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Info Centre - Your pregnancy: 29-32 weeks
Your pregnancy: 29-32 weeks
Your baby
At 32 weeks, the baby is about 40.5cm long and weighs about 1.6kg. The vernix and lanugo are starting to disappear.
She can now recognize your voice and even those of other people you spend a lot of time with, such as your partner.
Her lungs have matured, and if she is born at 32 weeks, she has a much better chance of surviving.
By now, most babies will have turned into a head-down position in the uterus.
About 4% of babies never get into a head-down position, but remain in a feet-first or bottom-first position. These are known as breech. Breech babies see to be at slightly higher risk so the health service prefers to encourage babies to turn to be head first. See “Breech baby” for more information.
You should be offered the opportunity to have her turned by a consultant in the hospital. You may also like to use other methods for encouraging your baby to turn). If your baby remains in a breech position you have a number of choices about how she will be born.See “Breech baby” for more information.
You
The period from 28-40 weeks is known as the third trimester – the final third of your pregnancy.
At this stage, the pregnancy may start to feel a little less comfortable for some women. You may start to notice stretchmarks on your abdomen or thighs, and you may experience heartburn or indigestion. See “Pregnancy niggles and discomforts” for more information.
You may also start to experience swollen ankles, feet or fingers, because your body is retaining more water. You can alleviate it by wearing comfortable shoes, avoiding standing for long periods and doing some simple exercises such as bending and stretching your feet.
This is a good time to make a birth plan. A birth plan is an opportunity to think about the kind of birth you want. You can include information such as:
- whether you want a friend or partner with you during labour (see "Supporting labour and birth" for more information)
- whether you would like to use a birthing pool (if one is available) (see "Using water in labour and birth" for more information)
- whether you are happy to have an epidural for pain relief (see "Working with pain in labour" for more information)
- whether you are happy to use other methods of pain relief, such as pethidine or gas and air (see "Working with pain labour" for more information).
You can’t guarantee that your birth will work out the way you would like, but a birth plan focuses your mind on what you would like to happen and how you would like your labour to be managed.
See “Supporting labour and birth” for more information.
If you are planning to use a TENS machine for pain relief in labour, you should book one now. They are available from commercial suppliers. See “Working with pain in labour” and “Positions for labour and birth” for more information. If you have decided to attend NCT or other antenatal classes, they will probably start about now. Classes are a good opportunity to ask questions about anything that is concerning you, as well as a way of making new friends. Click here for more information.
Some women will stop work at this stage – 29 weeks is the earliest you can start paid maternity leave. See “Maternity leave, paternity leave and returning to work” for more information.
