36 Weeks Pregnant

36 weeks of pregnancy how many months? Is the beginning of the 9th month of the 3rd trimester.

What to Expect at 36 Weeks Pregnant

The 36th week of pregnancy is the so-called finish track of the pregnancy. By this time, each future mother knows that the process of labor, as a rule, happens on the 40th week. The process can start 2 weeks later or earlier than expected. It’s normal.

So, there’s only a month left before you can meet your baby. Possibly, it will be even less. Gradually, a common fear of premature birth goes away and a future mother is getting ready for the changes that are waiting for her ahead. This is not a secret that once a baby is born, not only the life of a mother completely changes, but also the life of all family.

What’s Going On at 36 Weeks

The uterus is now of the maximum size. Since it’s now propping up the breastbone, a future mother can’t control her breathing. A future mother can feel each movement of the baby. The painful sensations get sharper and, sometimes, they are unbearable. In this case, your doctor can prescribe you a special painkiller. Besides, you can discuss in details the kind of anesthetic that can be used during the process of labor.

From now on, the person that can give you the best piece of advice is your doctor. Internet can only be considered a tool with the help of which you can get additional consultations. You need to visit your gynecologist not less than once a week. However, you can do it more often. This way you may maximally make sure that no complications will occur during the labor and keep your mood on a necessary for the process of labor level.

Nauseous and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness at the 36th week become constant companions of most pregnant women, and this is quite understandable. The uterus, increased to its maximum size, literally presses up and relocates all internal organs, not giving the stomach and intestines to function. This is the main reason that these symptoms occur after eating.

What is Happening With the Baby (Fetus)

The main activity that your baby is kept busy with is thumb sucking. This seems to be a kind of imitation of the process of sucking on a mother’s breast. For this reason the baby’s cheeks become plump and round. Consequently a slight change of the face occurs.

Overall, the baby development and already ready to come into the world. All the bones except for the skull bones (they are still fragile a bit) have become quite stronger and developed. On this stage, a baby weights approximately 2 kg 700 g. This fact influences the way a future mother feels.

On the stage of 36 weeks, a baby is completely ready for coming into the world. All the systems and inner organs function the way they should function. The skin and the layer under the skin are developed enough.

A 36 weeks-baby looks like a newly born baby. This baby weights approximately 2.5 kg and his height is 47 cm. Such like indexes are considered to be standard for babies that have been recently born.

However, there are 4 more weeks ahead. They are given for improving what a baby already has. The baby goes on growing inside a mother’s uterus. The components of his/her organism (organs and systems) continue developing and learning to work together as one team.

This process goes more smoothly while a baby is inside a mother’s organism rather than he or she is outside. The baby feels fine and, therefore, he or she actively moves his hands and legs. A strong sucking reflex appears.

Baby Hiccups a Lot

As a rule, baby starts to hiccup during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Many pregnant women pay too much attention to it due to the fact that during pregnancy women, as a rule, are nervous for no reason. Usually, if your baby hiccups it doesn’t mean that there is a serious disorder in the course of his/her development. At the same time, sometimes it may be a symptom of a pathology.

If your baby is hiccupping too often or there occur some additional symptoms, you need to consult your doctor. He/she will tell you to undergo all the necessary examinations. There are two types of examinations your doctor may tell you to undergo: NST and ultrasound examination with Doppler.

The Process of Labor at 36 Weeks

Cases when the process of labor starts naturally on this stage are not rare. Doctors say that a woman should psychologically be ready that from now on a baby can come into the world in any moment. Lots of babies are born earlier than the doctors expect them to be born. In such like cases, there’s no reasons for being worried. The baby is already able to continue living on his or her own.

Baby is Breech

Breech presentation is when the baby is with his hips or legs down in the womb. You need to remember that if your baby is in such a position on the 36th week of pregnancy, it doesn’t mean that he/she will stay in this position up until labour. Your baby can change his/her position until the 38th week. Besides, there is a number of exercises and tricks (they are provided below) how to make your baby get in a better position so that he/she can pass through the maternal passages easier.

