By time the 35th week of pregnancy comes you are looking more closely at your due date. What seemed so far way is now closer than ever before? Some new moms to be start to become anxious but you also have to calm down and take care of yourself. Worrying about childbirth and how you are going to be as a new mom is natural but at this week of pregnancy, you really have to stay focused and on target. Your doctor may ask you to write down as many fetal movements as you can for the next few weeks. This can help him monitor the baby without ultrasounds.

Keep a journal of the date and the time of when you feel the baby move. By doing this you can get a handle on the baby’s sleeping patterns. When the baby sleeps it is recommended that you sleep as well. This also serves as a guide to prevent stillbirths or pre-term deliveries. So it is very important to keep this diary for the remainder of the pregnancy. The baby’s movement should be very frequent, if you have not felt the baby in 2 hours from the last movement, write this down, it may be important down the line.

You will continue to gain weight at this stage of pregnancy. Keep up the fruits and vegetables, not only are they healthy for the baby but they can help prevent constipation. If you are taking supplements for iron and calcium continue taking them along with the prenatal vitamins.

Baby’s Development

By now at thirty-five weeks of pregnancy, the baby will weigh about 5-1/2 to 6 pounds and measures in at 18 inches long. Keep in mind that these numbers are guidelines and are not gospel. Every baby is different and they may weigh a bit more or less than these guidelines suggest. By this week, the baby’s organs are complete by this week. The liver and the kidneys are starting to produce waste.

The baby now has less space in the uterus to move, so now you will start to notice a slight decline in fetal movement. The baby’s hearing is fully functional, now is a great time to talk to your baby. Start the bonding process before they are born. When they hear your voice after birth, they will respond to the sound of your voice. Some women use baby talk and they feel silly sometimes but it is said that the baby respond better to higher pitch sounds than lower pitch.

If the baby is born at week thirty-five, they have a 99% chance of survival. The nervous system and circulatory systems are fully functional. The baby’s lungs are now 99% developed. The baby fat continues to grow underneath the baby’s skin to help protect them while they are being born, plus the baby fat keep the baby warm inside and outside the womb.

Changes With Your Body

At week thirty-five you may have gained an estimated 24 to 29 pounds. Now the uterus is about 6 inches from the belly. The baby will start to shift their head down in the lower part of the pelvis. You may start to have a little trouble breathing. This is due to the shift in the baby’s position. As the weeks go on the baby will shift more and breathing will become a bit easier. When the baby drops into the pelvis, this is called Lightening. When this happens you will start to notice that you are going more and more to the bathroom. You may start to notice a tingling feeling in the pelvic area, this is normal and it is brought on by the pressure on the pelvic nerve.

You can start to practice exercises like Kegel Exercises, these will teach you breathing and strengthening exercises. You may experience leg pain as well due to the pressure on the pelvic area. Stay away from walking and swimming at this stage of pregnancy. You shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous at this week. Get plenty of rest and try to find a sleeping position that you can be comfortable with. Some of the other symptoms at this stage of pregnancy are changing breast size, constipation, frequent urination, indigestion and hemorrhoids.

What To Expect

The doctor will request that you start coming to appointments once a week until the end of the pregnancy. This is a critical time in your pregnancy and you want to make sure that the baby is ok and ready to be born in the head down position. Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure, urine analysis and the baby’s position and heartbeat. Going to the doctor once a week, is well worth the time. You will continue to experience some trouble getting comfortable while sleeping. But you should try sleeping on the left side or maybe sleep sitting up as much as you can.

You can expect swollen feet, hands and some facial swelling. Keep an eye on this swelling. If the swelling comes with headaches and nausea call your doctor right away. It could be nothing or it could be a sign or pre-eclampsia which means there is a problem with the placenta’s functioning. Try to stay away from stress now more than ever.

If you start to push yourself a bit you can experience some urine leakage. It is not comfortable and it can be a bit embarrassing. Even things like laughing too hard or coughing can bring on urine leaks. There is a bit more pressure placed on the bladder and that is why this happens. Talk to your doctor about Kegal Exercises. Once you master those, you can practice them about 50 times a day without over doing it.

Tips/Advice

Before you start any of the Kegal Exercises, talk to your doctor about doing these exercises correctly. They can really help you with stress but they can help with childbirth as well. If you have any questions, there only is about 7 weeks or less in the pregnancy. Now is a great time to ask your doctor any questions that you may have.