Your Baby at Week 36
At a Glance
So Cute!
For upon |Your baby looks more like an infant this week, with pink skin and chubby little legs.
Bionic Hearing
Your baby’s ears are extra sharp during these last few weeks. Studies show he may even recognize your voice and favorite songs after birth.
Baby May Drop
If this is your first birth, your baby may drop into the birth canal this week in what is called “lightening” or “dropping.”
Forget your aching back (and everything else!) by trying to focus on your baby, who is now about six pounds and 18 to 19 inches long. Growth will slow down in the coming weeks, both so your baby will be able to fit through the narrow passageway to the outside and so she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.
36 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months?
If you’re 36 weeks pregnant, you’re in month 9 of your pregnancy. Only a few weeks left to go! Still have questions? Here’s some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.
Fetal Skull and Bones
When you’re 36 weeks pregnant, your baby’s skull bones are not fused together yet so the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal. And your baby’s skull isn’t the only soft structure in her little body. Most of her bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they’ll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey into the world during delivery.
Baby’s Digestion Still Needs to Catch Up
By now, many of your baby’s systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms — and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby’s immune system has developed enough to protect your little one from infections outside the womb. Others, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won’t be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why? Inside her little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system, though developed, hasn’t been operational. It will take the first year or two to bring it up to speed.
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Watch Your Baby’s Growth at Week 36
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Your Body at Week 36
Pregnancy Walk or Waddle
Welcome to your last month of pregnancy! It’s a good thing your baby’s almost done cooking since your body may feel pretty “done” by now too. For one thing, by 36 weeks pregnant, you’re doing the penguin waddle many third trimester moms-to-be adopt. That new walk is not in your imagination; it’s in your connective tissue, which those hormones are loosening and softening. And that’s particularly important now that you’re nearing D-day. Your baby — who’s grown quite large by this point — needs to fit through your pelvic bones, so it’s good that they’re more flexible at this stage. It’s your body’s way of getting ready to squeeze a big baby out of a small space.
Pelvic Pain
The downside to all this joint flexibility (besides the resemblance you now bear to your feathered friends) is pelvic pain. Add the pressure from your baby’s head burrowing deeper and deeper into your pelvis and your heavier uterus weighing you down, and it’s no wonder it’s a pain to walk around these days. To relieve the discomfort, relax with your hips elevated, do some pelvic exercises, take warm baths, apply warm compresses, get a massage or try some complementary and alternative therapies. A belly sling may be helpful too.
Baby Drops (“Lightening”)
There is a happy upshot, believe it or not. As your baby drops into your pelvic cavity (and keep in mind that not all babies drop before labor begins), the upward pressure of the uterus on your diaphragm is relieved. Once this “lightening,” as it’s known in the pregnancy business, strikes, you’ll be able to take bigger and deeper breaths. Your stomach also won’t be so squished anymore, making eating a full meal more comfortable.
Infant and Child CPR Classes
Chances are you’ll never have to use this skill, but knowing how to perform CPR on a newborn or a toddler is just plain smart. There are plenty of classes out there, including low- or no-cost options at your YMCA, hospital, community center or local chapters of the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. Your childbirth education class might even include baby CPR in its curriculum. Another option — and a potentially fun one at that: Throw a CPR party at home, which allows you to share childcare resources (and appetizers) with other new parents. Whichever setting you choose, make sure you find a certified instructor (ask your practitioner for a referral) who will come equipped with “bogus babies” to practice on. (Good luck getting down on all fours to practice those first-aid breaths with your belly in the way!)
The article was originally published here.
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