The child grows inside you and there is something mystical and mythical in that, but then you actually see that you are nothing more than the box in which they come. There is this total person, already formed, themselves.
– Glenda Jackson
From this onwards, your baby inside of you can hear and recognize your voice too. It also may love your lullaby so you can sing for him or her now and also be careful with what you talk about! The voices they hear now will be voices that may soothe them or scare them once they are out. Welcome to the 34th week of your pregnancy. It is such a big milestone and we are happy that you are so brave to bear everything to have those little toes and fingers around you so very soon.
In the 34th week of your pregnancy, your baby is now as big as a butternut squash weighing around 4.5-4.7 pounds with a length of 17.5-17.7 inches.
By now you are only and only six weeks away from the time you will actually have the dancer inside you out in the world with you. Yes, you are now eight months pregnant and very soon you are going to be a mother.
The symptoms that you have from now on are all the late pregnancy symptoms and will start to appear suddenly from this week onwards to the coming more weeks. However few of the symptoms will still be the same as before. Let’s look at them!
You may have blurry vision during this week and the following weeks. This is because of the increased fluid in the body together with the production of hormones and also sleeplessness. It will go away with time however if it is accompanied by swelling, weight gain, or headache then you need to inform your doctor as this could be a sign of preeclampsia.
With the pressure developing down there, you can have constipation. However, fiber and water intake will help you ease this symptom. Otherwise, you may feel super uncomfortable.
Because of the extra pressure on the rectum put by your baby you will have constipation which will further lead to straining when you go to the washroom. This can cause hemorrhoids that can be very painful. You can talk to your doctor about it and he can give you medicines to treat constipation that will automatically treat your hemorrhoids.
The extra weight, sleeplessness, and uncomfortable positions will make you exhausted all the time. However, relaxing yourself will make it better.
You may have cramping and contractions that are false in most cases. However, if you have vaginal bleeding, pain in your lower back or a contraction that doesn’t stop after an hour are all signs of premature labor. You have to keep a look at these symptoms so that you can rapidly report to your doctor.
The fluid that is increased in your body and the pressure of the baby may cause swelling. Elevating your feet can help in reducing the swelling.
With the preparation by the baby to arrive into the world, the pressure increases on your abdomen. Also, you will have urination that is more frequent than before.
Although you are now close to delivering your baby, still it is too early to deliver the baby. Your baby now is strong but is not a full term. The baby will be full term by the 37th week and good to be delivered by then only.
Your belly and baby’s position at 34th weeks
Your belly will look and feel low by now. The reason behind this is the baby coming to the pelvis area for the preparation of being delivered. You may be able to breathe a little better than before as now your lungs are not that much congested because of the growing baby. However, with the baby going down you will have more pressure on your bladder meaning more trips to the washroom now.
By now your belly should be 33-36 centimeters from the top to the pubic bone. If your amniotic fluid, fundal height, or any other thing that does not lie in the normal ranges, the doctor will call you for a 34th-week ultrasound scan to check for the reasons behind that particular abnormality.
You need to have a check on the number of kicks you get. You can practice counting on a timer by setting them twice a day. The baby should kick around 10 times in an hour and if there is any change, notifying your doctor is the next thing you should do.
If you are carrying twins then the countdown of the baby coming starts now. With twins, the mothers usually have a baby who is full-term by the 37th week and ready to deliver. So now is the time for you to deliver the baby or go into labor at any time.
During your trip to the hospital for a prenatal visit, you may require to have BPP which is a biophysical profile. This is a combination of ultrasound scan together with a non-stress test in which the baby’s heartbeat is monitored to make sure the baby is doing fine.
You have a break of one week now because from the 36th week onwards you will have a visit for the prenatal checkup every week. Also, during this week you will have to take a Group B strep test in which a vaginal and rectal swab will be taken. This test makes sure whether you have any bacterial infection or not. Thirty percent of the women test positive for this test so it is necessary for you to take this test because if you have any bacterial infection it can be harmful to the baby during delivery. Don’t worry if you are positive, all you have to do is take antibiotics during the delivery.
You may now feel a lot of movement as your baby can hear, breathe, see and sleep easily now. With the increased activities, the movements will also increase.
Your baby in 34 weeks is almost the same as it will look when it is born. However, the body fat will be lesser when he or she will be out in the world as compared to when the baby is inside of you. The fingernails have grown now and the skin is also getting smoother day by day.
During the 34th week, there are a few things that you need to do in order to stay healthy and active. Here is a list of the tips.
With swelling on your feet and increased fluid volume, you need to avoid salts in your food as it retains more fluids.
False contractions can be a cause of dehydration so you need to drink a lot of water. Not only it will help in stopping contractions it will also help in constipation too.
For the hemorrhoids, you can use witch hazel pads or have a warm sitz bath to ease them. You should avoid sitting or standing for a longer time as it will put pressure on your rectal nerves.
A bit of exercise will help in having a good night’s sleep. Also, yoga exercises can help soothe the pain and aches that you have. Avoid using cell phones at night as the screen’s light can damage your body clock which may hinder your sleep further.
In your 34th week you need to:
Prepare everything for you and your baby
Select your week
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