Why is Breech Presentation Considered to be a Pathology?

The thing is that even if your baby is breech, the process of labour can go fine. However, in this case, complications occur more often than in case of cephalic presentation. For example, birth injuries, fetal asphyxia etc. Moreover, in case of breech presentation it’s very likely that there will be a need of surgical interference.

If by the term of 37-38 weeks, all the efforts made to make the baby change his/her position from the breech presentation to cephalic one turned out to be in vain, there is a need to consult your doctor and discuss with him her whether you should be admitted to an obstetric hospital. There, doctors will examine the condition of a pregnant woman as well as her baby.

They will choose the best method of delivery based on how the previous courses of pregnancies went and the processes of labour. As a result, they’ll develop the plan for the future labour. Actually, there are only two methods – doctors may either recommend to carry out cesarean section or let the baby be born through the maternal passages by himself/herself but under the supervision of a doctor.

Ultrasonic Investigation

As a rule, by this time, all the compulsory ultrasonic investigations have already been made. However, there are cases, when a doctor may recommend undergoing one more ultrasonic investigation. Usually, there are significant reasons for doing it. For example, it may be necessary to know the exact weight of the baby, define more precisely whether the placenta is developed enough, confirm where exactly the baby is located before the process of labor starts or find out whether there’s a case of cord entanglement.

The possible harm of ultrasonic investigation is much less important than the information that can be got during this additional investigation. According to the results, the doctors decode whether the process of labor will be natural or there will be a need for cesarean section. In accordance with the decision, certain measures are taken in order to avoid possible complications.

An ultrasonic investigation on the 36 week allows the parents to see how their baby will look once he or she is born. The skull of the baby is currently very soft. This is not a pathology but a necessity. Thanks to it the baby is able to successfully get through the maternal passages. During the process of labor the skull bones come together at the place of fontanels (big cartilaginous areas). Consequently, the head of the baby becomes considerably smaller and becomes more ovoid. After the baby is born, the bones get to the places where they previously were. After some time, they solidify. The fontanels are the last to overgrow. This process usually ends by the time the baby is one or one and a half year old.

An important point of ultrasonic investigation at this time is the fetal presentation. Ideally, the baby’s head should be turned in the direction of the maternal passages (this is the so-called head presence of the fetus). In 4 % of all cases, a buttock presence occurs. In this case a cesarean section is recommended because there’s a high possibility of a birth trauma or the situation when a baby is not able to get through the maternal passages. However, even in case of buttock presence, the cases when the labor goes successfully also occur.

36 Weeks Ultrasound Pictures

36 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound Gender

36 Weeks Ultrasound Boy:

36 Weeks Ultrasound Girl:

Belly

On the 36th week, a pregnant woman usually becomes very round and turns into a bun. However, this doesn’t always happen. There are cases, when even on this stage the belly is quite small. Because of this, a future mother may start worrying. It should be said, that such like worries may be not just simple fantasies. It’s possible that the weight of the baby is too low or there’s a case of water shortage. You doctor can tell you what’s going on here. If there are no problems detected during the investigation, there’s no need to worry. The belly may seem to be small because of the peculiar way of how your body is built.

On this week the belly (whether it’s big or small) starts gradually going down because the baby starts going down. Usually the baby’s head is down and it abuts the bottom of the pelvis. If your belly has already gone down, it means that the labor will start soon. Such like changes significantly improve the way a future mother feels. The uterus stops pressing on the inner organs and, consequently, the awful epigastric burning disappears and it’s easier for a mother to breathe.

This is the period when much attention should be paid to the belly and taking care of it. On this stage, professionals recommend wearing prenatal bandage. It will make a mother feel much better. It’s also necessary to grease the skin of the belly with a special cream. The cream will prevent the occurrence of stretches that can make the way you look worse.

36 Weeks Pregnant Belly Pictures

Images: big bellies at 36 weeks 4 days pregnant.

