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Week 34 of Pregnancy

First trimester weeks

Congrats! During the first trimester, you’re getting used to the idea of being pregnant.

Second trimester weeks

As you enter this second trimester, your body will settle down to pregnancy.

Third trimester weeks

You've reached the third and final trimester and will be heavily pregnant by now.

Week 34 of Pregnancy

Your baby is almost fully equipped for the outside world.

If your baby was born this week, she'd still need some help with breathing and feeding. But it's reassuring to know that basically she's in pretty good shape for survival. However, you are unlikely to go into labor this early. Now is your chance to start practicing the relaxation and pain-relieving exercises that you've been learning at your prenatal classes. The more familiar you are with the techniques, the more they will help you during labor.

33 Weeks, 4 Days

45 days to go...

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Your baby today

A foot is shown here with the toes spread out. Not all of the movements that you feel will be due to kicks, some movements will be shrugs or punches and some from the bottom or head as it touches the sides of the uterus.

The size of your belly will increasingly be due to the baby alone as the amniotic fluid now reduces slightly each week.

The amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds and protects your baby is now at its maximum and the placenta has almost completed its growth.

Amniotic fluid is essential for your baby's lung development, gut maturation, protein requirements, and temperature control. Adequate fluid also allows your baby to move easily since she is in an almost weightless state. There is about 800 ml of amniotic fluid around your baby. The range, however, is quite wide and "normal" can be anywhere between 300 ml and 2 liters. Sometimes there is too little, a condition known as oligohydramnios, or too much fluid, a condition known as polyhydramnios, surrounding the baby. In this situation you would be closely monitored and premature delivery may be necessary.

It's not surprising that the size of your uterus may not reflect the size of your baby since there can be so much variation in the quantity of fluid.

As the amount of amniotic fluid reduces in late pregnancy, your baby is not as well cushioned and her movements may become more obvious, although you should bear in mind that increasingly, as she grows, she has less space in which to move around.

Text messaging is an effective way to inform some family and friends about the birth. Make sure you've entered all the numbers into your phone before the big day.

Focus On... Dads

What's in your hospital bag?

Once your partner's labor begins, your attention will need to be focused on helping her both practically and emotionally. So in addition to helping your partner prepare her maternity bag in advance, it's a good idea to prepare a bag of your own.

Understandably, dads are not always well supported in delivery units, and certainly don't get fed. You'll also find that you're at the hospital for several hours.

Consider packing the following:

Snacks
Drinks
A pillow
Something to read or play
A reasonable amount of change to pay for parking and to buy snacks, juice, and soft drinks if they're in vending machines
A list of phone numbers, or enter them into your cell phone now
A camera.

As A Matter Of Fact

One of the most common concerns for women in late pregnancy is that their water will break in public.

The reality is that the amniotic fluid is unlikely to gush out. It is much more likely to trickle out because in a head-down position, the baby will press down on the cervix and prevent the liquid from escaping. If it does happen in public, don't worry-you won't be short of people offering help.