Week Thirty Three Of Pregnancy

Week 33 Of Your Baby’s Development!

Your baby is the size of a pineapple

At 17 inches and 4.5 pounds, baby is pretty much resembling her new born self by now. It is most likely that she is now in the head down position, all ready for the actual birth. Aside from making it easier for you to breathe, the other benefit of this new position is that she gets a lot of blood flow to her rapidly developing brain.

While her skeleton is hardening now, interestingly, the skull bones are not fused yet. This makes it easy for them to move that teensy bit to accommodate her head through the birth canal. It will actually take until baby is at least 7 months old before the skull and soft spots on your baby’s head (called fontanelles) will harden and fuse closed.

Your baby is getting antibodies from you to prepare her immune system for the big bad world outside and she’ll get an extra important dose from the colostrum in your breasts after birth. She is taking up almost all of your uterus space now and the amniotic fluid is subsequently quite less in there, which makes her kicks and elbow thrusts seem more evident than before.

Week 33 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes

You are well into the third trimester now and your pregnancy is making life very different for you. Remember that once the baby comes, your world is going to be turned topsy- turvy so this is great practice!

Thanks to your oversized belly, even your walking style takes on a distinctive pregnant ‘waddle’, as many moms- to- be put it! Sitting for long periods tends to be more difficult now and sleep gets to be fairly impossible. Numb wrists, fingers and hands and even aches in these parts are common, mainly because of water retention.

“ I did a few aqua aerobics classes towards the end of my pregnancy (checked with my midwife first) when it wasn’t that comfortable to do anything else anymore. The warm water felt so relaxing. I just took it easy and kept a bottle of water at the edge of the pool to sip on. ” Brooke

Posterior Babies

Have you been told your baby is in the posterior position? This means baby is lying with his spine against your back instead of towards your belly and would be born “sunny side up” if he stays that way.

Sometimes with posterior babies, especially if it’s your first labour, the birth can take longer, you may feel more back pain during labour and you have a higher risk of needing an assisted delivery. This is not always the case though and it really depends on the type of posterior position your baby has adopted (there are 4), right down to your pelvis shape and pubis position plus your approach to labor. Most posterior babies will turn before labor, and also during labor if the right conditions are there. There are so many factors that can contribute to your birth outcome so ask a ton of questions and don’t be put off by negative statements.

Week 33 Of Your Next Steps!

• Keep track of baby’s movements and bring it to your physician’s notice if anything seems to be off, in this respect. Remember though that baby tends to sleep for longer periods now.
•  Getting those little clothes ready for baby should be on your to-do list now as you’ll soon be holding her in your arms. Use a mild, baby safe detergent so that they do not irritate her sensitive new born skin.

Try this: do wash your baby’s clothes before first use – although it’s tempting not to because they feel so super soft, that’s because they are treated with chemical finishes first, which could irritate baby’s skin.

• Nutrition filled diets and hydration are very important. For exercise, you can swim or walk if it’s too uncomfortable to do anything else.