Pregnancy Week 34
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Pregnancy Week 34
As you close in on the final weeks of your pregnancy, you may find during pregnancy week 34 and after you become consumed with delivery. At 34 weeks pregnant it is fine for you to start thinking about delivery. Some women become uncomfortable during pregnancy week 34, pregnancy week 35 and beyond, largely because of the added pressure in their abdomen and back. To help take your mind off of your discomfort, you can spend some time guessing how large or small your baby will be when born. Usually by pregnancy week 34 a baby is roughly 4.5 to five pounds heavy. If your baby were born during pregnancy week 34 he or she would have a good chance of having few complications. If you go into labor prematurely, your doctor may give you steroid injections to help speed up the maturity of your baby's lungs to prevent respiratory problems after delivery. Some women notice their belly drops between pregnancy week 34 and pregnancy week 36. This means your baby flips into a head down position, placing pressure on your cervix so it prepares for labor and delivery. Your cervix prepares for labor and delivery by softening during the last few weeks of pregnancy. As you approach pregnancy week 36 or pregnancy week 37, your cervix may also start to open slightly. During labor and delivery, your cervix will need to open to ten centimeters (called "complete") to allow your baby to pop through. This is a slow process sometimes, one that begins during the final weeks of pregnancy. As you follow your pregnancy week by week you and your practitioner can talk about delivery. One of the things your doctor will pay attention to is the size of your baby. Your doctor may "predict" how large or small your baby will be after birth, but most times predictions are one or two pounds off. If your doctor performs an ultrasound during pregnancy weeks 34 or later, he or she may provide a more accurate measurement of your baby's size, but even ultrasound isn't perfect.
While these tales are fun and can take your mind off of your increasing Braxton Hicks contractions, they are not foolproof. By week 34 of pregnancy your uterus has grown to roughly five and a half inches from the top of your belly button. This can increase the pressure on your back and legs. Take some time to sit down and relax as you can after you reach 34 weeks pregnant and beyond. You may find you feel better during the third trimester when your baby finally "drops" into your pelvis. When this happens, you may notice your belly appears lower. You will also find you can probably breath a little easier because your belly is now low enough to relieve some of the pressure on your lungs and other organs. Take some time to enjoy your baby during your final weeks of pregnancy. Before you realize it you will be in the labor and delivery room. As you get closer, be sure to have some fun and enjoy the last few weeks you have to spend alone with your baby.
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