You’ve made it to week 36 of your pregnancy and are in the final stretch! Are you noticing changes in the way baby moves? Have you been feeling any contractions? Do you know what signs would tell you if you’re in labor? Let’s dive in!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Updated August 21, 2021
Your little one in week 36 (34 weeks from conception) weighs about 5 3/4 pounds. His or her length is approximately 13 1/2 inches from crown to rump, or 18 2/3 inches in total length (1). Let’s look at what other developmental changes are happening with baby in week 36 of pregnancy:
The biggest news in baby development this week is that his or her lungs are quickly maturing! The respiratory system is the last system to fully mature, and most concerns with preterm birth center on baby’s ability to breathe without assistance. If you were to go into labor now, your healthcare provider might run tests to determine fetal lung maturity. At this point, if your baby was born, he or she may not even need extra help with breathing.
If you were to go into labor this week, and your doctor starting talking about lung maturity, you may be surprised to learn that your baby’s sex factors into the equation. Researchers haven’t been able to determine why, but the lungs of male babies mature more slowly than females (5). So your doctor may show a little more concern or be more likely to do fetal lung maturity tests if you go into labor early and are expecting a boy.
As your placenta ages, the membrane between your bloodstream and baby’s becomes more permeable, which allows large molecules such as antibodies to reach your baby. This helps protect him against disease, and the protection lasts for months. If you breastfeed, it continues as long as you nurse him (4).
You’re sporting a rather large (adorable!) bump at this point! You can now feel the top of your uterus more than 5 1/2 inches above your belly button, or 14 1/2 inches from the pubic symphysis. In other words, it’s cramped in there! You may have gained 25 to 30 pounds so far. You may continue to steadily gain weight over the next month, but it also isn’t uncommon for weight to stay around the same from this point forward (1).
Right now, your baby is surrounded by the maximum amount of amniotic fluid that you’ll have in your pregnancy. Through the end of pregnancy, the baby will continue to grow, but some of the amniotic fluid will be reabsorbed by your body (1). This reduction in fluid means the baby isn’t quite “floating around” in the same way, and you may notice that his or her movements feel different. While there’s not room for somersaults and rolling around now, you will still continue to feel kicks and fetal movement. (2)
Women describe baby’s movements in the last month as feeling large (involving the whole body,) slow, stretching, or turning (3). These changes can lead some moms-to-be to feel like their baby isn’t moving as much. Chances are baby is moving just as much as before — it just feels different now. Though if you’re worried about movement, it’s always okay to call your doctor or midwife. They will probably have you do kick counts to reassure you that everything is okay in there.
You may have already been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, (usually) painless contractions that are felt at irregular intervals and can begin early in pregnancy. As your due date gets closer, you may experience an increase in frequency or intensity of these contractions. (2) Braxton Hicks contractions are not a sign of labor. In contrast, true labor contractions are a sign of labor. They occur regularly, become more intense with time, and get closer and closer together.
Get a notebook and spend an hour recording facts about your contractions. Try timing your them, from the start of one to the start of the next. Notice whether they’re becoming more intense — are you having a hard time walking and talking during a contraction? Describe how they feel; false labor contractions are more likely to cause discomfort in the groin or lower abdomen. True labor contractions, on the other hand, produce pain that starts at the top of the uterus and spreads over the entire uterus, through the lower back, and into the pelvis. They also create pain that starts in the back and radiates forward (1).
If you think you may be in labor, err on the side of caution and call your provider. They can help you determine what you should do next. Logging your symptoms as described above will give you valuable information to share with your provider when you call.
Even a doctor, midwife, or nurse can have a hard time telling the difference between prelabor and real labor. To know for sure, he or she may need to observe you for a few hours to see how things are progressing. If necessary, they may do a vaginal exam to check if your cervix is opening. You should know the signs of labor, though, so you can know when you begin to experience “act now” symptoms.
The signs of labor are divided into three categories (4):
These signs indicate that your cervix is probably changing. They may progress right into labor, or it may still be days or weeks away.
These changes that occur in late pregnancy may indicate that hormonal changes are underway, but don’t indicate changes in the cervix. They can occur for days or weeks without progressing to labor.
While it’s good to know these signs, and always a good idea to err on the side of caution and call your doctor or midwife if you think you may be in labor, hopefully baby will stay inside for a few more weeks. Either way, it’s all coming soon. Your little one will be in your arms before you know it!
Visit us again next week to learn all about week 37 of your pregnancy!
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You’ve made it to week 36 of your pregnancy and are in the final stretch! Are you noticing changes in the way baby moves? Have you been feeling any contractions?