Things You Need to Know About the Process of Labour

On the 36th week of pregnancy, a woman should be ready for the labor to star at any time. Irrespective of the fact that the labor usually start at the period from 38th to 42nd week, the babies come into the world even earlier. And such like cases are not rare. This doesn’t mean that you baby is born prematurely. The thing is that it’s quite hard to precisely define the exact day when the baby was conceived. That’s why a two-week mistake is normal. A very big percent of women give birth to a child exactly on this week.

36 Weeks Pregnant 1 cm Dilated

The cervix is a muscular canal, a length of about 3 cm., and a diameter of about 2 cm., connecting the uterus to the vagina. The aim of the first phase of delivery is dilatation of the cervix to about 10 cm. Such dilatation is sufficient for the head of the child, the widest part of the fetus – to go through. This happens due to the contractility of longitudinal and transversal muscle fibers.

Often contractions are the most painful period of delivery. It is important to try to relax between the contractions. It should be remembered that the more intensive the contractions are, the more the cervix dilates, and the sooner your baby will be born. During the examination, your doctor may examine the cervix and evaluate its condition: whether it is soft or hard, how thin it has become.

The doctor may assess the condition of the cervix as:

• immature cervix (i.e. the neck is tight, its length is more than 2 cm., it is closed);
• insufficiently mature cervix (the neck is somewhat softened, its length is 2-3 cm., dilatation of 1-2 cm.);
• mature cervix (the neck is soft, short-less than 1 cm., dilatation of more than 5 cm.).

Typically, the cervix matures to the 36th week of pregnancy, and if your doctor told you that your cervix was matured and the dilatation is more than 5 cm, it can be assumed that physiologically your body is ready for labor.

Sensations

Now it’s not hard for a mother to notice movements of her baby that has considerably gained weight and is much higher now. Also the baby is now stronger and more active. However, this shouldn’t put a future mother off her guard. There’s a need to pay attention to the movements of the baby and count them. The fact that there’s at least 10 movements within 12 hours means that everything is going fine.

The mother as well also needs much more support and attention during this period. Many pregnant women, especially if they are pregnant for the first time, get scared and fly into panic. They are feeling worried. Being capricious, nervous and irritable is common for a woman during this time. The better way out of it is not to overthink the situation and start perceiving labor as a natural and inevitable process that you cannot avoid.

The physical condition of a future mother also is not getting better. Apart from a constant feeling of being tired, there’s also a big belly that doesn’t allow you to move freely. Even walking is now hard. That’s why in order to gain enough strength need for such an important process as labor you need to spend the rest of the time in a peaceful atmosphere. You should try not to worry, getting irritated on some insignificant things and, most importantly, not to be afraid of anything. You should look into the future – there are big changes waiting for you ahead. The best cure during this period is fresh air, moving, good sleep and nutrition and a great patience. Only this way a future mother may herself make the conditions under which the process of labor will go successfully.

The Weight of a Future Mother

In comparison with the weight a woman had before the pregnancy now it is 13 kg more. As a rule, in the course of pregnancy a woman should gain no more than 16 kg. However, this doesn’t always happen. In other words, it nearly never is the way it should be. Weight characteristics in case of pregnancy are very individual. Overall, during the course of pregnancy a woman gains weight for several reasons. There is the weight of baby, the weight of the labor waters and fat and water that’s accumulated in the organism of a mother. All these factors count.

Pains During the Course of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is very often accompanied by stomach pains, cramps and cramping. Since the uterus gets considerably bigger, it starts pressing on the inner organs. The center of gravity is shifted because of a big belly, consequently, there’s a bigger load on the back and the small of the back. As a result of this, abdominal pains and lower back may occur during the whole course of pregnancy and be especially sharp during the last two weeks.

Since the joints and bunches become softer and more relaxed by the end of the pregnancy, painful sensations in the areas of pelvis and pubis may occur. Also, there’s a great possibility of hemorrhoids occurring. This illness usually causes a great discomfort and a strong pain. In this case, you should urgently go to your doctor. Only a professional is able to prescribe you a safe for pregnant women cure.

