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Week 36
How Big is the Baby at 36
Weeks Pregnant?
By 36 weeks pregnant your baby is now right about
6 pounds and is about 20.6 inches or more long! Your little one will soon enter
the ranks of heavyweight champs as you continue pregnancy week by week and he
approaches delivery!
Your Baby's Growth
and Development
Your baby is still working on putting on weight
during pregnancy week 36. While that may not seem very exciting, keep in mind
this is his primary job from now until delivery. Round babies are healthy
babies. This is probably the one time in your baby's life they can put on pounds
with wild abandon. If you were to peak inside your womb, you'd probably see your
baby giddy with glee.
Did you know that some researchers believe your
baby actually releases a signal to trigger labor? There are actually several
different theories. Some believe that when your baby's brain is completely
mature it sends a signal to the fetal adrenal glands. These glands then start to
secrete the hormone cortisol, which may alter the metabolism of estrogen and
progesterone, resulting in labor.
Other researchers have postulated that
the fetal lungs secrete signals indicating they are mature, as well as enzymes
that result in the release of prostaglandins, which help the cervix ripen and
help the uterus to contract. This is highly likely as the body does release
prostaglandins around the time of birth.
Your Growth and Development
You are
round and beautiful during pregnancy 36 weeks. Your uterus during pregnancy at
36 weeks is now more than 5 and a half inches from your navel. You may think you
simply can't get any bigger by pregnancy at 36 weeks, but don't forget you still
have four weeks of growing left! Some women may even have a little bit more!
The capacity of the uterus and abdomen to stretch during pregnancy is
truly a remarkable phenomena. At no other time will the body transform at such a
rapid rate than during pregnancy. Amazingly, while it takes nine months for the
uterus to stretch to several times its normal size during pregnancy, by your six
week checkup it will be back to its normal pre-pregnancy size already.
Changes in You
You are
probably getting more and more anxious for delivery by 36 weeks pregnant. You
probably still have a good 4 to 5 weeks to go however even at 36 weeks pregnant,
particularly if this is your first pregnancy. Full term is defined as gestation
between 37 and 41 weeks. That means your baby could come any time between then
and that would be perfectly normal.
While some women hope and pray that
their baby will come early by pregnancy week 36, the vast majority actually come
a little later than we expect. Relatively few women actually deliver on their
exact due date, though many do in the days just before or just after.
The level of amniotic fluid in your belly is relatively constant. Your
baby will actually swallow a certain volume of amniotic fluid each day during
pregnancy. Typically your baby will go on to excrete this fluid as urine. There
is a balance between your baby swallowing the amniotic fluid and the baby
excreting the fluid as urine that is maintained each and every day.
If
this balance is not maintained the amount of fluid in your womb will increase or
decrease significantly, causing a condition called polyhydramnios or
oligohydramnios respectfully. These conditions are relatively rare though it may
affect up to 8 percent of pregnancies. Abnormal amniotic fluid volume is more
common in the third trimester than in the second though it can occur at any
time.
Your healthcare provider will be able to measure your baby's
amniotic levels via ultrasound during your pregnancy if he suspects abnormal
amniotic fluid volume. If you are feeling a bit clumsy lately, you aren't alone.
When was the last time you saw your toes? One of the best things you can do for
yourself in the last few weeks of pregnancy is go for a light swim. Swimming is
wonderful during the last half of pregnancy, if for no other reason that it
renders you practically weightless, which can relieve a lot of the pain and
stiffness you might experience in the last half of pregnancy.
Remember
however to stay away from the hot tub until after delivery. You can however
enjoy a warm bath as well during the last half of pregnancy. Many women actually
climb into the tub during the early phase of labor to help relieve some of their
discomfort.
Whether this is your first pregnancy or last, take a few
moments to savor the feeling of your baby moving about your belly. There simply
is nothing quite like it, and in the grand scheme of things pregnancy is just
nine short months of the long journey of life. Your newborn baby will eventually
grow into a teenager and then an adult. Before you know it you will look back on
these days of bloating, weight gain and fatigue with awe and
longing!
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