Congratulations would-be-mommy! You’re 33 weeks pregnant! Now, it is only a matter of a few more weeks before you’ll be holding your little one in your arms. Don’t you feel like saying, “Yes, I made it”?
Well! Yes! By adjusting to your lifestyle, diet, and medical appointments, you must have reached this part of your pregnancy journey, but before you reach the absolute end of your pregnancy journey, you will see some difference in your body as well as your little one inside your womb.
See What You’ll See in Your Baby
In this near-last stage of your pregnancy, you’ll see how the little one changes in several ways inside you. To begin with he or she will be 29 cm from head to bottom and will weigh around 1.9 kg. That’s the size of a pineapple (anaras).
That’s not all! There are other changes too. They are like these:
Your little one’s senses are going to develop
By this time, your baby’s brain is going to develop rapidly, thus developing the sense organs.
- He or she will be sleeping closing the eyes and opening it when he or she is awake. Your little one inside will be able to differentiate day from night. Isn’t that fun? There’s more.
- Your baby will be able to suck a finger and grab a toe.
- Furthermore, your baby will be able to hear the sound of your heartbeat and will be able to taste or drink the amniotic fluid.
- Your little one’s liver will be mature enough to store iron, and within 4 to 6 months of the birth of your baby, these iron stores will support him or her extensively.
- The lungs are also developing and producing a chemical substance known as Surfactant which will support the little one while breathing.
Your Baby’s Head
Your little one’s skull bones are soft so that, at the time of labour and childbirth, the head can easily go through the birth canal. However, as he or she makes the way outside the womb, there is a slight overlapping of the skull bones.
Your Baby’s Immune System Will Develop
At this stage, along with the nutrition, you can expect antibodies to be passed from you to your little one. But he or she will develop his or her immunity by this time and will be able to combat germs attacking him or her.
However, if you notice a slight change in your baby’s movement, consult your doctor immediately.
See What You’ll See in Your Body
Although, some of the pregnancy symptoms will be like the previous week, however, you will still notice a few changes in your body. These changes are like:
Sleep Disorder
Throughout your pregnancy journey, you’ll be suffering from pregnancy insomnia. However, the increased size of your baby that made you happily show your baby bump, may not let you sleep peacefully at night. You’ll be trying to get a comfy position in your bed, you might turn from this side to that and use extra pillows for your legs as well as your abdomen.
Frequent Bathroom Visits
Since your little one is slowly falling deep inside your pelvis, exerting some not-so-welcome pressure on your uterus, can make you feel like running to the washroom quite often. Here you might also notice that you will leak urine when you sneeze, laugh, or cough.
Back, Wrist, and Hand Pain
As a result of your baby’s growth, there will not only be pressure on your uterus but also on the sciatic nerve (the largest found nerve in the body) causing you a lot of pain. Along with this, due to pregnancy swelling (or water retention), your wrists and the entire hand will ache, and you’re more likely to feel numb in the hands.
Leaky Breasts
With the rest of your body, your breasts and nipples are also getting ready for D-day. The nipples are producing “colostrum” – the pre-milk or your baby’s first nutrition once he or she pops out of the womb.
Itchy Skin
Due to the enlargement of your belly, the skin surrounding your belly as well as your breasts will stretch, and you might feel itchiness on your skin.
Difficulty in Breathing
This symptom may not be the same for all moms-to-be. But, in this week or in the 8th month of your pregnancy, there is a high chance for you to experience shortness of breath.
Adding on to this, Braxton Hicks contraction or practice or false labour is going to be more common. Therefore, to deal with all the above-mentioned 33rd-week pregnancy symptoms, you must keep your hospital bag packed. You must eat food in the right kind quantum i.e., omega-3 fatty acids (they help in neural development of your baby inside) and stay hydrated. Invest in your baby’s essentials and don’t forget to plan to preserve your baby’s precious cord blood at the time of birth.