Week 32
Your baby is now about 41.1 cm (16.2 in) long and weighs roughly 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), around the weight of a pineapple. Every baby grows at their own pace, so treat these as rough guides. The lungs are practising breathing movements, the bones are hardening, and the toenails and fingernails have grown in.
Around now many babies settle head down, and your care provider will begin paying attention to which way your baby is lying. This week covers that, along with soothing itchy skin, short movement breaks, the car seat, deciding when to stop work, and planning the moment older children meet the baby.
Day 218 · 31 weeks 0 days
Your baby is rehearsing for the first breath
Your baby has been making breathing movements for weeks, but they are becoming more regular. The chest rises and falls as amniotic fluid moves in and out of the lungs. No air is involved yet, since oxygen still arrives through the placenta and umbilical cord, but the muscles are getting practice.
Inside the lungs, tiny air sacs are multiplying, and cells are making surfactant, a substance that keeps the air sacs from sticking shut once breathing starts. Surfactant production ramps up over the next few weeks. Babies born now often need some breathing support for a while, and most do very well with specialist newborn care.
The skeleton is firming up too, drawing on the calcium in your diet. The skull bones stay soft and separate on purpose. They can overlap slightly during birth, and the soft spots, or fontanelles, close over the first year or two.
Fingernails have now reached the fingertips. Some babies are born with nails long enough to scratch their own faces, which is why newborn mittens exist.
Try this: Include a calcium-rich food at each meal today, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified plant drinks, tofu made with calcium, or canned salmon with the bones.
Day 219 · 31 weeks 1 day
Most babies turn head down around now
Earlier in pregnancy your baby had room to flip and turn freely. As space runs short, most babies settle into a head-down position, called cephalic, which is the easiest way to be born. Many have turned by now, and most of the rest will by 36 weeks.
At this stage a baby lying bottom or feet first, called breech, is still common, and there is plenty of time for that to change. Only about 3 or 4 babies in 100 are still breech at full term. A baby lying sideways, called transverse, also usually turns.
Your care provider checks the position by feeling your belly at each visit. You can sometimes guess yourself. If you feel firm kicks low down near your bladder, the feet may be down there. If kicks land under your ribs and you feel hiccups low in your belly, the head is probably down. You may come across exercises or positions said to coax a baby to turn. There is little good evidence that they work, though gentle ones are generally harmless. If your baby is still breech closer to term, there are proven options, which you will read about in the coming weeks. Try this: At your next appointment, ask your provider how your baby is lying and where the head and back are.
Figure 6. The three ways a baby can lie late in pregnancy.
Day 220 · 31 weeks 2 days
Deciding when to stop work
If you work outside the home, now is a good time to settle when your leave will start. You may have discussed the money and the rules months ago. The question now is the date.
Some people work until a few days before their due date to save leave for after the birth. Others stop several weeks earlier because they are exhausted, have a long commute, do physical or standing work, or simply want time to rest and prepare. There is no single right answer. How you feel, what your job asks of your body, and how your leave is structured all count.
Keep in mind that babies come on their own schedule. About one in ten is born before 37 weeks, and many arrive a week or two either side of the due date. Plan a handover early, so you are not scrambling if you need to stop sooner than expected.
If your job involves heavy lifting, long shifts on your feet, night work, or exposure to chemicals, talk with your employer about adjustments now. Your care provider can write a note if medical changes are needed. Try this: Write a short handover document this week covering your main tasks, contacts and passwords, and update it as you go.
Day 221 · 31 weeks 3 days
Itchy skin is common, and usually easy to soothe
As your belly stretches over these last weeks, itchy skin is common. Dry indoor air, heat, sweat and some fabrics can make it worse, and scratching tends to feed the itch.
Simple care is usually enough. Take short, lukewarm showers rather than long hot baths. Pat your skin dry and put on a fragrance-free moisturizer while it is still damp. Wear loose cotton clothes washed in a mild, unscented detergent. Keep your nails short, and press or tap an itchy spot instead of scratching. A cool, damp cloth can calm a flare at night. Some people get a rash of small, itchy red bumps that starts in the stretch marks on the belly and can spread to the thighs. It is uncomfortable but harmless to the baby, your care provider can suggest treatments, and it fades after birth. Remember the itch you read about in week 24, though: itching on the palms and soles, often worse at night and without a rash, can be a sign of cholestasis, a liver condition that needs a blood test. Call your care provider if you have itching on your hands or feet, itching that keeps you awake, a rash that spreads or blisters, or any yellowing of your skin or eyes. Do not wait for your next appointment.
Try this: Swap any scented lotions or body washes for fragrance-free versions and see if the everyday itch eases.
Day 222 · 31 weeks 4 days
Get the car seat sorted before the baby arrives
If you will ever travel by car with your baby, including the trip home from the hospital or birth centre, you need a rear-facing infant car seat. Many hospitals will want to see one before you leave.
Buy it now rather than in the last week. A new seat that meets the safety standards where you live is the simplest choice. A second-hand seat is only safe if you know its full history: it has never been in a crash, it has all its parts and its label, it has not been recalled, and it is not past its expiry date, usually printed on the seat.
The seat must be installed correctly, and that is where many people go wrong. Read both the seat manual and your vehicle manual. The base or seat should not move more than a couple of centimetres side to side at the belt path. Many communities offer free car seat checks, often run by trained technicians, public health units or fire services.
Babies should ride rear-facing for as long as the seat allows, well past the first birthday. Bulky snowsuits should not go under the harness; tuck a blanket over the buckled straps instead.
Try this: Look up where you can get a car seat installation checked near you, and book a time for the next few weeks.
Day 223 · 31 weeks 5 days
Short movement breaks ease swelling and stiffness
You read in week 30 about staying active in the third trimester. Today's focus is the hours in between: the long stretches of sitting at a desk, in a car or on the sofa.
Sitting still for a long time lets fluid pool in your legs, stiffens your back and hips, and slightly raises the chance of a blood clot, which is already higher in pregnancy. Short, frequent breaks help more than you might expect.
Try to stand up and move every 30 to 60 minutes, even just to walk to the kitchen. While seated, circle your ankles and pump your feet up and down ten times to help blood flow back from your calves. Roll your shoulders, and gently tilt your pelvis to loosen your lower back. Rest your feet flat or on a low stool rather than crossing your legs.
Get help right away if one calf or leg becomes painful, swollen, red or warm, or you are suddenly short of breath or have chest pain. These can be signs of a blood clot.
At the end of the day, lying on your side with your feet up on a pillow for a while can ease puffy ankles.
Try this: Set a quiet reminder on your phone to stand up and move once an hour for the rest of today.
Day 224 · 31 weeks 6 days
Planning the moment your older child meets the baby
You read in week 30 about helping older children get ready for a new baby. Now it is worth planning one moment in particular: the first meeting. If you can, have the baby in a cot or in someone else's arms when your older child walks in, so your arms are free for a hug. Some families have a small gift "from the baby", which young children often love. Let your child look, touch a hand or foot and ask questions, but do not insist on holding or kissing. Little interest at first is common and passes.
If the meeting will be in hospital, explain beforehand in simple words what your child will see: the bed, perhaps a drip in your arm, and you looking tired. Keep the visit short. Make sure the person caring for them during labour has a small overnight bag ready, in case labour starts at night or goes on long.
Pets have a first meeting too. Before you come home, someone can bring in a blanket the baby has used so your pet can learn the smell. Greet your pet first without the baby, then introduce them calmly. Never leave a baby alone with any pet.
Try this: Choose a small gift your older child can receive "from the baby", and pack it in your bag.