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By the time you’ve entered the 32nd Week of your pregnancy, you’ve already enjoyed the rest of the trimesters and battled the challenges. Now that you’re in the 32nd week, you’re in the third trimester – the last leg of your pregnancy. 8 more weeks to go! Very soon you’ll be holding your little one in your arms. 😊
But, before you hold your baby in your arms, let’s find out what the 32nd week of pregnancy unfolds for you and the baby developing inside you.
Explore Your Baby Inside
By the time, you’ve entered this stage of your pregnancy, the baby inside you would be completely formed and would look exactly like a small version of your newborn baby or a squash. You will be able to his or her eyebrows, eyelashes, and the hair on the head formed via an ultrasound scan. Moreover, he or she would weigh 1.6 – 1.8 kg and would be around 35 cm long from head to toe, around this time. That’s not all!
- The little one inside has accumulated fat under his or her skin and that is not transparent like it used to be in the past. Now it is opaque and your little son or daughter inside is looking plumber day-by-day.
- At this stage, they’ve started shedding lunago (soft, fine hair covering a fetus) covered across the entire body.
- By this time, your little girl or boy has cultivated the art of sucking and swallowing.
- Although his or her lungs are not fully developed, your baby will inhale the amniotic fluid to practise breathing.
- As far as your little one’s movement is concerned, he or she’s curled up inside your womb now and very soon he or she’s going to settle in a heads-down and bottoms-up position. Such a foetal position is better during childbirth. Your baby’s head must come out first. If not, you needn’t worry! Very few babies are in the bottom-down or breech position by the full term.
Isn’t that intriguing? Want to know more?
Explore Your Body and Mind
While you’re monitoring your baby’s growth and development during this time of your life, notice your body as well as mind quite keenly.
Your Belly
Although your baby bump will be different from the others, you’ll mostly notice that at this stage it will grow between your breasts and belly button. It is either stretched flat, jutting out, or sticking out.
Swollen Legs
If you notice your legs and feet swelling during pregnancy, it is quite common. This is also known as Oedema. This is due to the additional water retention in those regions.
The Nipple Colours Change
Besides the other bodily changes during this time, the colour of your nipples is going to become darker. Due to hormonal changes, this area releases antibacterial oil.
The Breasts Leak
This is the time that colostrum seeps out of the nipples. This again is a sign that you’re getting ready to nurse once you’ve given birth to your baby.
Vaginal Secretions
Along with the rest of your body, your vagina is also getting ready for the delivery of your baby. It is prepared with thick mucous walls surrounding it, and it is lubricated for delivery.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
These are more like practice contractions. It will make you feel like you’re in labour, but that is not true. Real labour has still some time left.
Your bowel movements might become a little difficult and infrequent, making you feel constipated, and having heartburn. Your diabetes, at the same time, may be infrequent, due to which you may feel giddy. Moreover, you might forget and may face problems focusing at this stage, something is most commonly known as “Pregnancy brain”.
Although you can’t help but experience your and your baby’s changes, however, during this stage of your pregnancy, you might have to focus on your diet, drink lots of water, and keep track of your baby’s movements. In the midst of all this, don’t forget to plan to bank your baby’s cord blood.