Week 34
Baby’s growth and size
Your (not so) little one is a little over 18 inches long this week and bit over 5 pounds.
What’s new developmentally?
Baby has been making urine since about 13 weeks, but their kidneys are now fully formed. And while we’re on the topic of excretion, meconium (which will be baby’s first poop) is building up in their intestines. Some babies actually have their first bowel movement while still inside of you!
At this time, your baby’s brain is around two thirds of what it will weigh in just 4 or 5 weeks. Baby’s circulatory and musculoskeletal systems are fully developed. If you could see through your belly to your baby right now you might think they look pretty fully developed.
There is actually a lot of growth that takes place over the next several weeks, so try and be patient with your little one.
Fun facts about your week 35 baby
- Baby has distinct sleeping patterns and cycles
- Baby responds best to high-pitched noises right now
- Baby’s lungs are producing surfactant (key to proper lung function)
Things to avoid at 35 weeks pregnant
A lot of the things you should avoid at 35 weeks are things you should avoid throughout the rest of pregnancy as well.
Some of the obvious things include alcohol, raw or undercooked meat, seafood high in mercury, unpasteurized foods, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and excess caffeine.
Some things that might not be as obvious include questions regarding exercise, baths, natural induction methods, and sex during pregnancy – so let’s address these specifically:
- As long as your provider has not advised you to avoid warm baths during pregnancy, you should be totally safe to take a bath to help ease some of those pregnancy aches and pains.
- Similarly, sex should be safe throughout pregnancy as long as your OB provider has not advised you to refrain. And if you ever have any questions or doubts, definitely run it by your provider first.
- And what about exercise? It might be the very last thing on your mind right now but let’s talk about it just in case! Exercise during pregnancy actually has tons of benefits. If you have not been exercising throughout pregnancy, I recommend you start slow. Walking is a great one to start with – you can go at your own pace, make it as long or as short as you want. Plus, a little vitamin D can do wonders for you mentally!
- Avoid any kind of contact sports as well as anything super extreme – now is not the time to start training for that marathon you’ve always wanted to run.
- Finally, there are some natural induction methods that are safe to begin at this point in pregnancy but a lot of them should be avoided until you are closer to 39 or 40 weeks. Be sure to refer to slides 5-7 in this post and double check with your provider before putting any of these natural induction methods to use!
- The ones that should definitely be avoided prior to 37 – 40 weeks include curb walking, nipple stimulation (for induction purposes), midwives’ brew, primrose oil, miles circuit, membrane sweep, and reflexology (be sure to check the post for specific details.)
