Pregnancy Week By Week : 32 Weeks Pregnant - What To Expect
Your baby and your belly both are growing pretty much every day. You are probably feeling bigger than ever before. You cannot wait to be don...
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Your baby and your belly both are growing pretty much every day. You are probably feeling bigger than ever before. You cannot wait to be done with your full term and deliver your baby, who is also practicing survival skills and making preparations to come out. With almost all the organs, bones and muscles developed, your baby has become quite independent and strong. To find out what is happening to your baby and body this week, read below.
Baby Development
Practicing life skills
In between the spells of sleep and rest, your baby is busy practicing the skills that will help him survive after birth. It is yawning, breathing, sucking (sometimes its own thumb), moving its head from one side to another, and flexing its arms and legs. The little one has also started inhaling some amniotic fluid to make the lungs stronger.
Baby's skin becomes opaque
Remember the transparent pinkish skin of your baby? How alien like it looked. Well it's time to bid farewell to that as your baby's skin will now become opaque. With the fat accumulation under the skin, the transparency of the skin is gone and instead the surface looks more human and cute.
Begins to take the fetal position
If you have felt a change in the movement of the baby from kicks and rolls to mild tapping in your womb, it is no cause for concern. At week 32 of your pregnancy, the baby is quite big and there is space crunch in its present living quarters. Hence, the baby slowly settles into a curled-up position, commonly referred to as the fetal position. Within another couple of weeks, your baby may get into a head down bottoms up position and be ready to come out of the birth canal.
More regular sleep cycles
Since last week your baby had got into a more regular sleep and wake cycle. It is getting ready for birth and is taking all the rest that is required to prep it for the upcoming Big Day. You will notice that there are fewer movements these days and a pattern to its wakefulness.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Irregular sudden contractions: Feeling sudden contraction that last a few seconds or a good full minute? These are commonly called fake contractions and medically referred to as the Braxton Hicks contractions. You may have felt these contractions sometime during your second trimester. And then they had vanished for a while. By week 32, these are back again, only to prepare you for the birthing process. First-time mothers may not experience these contractions with the same intensity as mothers who have been pregnant earlier. The uterus contracts and hardens and then flexes again to your relief. In the case of a practice contraction, it will occur for a few minutes and then go away for the full day. The contractions will also stop if you change your posture. In case you are going into real labor (which is quite possible at this stage) the contractions will last longer and become more regular and stronger with each passing minute. Keep your doctor's emergency contact number handy for such situations.
Decrease in appetite: This may come as a surprise, but you may actually feel an apathy towards food as you did in the first few weeks of your pregnancy. This happens primarily because your growing uterus presses against your stomach and the digestive tract making it very uncomfortable for you inside. As a result, you have a waning appetite and the big bowls of ice cream and plates of juicy fried chicken no more attract you.
Leaky breasts: Have you noticed a yellowish fluid coming out of your nipples recently? There's no cause for concern, it is not an infection. These yellowish drops are a mother's first milk, known as colostrum. When your baby is born you will not secrete milk immediately. But this colostrum will be enough to nourish your baby as it is full of antibodies and proteins. If your leaky breasts make you uncomfortable, using a nursing pad inside your brassiere is a good idea.
Health Tips
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Baby Development
Practicing life skills
In between the spells of sleep and rest, your baby is busy practicing the skills that will help him survive after birth. It is yawning, breathing, sucking (sometimes its own thumb), moving its head from one side to another, and flexing its arms and legs. The little one has also started inhaling some amniotic fluid to make the lungs stronger.
Baby's skin becomes opaque
Remember the transparent pinkish skin of your baby? How alien like it looked. Well it's time to bid farewell to that as your baby's skin will now become opaque. With the fat accumulation under the skin, the transparency of the skin is gone and instead the surface looks more human and cute.
Begins to take the fetal position
If you have felt a change in the movement of the baby from kicks and rolls to mild tapping in your womb, it is no cause for concern. At week 32 of your pregnancy, the baby is quite big and there is space crunch in its present living quarters. Hence, the baby slowly settles into a curled-up position, commonly referred to as the fetal position. Within another couple of weeks, your baby may get into a head down bottoms up position and be ready to come out of the birth canal.
More regular sleep cycles
Since last week your baby had got into a more regular sleep and wake cycle. It is getting ready for birth and is taking all the rest that is required to prep it for the upcoming Big Day. You will notice that there are fewer movements these days and a pattern to its wakefulness.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Irregular sudden contractions: Feeling sudden contraction that last a few seconds or a good full minute? These are commonly called fake contractions and medically referred to as the Braxton Hicks contractions. You may have felt these contractions sometime during your second trimester. And then they had vanished for a while. By week 32, these are back again, only to prepare you for the birthing process. First-time mothers may not experience these contractions with the same intensity as mothers who have been pregnant earlier. The uterus contracts and hardens and then flexes again to your relief. In the case of a practice contraction, it will occur for a few minutes and then go away for the full day. The contractions will also stop if you change your posture. In case you are going into real labor (which is quite possible at this stage) the contractions will last longer and become more regular and stronger with each passing minute. Keep your doctor's emergency contact number handy for such situations.
Decrease in appetite: This may come as a surprise, but you may actually feel an apathy towards food as you did in the first few weeks of your pregnancy. This happens primarily because your growing uterus presses against your stomach and the digestive tract making it very uncomfortable for you inside. As a result, you have a waning appetite and the big bowls of ice cream and plates of juicy fried chicken no more attract you.
Leaky breasts: Have you noticed a yellowish fluid coming out of your nipples recently? There's no cause for concern, it is not an infection. These yellowish drops are a mother's first milk, known as colostrum. When your baby is born you will not secrete milk immediately. But this colostrum will be enough to nourish your baby as it is full of antibodies and proteins. If your leaky breasts make you uncomfortable, using a nursing pad inside your brassiere is a good idea.
Health Tips
- Eat small meals: Your digestive system is not in its best form right now with all the pressure exerted on its by your uterus, an advisable thing to do would be to eat smaller portions of food instead of a large meal. It will not just help you digest food properly but also alleviate acid refluxes and heartburn. Try to munch on fresh fruits, nuts, salads, and lightly cooked protein rich food. Spices and oil can make matters worse as far as acidity, flatulence, and digestion is concerned.
- Learn the signs of real labor: Do you notice a change in your vaginal discharge? Is there blood along with a thick mucus-like fluid? Are you experiencing regular and stronger contractions? Are you experiencing a sharp headache accompanied by a blurry vision? These are all signs of early labor. It is a good idea to learn about all these signs and symptoms of labor by this time so that your gynecologist can be contacted as soon as you go into labor and avoid any unwarranted complications.
- Don't fuss over your deepening stretch marks: Dry and stretchy skin making you anxious? Don't fret over these things. The stretch marks on your belly will deepen as long as your womb gets bigger. Wear them like a badge of honor. Motherhood is not an easy journey and you have to be a real brave warrior at heart to tackle all the challenges it will pose. But once the baby is born all this will be a story of the past. Moisturize your skin daily to avoid dryness of the skin.
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