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Info Centre - Your pregnancy: 33-36 weeks
Your pregnancy: 33-36 weeks
Your baby
At 36 weeks, your baby is about 46cm long and weighs about 2.5kg. Her brain and nervous system are fully developed, and her bones are starting to harden. The bones in her skull will remain soft and separated to make it easier for her to travel down the birth canal.
At some point, if this is your first pregnancy, the baby’s head will probably “engage” – that is, it will drop down into the pelvic cavity ready for labour.
You
Because your baby is growing, you may find that she isn’t moving around as much as she was. You will probably experience Braxton-Hicks contractions. These are “practice” contractions, lasting about 25 seconds, to prepare you for labour. Sometimes they are so strong that you can mistake them for labour.
You will know when you are having real contractions because they will happen at regular intervals.
If this is your first baby, you will now be having antenatal appointments with your midwife every two weeks. See “Screening and testing” for more information.
(Best) baby positions
The safest and usually easiest births are when your baby is head down, and facing your back. This position is known as “occiput anterior”.
If the baby is lying to your left, this is referred to in your notes as “LOA”, or left occiput anterior. This is the most common position for the baby to be in. Less common is “ROA” or right occiput anterior.If your baby is lying with her back against your back, this is known as “occiput posterior”. This can make for longer labour, because it makes it harder for the baby to get through the pelvis. One of the reasons babies can end up in this position is that in the modern world, we spend a lot of time lounging on sofas or sitting in cars, and the baby’s back rolls in the direction you’re leaning in. Keeping active in pregnancy is one way of helping the baby get into the best position. See “(Best) baby positions for birth”.
Other ways of helping the baby into the best position include:
- Taking lots of breaks at work and walking around
- Getting onto all fours
- Sitting on a birthing ball
- Sitting the wrong way round on an upright chair and leaning over the back
- Swimming on your front
It’s a good idea to avoid sitting leaning back on a comfy chair or sofa, or sitting with your legs crossed; it is also a good ideas to avoid positions where your knees are higher than your hips.
See “Straightforward birth” for more information.
Pre-eclampsia
The risk of pre-eclampsia increases in the last weeks of pregnancy, though the cause is unknown.
It is possible to have pre-eclampsia and feel perfectly well. This means that it is very important to attend antenatal appointments, as the tests your midwife carries out will help identify women who may have pre-eclampsia. The main symptoms are high blood pressure and protein in the urine, though swelling in the hands, feet and face can also be a symptom. If pre-eclampsia is suspected, a blood test will confirm the diagnosis.
Pre-eclampsia should not be left untreated. It can get worse very suddenly and be life-threatening to both you and the baby. If you have severe headaches, disturbed vision and pain in your upper abdomen, these can be symptoms of advanced pre-eclampsia.
The only way to treat pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby. The risk to the baby of being born premature has to be weighed against the risk of continuing with the pregnancy.
See “Health problems and pregnancy” for more information.
