and strength.
At 34 weeks, a few new things become relevant. You can start perineal massage if you choose to. You may be offered a test for group B strep soon. If your baby is breech, turning by ECV comes into view. This week also covers moving more easily with a heavy bump, deciding on visitors after the birth, and choosing a name.
Day 239 · 34 weeks 0 days
Your baby is nearly ready for the outside world
Most of your baby's major systems are now in place and working. The lungs have made a good supply of surfactant, the substance that helps them stay open with each breath. The kidneys are fully developed, and the liver has started processing some waste products on its own.
Babies born from now on generally do well, though many still need a little help at first with feeding, keeping warm or blood sugar, and some spend time in a special care nursery. Each extra week in the womb still brings benefits, especially for the brain and for feeding skills.
Your baby is also busy practising the skills needed after birth: sucking, swallowing, gripping, and opening and closing the eyes. The fine downy hair called lanugo is shedding, though some babies still have a little on the shoulders and back at birth.
With the uterus getting crowded, your baby's knees are usually drawn up to the chest, the curled-up fetal position that gives the term its name. Try this: Lie on your side for a quiet ten minutes this evening and notice what your baby's movements feel like now that space is tight.
Day 240 · 34 weeks 1 day
Perineal massage can lower your chance of tearing
The perineum is the skin and muscle between the vaginal opening and the anus. It stretches a great deal during a vaginal birth, and tearing is common, especially with a first baby. Research shows that massaging this area from about 34 weeks reduces the chance of a tear or cut that needs stitches, mostly for people having their first vaginal birth. It may also mean less perineal pain in the months after.
To try it, wash your hands, trim your nails, and find a comfortable position, such as half-sitting against pillows or with one leg raised on the edge of the bath. Use a plain, unscented oil or water-based lubricant. Place one or two thumbs about 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) inside the vagina and press gently down toward the anus and to the sides until you feel a stretching or slight tingling. Hold for a minute or two, then sweep slowly in a U shape. Five minutes, once or twice a week, is enough; more often does not seem to add benefit.
A partner can do it if you both prefer. Skip it if you have a vaginal infection, bleeding, or a low-lying placenta, and ask your provider if unsure.
Try this: Set aside five private minutes this week for a first try, without worrying about doing it perfectly.
Day 241 · 34 weeks 2 days
What the group B strep test is for
Group B streptococcus, or GBS, is a common bacterium that lives harmlessly in the gut and vagina of about one in four adults. It comes and goes, causes no symptoms, and is not a sign of poor hygiene or an infection you need to worry about for yourself.
The concern is for the baby. During birth, GBS can pass to the newborn. Most babies who are exposed stay well, but a small number develop a serious infection in the first days, such as sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis. In many places, all pregnant people are offered a swab late in pregnancy, often around 36 to 37 weeks. You or your provider swab the lower vagina and the rectum, and the result takes a few days. Other places use a risk-based approach instead, offering treatment to people with certain risk factors, such as labour before 37 weeks or a fever in labour. If GBS has been found during this pregnancy, for example in a urine test, or a previous baby had GBS illness, you will usually be offered antibiotics without needing the swab.
If your result is positive, you will be offered antibiotics through a drip during labour. This greatly lowers the chance your baby becomes sick. Antibiotics before labour do not help, because the bacterium returns. Try this: Ask your care provider whether GBS testing is offered routinely where you are, and when yours will be done.
Day 242 · 34 weeks 3 days
How a breech baby can sometimes be turned
If your baby is still bottom or feet first at around 36 or 37 weeks, you will likely be offered an external cephalic version, or ECV. A trained doctor or midwife uses their hands on the outside of your belly to gently encourage the baby to turn a somersault into a head-down position.
ECV usually takes place in or near a labour unit. Your baby's heart rate is checked before and after, and an ultrasound confirms the position. You may be given a medication to relax the uterus. It can be uncomfortable, and you can ask to stop at any time.
It works in roughly half of attempts, more often in people who have given birth before. A small number of babies turn back. Serious complications are rare, but because there is a small chance of needing an urgent birth, it is done where that is possible. If you are Rh negative, you will be offered anti-D afterwards.
ECV is not suitable for everyone, for example if you have had bleeding recently, your waters have broken, or there is a reason you need a caesarean anyway. If it does not work, your options for birth will be discussed with you.
Try this: If your baby has been breech, write down your questions about ECV now so you are ready if it is offered at your next visits.
Day 243 · 34 weeks 4 days
Easier ways to move with a heavy bump
By now, everyday movements take planning. Getting out of bed, standing up from a low sofa, lifting a toddler or picking up something you dropped can strain your back and pelvis, especially if you have pelvic girdle pain. A few techniques help. To get out of bed, roll onto your side with your knees together, push up with your arms as you swing your legs down, and sit for a moment before standing. To get up from a chair, shuffle to the edge first, then stand using your leg muscles, not your back.
To pick something up, squat with your feet apart and back straight, or kneel, rather than bending from the waist. If you need to lift an older child, bring them to you first: let them climb onto a chair or step, then lift close to your body. Carry bags evenly in both hands, or use a backpack. Firm, supportive shoes also make a difference, since your balance has shifted and your feet may have spread. Many people go up half a size in late pregnancy.
Call your care provider if pelvic or back pain is stopping you from walking or sleeping, or a new pain comes with fever, bleeding or a burning feeling when you pee.
Try this: Practise the side-roll method to get out of bed tomorrow morning, and keep it up for the rest of pregnancy.
Day 244 · 34 weeks 5 days
Decide on visitors before the baby arrives
Friends and family are often eager to meet a new baby, and the visits can be a real joy. They can also be tiring when you are healing, learning to feed, and sleeping in short stretches. Deciding on a plan now, together, is much easier than negotiating it on day two.
Think about who you want to see in the first days, where, and for how long. Some families want close relatives at the hospital; others prefer no visitors until they are home and settled. Short visits, perhaps 30 minutes, are a kind default.
Helpful visitors bring food, do a load of laundry, or hold the baby so you can shower or nap. Anyone who is unwell should wait. Ask visitors to wash their hands, and check that people who will be close to the baby are up to date on their vaccines, including whooping cough and flu. It is fine to change your mind once the baby is here. You may want more company, or much less.
For your partner: Offer to be the gatekeeper. Agree on the plan together, then send the messages, field the calls, and gently end visits when your partner looks tired.
Day 245 · 34 weeks 6 days
Choosing a name takes the time it takes
Some people have known their baby's name for years. Others are still going back and forth at this point, or plan to wait until they meet the baby. Any of these is fine.
If you are stuck, a few things can help. Say the full name out loud, with the surname, many times. Imagine calling it across a playground, and on a job application. Check what the initials spell. Think about nicknames that might follow, and whether you can live with them.
Names can carry a lot of meaning: family, culture, faith, someone you have lost. If you and your partner disagree, try each making a shortlist and looking for overlaps, or agreeing that each person has a veto. Many families keep the name to themselves until the birth, partly to avoid unwanted opinions. Others share early and enjoy the excitement. Find out how long you have to register the birth where you live, which is usually several weeks, so you know you are not under pressure to decide in the delivery room.
Try this: Each of you write down three names you like, without discussing them first, and compare lists over dinner.