Week 35: All you need to know about your honeydew melon-sized baby!
With only five more weeks to go, you must be getting quite excited. We know moms, and so we say that the process of preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be quite exhilarating and scary at the same time. Here’s a fun fact about your baby to help calm you down a bit: your baby is now about the size of a honeydew melon! We’re sure you would love to know more about how much your baby has grown in the past week, so keep reading.
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Baby developments
This week, your baby has grown up to 46 cm in length and weighs approximately 2.4 kg. They are almost as big as a honeydew melon.
As your baby grows bigger and bigger, the space in your uterus becomes more and more compact for your baby. Therefore, the kicks and punches you were receiving for the last few weeks will have transitioned into rolls and wiggles.
At this stage, the most prominent part of your baby’s growth process is the development and accumulation of fat under their skin. The fat is mostly concentrated around their shoulder region, to provide for enough padding to ease the passage of the baby through the birth canal.
By this week, your baby should have ideally positioned themselves inside your uterus with their head facing towards your cervix, ready for their entry into the world.
Your baby is gaining weight fast and will continue to do so till birth. Their arms and legs that were once skinny are now on their way to becoming plumper and irresistibly soft.
Although your baby’s brain is developing really fast, the plate bones that are surrounding the brain are still quite flexible. This aids in the birth process.
Your baby’s kidneys and liver are now fully functional and they are now starting to process
Although your baby is now rapidly gaining weight, they will not grow in lengths rapidly anymore
Your baby’s hearing is also fully developed at this stage. They can now recognize you and your partner’s voices and can react to sudden and loud noises.
Even though they would still be termed as a “late preterm” baby, your baby’s chances of survival are now over 99%. Although they might still need some minor assistance after birth, your baby is at a much lower risk of lifelong disability.
What must you expect to see in the ultrasound this week
You will be able to clearly see that your baby has fully developed facial features and looks almost exactly like they would at birth.
You will be able to see your baby rolling, wiggling, and turning in your uterus
You might be able to see your baby hard at work practicing their breathing skills
Your baby is as excited about seeing the world as you are; you can see they have positioned themselves with their head facing your cervix for easy passage through the birth canal
The lanugo that was covering your baby has more or less fallen off; they will only be visible on your baby’s shoulders and back after birth, but that does not stay for too long.
What must you do during this week of pregnancy?
You will experience frequent headaches this week, and that is completely natural. Use warm and cold compress near your eyes, nose, and neck to combat these sinus and temperature headaches.
Drink plenty of fluids during the day, but limit your intake from the evening onwards, to limit your trips to the bathroom. This also assists with a disturbance-free sleep, which is not very common for you these days
You are already in a somewhat uncomfortable state. So, avoid foods that give you heartburn, and also try your best to not eat meals too close to your bedtime, as it may lead to additional discomfort that you can live without
This week, you should try and get minimal exercise during the day, but make sure you get the exercises approved by a doctor beforehand.
Increase your intake of vitamin C to increase your gum strength. This will help combat the bleeding gums that you will experience frequently this week.
You are now only 5 weeks away from seeing the little one you have been nurturing for the past 35 weeks. Cherish the remaining weeks of pregnancy that you have, and prepare for your upcoming journey as a parent. For everything else, remember that the doctors on Cloudnine are always here for you!
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