Nagging pains in the small of the back and belly and a feeling as if your belly has turned into a stone are also reasons for visiting your doctor. Very often, these symptoms mean that there’s a uterine hypertonus occurring. The uterine hypertonus may lead to premature birth.

One more common problem is legs swelling. On this stage of pregnancy, even those women that didn’t have it during previous months are at risk. The uterus is pressing on the pelvis veins more and more and the outflow of blood in the lower part of the body is getting worse. If this is the reason, then, the swelling will occur by the end of a day or as a result of the fact that a woman was sitting or standing for a long time. Then, such like swelling is not dangerous.

However, in some cases the swelling is a symptom of gestational toxicosis. This is a complication that occurs on the late stages of pregnancy. This is a disorder in the functioning of the kidneys. Except for swelling, a high blood pressure and albumen in urine also are signs of gestational toxicosis. Here, a help of a doctor is urgently needed.

36 Weeks Pregnant: Watch the Growth of Your Baby

Discharges

There is an increase in the amount of viscous, mucous-like discharges. This means that the mucous plug is getting out of the uterus. This process is the precursor of labor. In this case, if the discharges have become pinky in colour, the labor will begin very soon. There are cases, when the discharges are cloudy and there is an amount of pus in them. Usually, such like discharges are accompanied by the feeling of burning and itching.

This means that there’s an infection in the genital tract. in such a case, there’s a need to urgently consult your doctor because the infection may harm the baby much more than the mother herself. Having bloody discharges are also a reason for an urgent visit to your doctor. This means that the placenta is starting to exfoliate. This is dangerous not only for the fetus, but also for the mother.

if there’s a watery, white or yellow discharge you also need to call an ambulance and get to a maternity hospital. This means that the waters are starting to break and the process of labor has begun. Waters are not necessarily to break right away, the process may go gradually.

Sex During the Course of Pregnancy

If there are no complications during the course of pregnancy, you may have sex almost till the beginning of the labor. However, you need to remember that orgasm on the late stages of pregnancy may provoke the increase of the uterine tonus. This, in turn, may become a reason for premature birth. Here, you need to stick to the doctor’s recommendations.

Dangers

The biggest danger in the end of the pregnancy is late toxicosis. There is also a great number of other unpleasant things: swelling, pains in the back, varicosity, being a little clumsy. Very often, there is an increase in the amount of hairs on the body because the hormonal balance is fluctuating. After the labor, they will go away.

Recommendations for Women

• Since a bigger fetus makes the process of blood circulation in the mother’s organism worse, the fetus itself may lack oxygen. That’s why it’s really important to walk and breathe in fresh air as often as it is possible.
• In order to provide the baby with the necessary amount of protein a future mother should eat vegetables, meat, eggs and drugstore vitamins everyday.
• In order to avoid swelling it’s necessary to control the amount of liquid you drink and the amount of liquid that gets out of the system.
• One more thing, it’s necessary to control and pay attention to your mood. The way a pregnant woman feels is directly dependent on it.

Video Guide: 36 weeks pregnancy

Twin Pregnancy at 36 Weeks

Getting to the 36th week is normal in case of multiple pregnancy. The inner organs of the babies are formed, the babies do not weight as much as in the case, when a woman is pregnant with only one baby. However, sometimes each of the babies can weight up to 3 kg.

For a pregnant woman this is the hardest period. The organism is tired and is starting to give up. The babies want to come into the world as soon as possible. One of the twins is starting to get down, closer to the pelvis.

A multiple pregnancy is hard for every woman. Many women give birth to the babies in a natural way. However, in 70 % of cases, a procedure of cesarean section is carried out. You shouldn’t be afraid of it. Here, you need to understand that it is only with the help of this procedure that you’ll be able to meet your babies. If you plan one more pregnancy after this one, you’ll definitely be able to do that.

A cesarean section will in no way influence on your future pregnancy. The main thing here is to give your organism time to renew. The organism should get healthy and strong again. The needed time for it is 3 years.