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36 Weeks Pregnant

Length of baby: 47.2cm
Weight of baby: 2.7kg
At week 36, your baby is shedding the covering of hair and protective layer that protected it’s skin from the amniotic fluid. Your baby will swallow both substances, and it will form the contents of the first bowel movement.

36 WEEKS PREGNANT

Wow time flies!

By the end of this week, you will be considered early term, which means it is almost time (full term is 39 to 40 weeks)!

As you prepare for the arrival of your little one, ensure that you have everything ready – baby nursery, infant car seat, baby clothing, diapers, breast pump, etc just to name a few.

If you took childbirth classes some weeks back, read through and understand the techniques again. You can also prepare to go on maternity leave, and prepare your workplace for your absence.

Very soon it won’t just be you and your partner anymore, so take the opportunity to spend as much time together as possible, because soon all your attention will be on the little one.

36 weeks pregnant is how many months? 36 weeks pregnant is nine months pregnant. Welcome to month 9! You are about four weeks away from due date.

 

36 WEEKS BABY SIZE

How big is baby at 35 weeks? Your baby is the size of a large papaya, which is about 47.2cm.

The current weight of your baby is about 2.7kilograms.

 

36 WEEKS PREGNANT WEIGHT GAIN

This is the weight gain that you must achieve this week.

Underweight(BMI <18.5)  0.44kg to 0.58kg
Normal weight(BMI 18.5 to 24.9)0.39kg to 0.50kg
Overweight(BMI 25 to 29.9) 0.23kg to 0.33kg
Obese(BMI ≥ 30) 0.16kg to 0.25kg

 

36 WEEKS PREGNANT SYMPTOMS

With four weeks to go, you have probably already experienced all possible symptoms. You may feel some symptoms changing while others being worse than before as the baby drops lower in your pelvis region.

Being 36 weeks pregnant, here are some signs and symptom that your body might be experiencing:

  • Braxton Hicks Contractions. You will notice now your contractions are much more frequent. Remember, you are in labour only if you have contractions every five minutes that last for at least an hour.
  • Frequent Peeing. As your baby drops lower in your pelvis region, it puts increase pressure on your bladder, making you pee more often.
  •  Change in Vaginal Discharge. As your body is getting ready for birth you will find yourself having more vaginal discharge. Look out for a mucus-like yellow and bloody discharge, because it could be your mucus plug (which means you will soon go into labour if you lose your mucus plug). Also if you have a constant flow of water, it means your water has been broken.
  • Breathing Easier. As your baby drops down, there is less pressure on your lungs and you find yourself breathing more easily.
  • Pelvic pain. Due to your heavy belly and pressure from the baby’s head, you will experience pressure on your pelvic region which causes pelvic pains.
  • Trouble Eating. With the baby taking up so much space, you may face trouble eating a full meal. Instead, do take smaller and more frequent meals if you are unable to stomach a big meal.

 

At your prenatal appointment this week, the ultrasound should show that your baby is in a head down position ready for birth. If it is not, it is considered a “breech”. Your baby may still turn around naturally in the next weeks, but if your baby doesn’t turn around (head down) before birth, it is safer to deliver via a caesarean section.

 

36 WEEKS THE PREGNANT BELLY

This week you will find that your belly remains roughly the same size. In fact at this stage your belly is already at its biggest

This means you might be knocking into things, so do be careful! You have probably gained anywhere from between 11.3kg to 15.9kg (if you are of average weight), and will still continue to have small weight increases till you give birth.

The skin on your belly by now is super stretched and it is dry and itchy. Use a moisturiser to counter this problem.

 

HOW IS MY BABY AT 36 WEEKS PREGNANT?

At this stage, your baby is almost shedding all of the downy hair that covered the body, in addition to the waxy substance (called vernix caseosa) that protected the skin while in the amniotic fluid.

Both these substances, together with other secretions, are swallowed by the baby and this will result in his or her first poop which is a blackish mixture called meconium.

Your baby’s skin is getting smooth and soft, and the gums are now rigid. Most of the baby’s system is now well developed, but the digestive system still needs some work.

Due to your baby getting his or her nutrients from the umbilical cord, this means that it will take possibly up to two years for the baby’s digestive system to fully develop.

Your baby is sleeping up to 80% of the time, but do continue to track the baby kicks. You will also be excited to know that your baby’s personality traits have already been formed, and you will get to know it soon!

 

WHAT TO DO AT 36 WEEKS PREGNANT

Reminders for the week:

  • Finalise the name of your baby
  • Read up on labour and delivery
  • Schedule next week’s prenatal visit
  • Wash your baby’s new clothings and bedding
  • Research on cord blood banking (public vs private)