34 Weeks Pregnant

It's getting harder to get around and maintain your usual activities at 34 weeks of pregnancy. Your lungs can’t inflate as much as they’d like to and there's a general sense of everything being squeezed and squashed into your mid-section. You’ll want to stretch out whenever possible and wish you were an inch or two taller, especially in your trunk.

Quick - where can I hide?

People will be commenting on your size when you are 34 weeks pregnant, and everyone will have some opinion on how you look. "Ooh, you're big", "Ooh you look small", "Ooh that's going to be one big baby", are comments which will descend on you from everywhere. It may seem that everyone else is an expert on your pregnancy and they don’t hold back on giving their advice. Learn how to smile sweetly and walk away. Let their comments wash over you and stick with some trusted sources of guidance instead. You and your pregnancy care provider are really the only people who are experts in how you and your baby are growing. It's hard not to feel some nagging sense of concern around now. Although you know you and your baby are unique, you still want to be like other pregnant women and fit in with what is considered "the norm". You could even find your partner becoming a little more protective, especially if they see you becoming upset by other people's comments. It’s quite normal for partners to be a little protective around pregnant woman. Being emotionally supportive and protective are attributes which will help to secure your relationship and help your baby to build strong emotional connections as well.

Your physical changes this week

The top of your uterus is about 5 ½ inches from your belly button this week. You can probably balance a cup on top of it when you’re sitting down, which makes it handy if you’re at a party. You might compare your shape and how you’re carrying with other pregnant women. Remember that every pregnancy is different, and no two women are exactly the same. Your baby is a unique blend of your own and your partner’s DNA, and how your body supports the pregnancy is also unique. You could be feeling short of breath in week 34. Your lungs and diaphragm are being compressed and the baby is sitting high in your belly. She still hasn’t "dropped" into your pelvis which means it's getting very cramped in your upper mid-section. You may find it more comfortable to sleep propped up on a couple of pillows. Remember to sit upright with your shoulders back since this does make a difference. More heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion this week. Aim to have 6-7 small meals each day rather than big, infrequent ones. You're probably not feeling as hungry as you were and are satisfied with smaller portions anyway. Try not to limit the tastes and flavors of the food you’re eating. Your baby will pick up the different tastes through the amniotic fluid and this will help them be more willing to try different foods once they are old enough for solids. When you have your prenatal visits, your baby is probably lying with her head down by now. This is known officially as a cephalic presentation (cephalic means head). Don’t worry if your baby is lying sideways or even head up now, especially if you have had a baby before. There is still time for baby to move into her correct position before you give birth. Your legs could be showing evidence of varicose veins in week 34. If your mother had them or there is a family history, you are more likely to experience them as well. Aim to sit when you can and elevate your feet and legs. Help your legs in whatever way you can to return their blood supply up to your trunk. Some women swear by support hose and find that if they put them on first thing in the morning, they are most beneficial. Be mindful of your weight gain. It won’t help if your major blood vessels are being compressed by too much surrounding fat. You’re hot and even when everyone else is cold, your internal temperature is at least a couple of degrees higher. If you place your hand just above the skin on your belly now, you’ll feel a radiant heat coming off your body. Even though your partner may find you and your body almost irresistible, the last thing on your mind is a little bedroom bonding. Just the thought of being close and exerting more energy having sex may completely turn you off. Let them down gently by telling them you're not interested. They’re bound to understand. After all, it’s their baby too that you’re working so hard on maturing.

Your emotional changes this week

If indigestion isn’t gnawing away at your stomach, excitement probably is. In around six weeks, you’ll be seeing your baby and holding her in your arms. There will be times when you feel as if you can hardly wait, the time of your baby's birth still seems a lifetime away. Other times, it will feel as if your pregnancy has gone too fast and you’ll have a sense that you need to treasure it as a special time. At 34 weeks pregnant, you could worry that there may be something wrong with your baby which hasn’t been detected yet. You may wonder how you and your partner will cope if there is a problem and how this will impact on your life. Many women become very superstitious at this stage of their pregnancy and see "signs" which they interpret as being proof there is something wrong. Dreams, seeing someone with a physical or intellectual impairment, hearing of other new parents who've had a baby with problems can all cause great concern. Speak with your provider if you’re worried. Looking at the calendar and counting down the weeks could come as a shock to you. Try not to leave everything until the last minute. Babies tend to come when they’re ready, leaving their parents rushing about in a mad panic to get jobs done.

Your baby's changes this week

If Baby is a boy, his testicles will be migrating their way down from his abdomen and into his scrotum. Some boys will have undescended testicles at birth, though they usually descend within the first year. If you have a boy, your pregnancy hormones will cause his scrotum to be swollen at birth. Similarly, if you have a baby girl, her vulva will appear puffy and swollen as well. Both of these changes will resolve in the first few weeks after birth. Baby is opening and closing her eyes easily now, blinking, and practicing how to focus. When strong light filters through your abdominal wall, Baby may pull away, close her eyes and her pupils may contract to limit the amount of light entering the eye. The vernix which has been covering Baby’s skin is still protecting her at week 34. However, the lanugo, the soft, downy hair which has been covering her skin, is starting to disappear this week. If she is born now, this will be one of the things you really notice, especially across your baby's back, shoulders and even on its little ears. More cortisol is being produced this week by the specialist glands which sit on the top of Baby’s kidneys. Somehow those adrenal glands just know that they need to communicate with the lungs to produce the all-important surfactant. In most respects, other than the lungs, your baby could manage almost independently if she were born now.

Hints for the week

Have a weekend away. A "Babymoon" is a great chance to spend some quality time with your partner and focus on what’s important. Make sure you get some photos of your pregnant belly. You may or may not be feeling too attractive now but there will come a time when you look back on these photos and be glad you have them. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. Your center of balance is changing and it’s common for pregnant women to fall over. You won’t be able to see the ground as clearly because your belly is getting in the way, so take your time and walk carefully. Make plans for finishing work if you haven’t already. Be realistic about what you can finalize and what you need to delegate to others. You want to be able to walk away from your work with a firm and clear attitude that your work is done and it’s time for another, vastly important phase in your life. Week 35 is next!