8 months 1 week
3rd Trimester
6 more weeks to go
Getting bigger and bigger, mum! At 34 weeks pregnant, is around a whole 5 inches above your navel now. If you're nervous that labour might start early, you’ll feel assured knowing that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks do fine.The survival rate of a baby at 34 weeks is greater than 99%, and the risk of major disabilities associated with prematurity is as low as 5%. Leaking urine? Here is a tip: cross your legs when you cough, sneeze, or laugh! If the baby is in breech position (head is not towards the cervix, your doctor may suggest external cephalic version (ECV), also called a hands-to-belly procedure, to get the baby in the optimal position. This is generally offered for breech babies between week 32 and week 37.
अष्टमे अस्थिरी भवति ओजः। तत्र जातश्चेन्न जीवेत निरोजस्त्वात नैरॄत भागत्वाच्च । (सुश्रुत शारीरस्थान)
Ayurveda says that the body of the foetus is fully developed but due to lack of ojas (immunity) if delivery takes place then life becomes doubtful.
By this week, your baby’s central nervous system is developed. From now till birth, the brain power will increase as the brain deepens its furrows.
The baby will spend these last few weeks inside the womb to practice strengthening its respiratory system. The lungs continue to grow and mature. Inhaling amniotic fluid helps in breathing practice. That is why infants can learn swimming pretty fast.
Now, sleep time is with proper eye-shut and opening. When those eyelids open, it denotes wakey-time. It is how sleep will be in the world out there, baby is learning,
This week, the protective vernix caseosa (that cheese-like, white, waxy coating that's keeping her skin safe) begins to thicken, ensuring that her passage through the birth canal keeps her skin smooth. Your baby will likely arrive covered in the stuff, especially in the folds under her arms, behind her ears, and in the crotch area.
Your belly may not always look round and smooth, Little hands and feet will be poking out now and then, which is so fascinating.
If your baby is a boy, then this week the testicles are making their way down from the abdomen to the scrotum. Some full-term baby boys — roughly 3 to 4 percent — are born with undescended testicles, but they usually make the trip down sometime before the first birthday. About 30 percent of preterm boys are born with undescended testicles, too.
Your baby’s tiny nails have grown to reach beyond the finger and toe pads. Babies grow nails really quickly and since they can’t control their actions, they end up scratching themselves. You can clip nails at birth.
At 34 weeks, your amniotic fluid volume has peaked. There are about 1 1/2 pints (800 milliliters) of fluid surrounding the baby, and the baby is moving in the amniotic fluid, swallowing it, and also inhaling it in. He is peeing in it, too! This fluid is so important for the development of the baby's muscles and bones, digestive system, and lungs.
The first colour that your baby can spot is red. And, that development happens this week. That's the color of the inside of your uterus, so the cone cells for red develop first.
Frequent urination returns toward the end of pregnancy when your baby and belly are at their biggest and putting extra pressure on your bladder. You may find yourself using the restroom more often, especially at night.
Close to 40% of pregnant women have to cope with a trickle of urine escaping when they cough, sneeze, laugh, or engage in any physical activity. It is because of the huge belly putting pressure on the bladder and is called stress incontinence.
Your pregnancy hormones not only mess with your ligaments, but also with your vision! You could have blurry vision and also dry eyes because of a decrease in tear production.
What's more, an increase in fluid behind your eyes’ lenses can temporarily change their shape, making some women more nearsighted or farsighted than usual. You may find wearing glasses rather than contact lenses to be more comfortable.
The hormones and the bulging belly give your bloating. It could also be anxiety! When you are taking shallow breaths, you swallow air into your tummy. So, make time every hour to breathe deeply through your nose and out through your mouth for 90 seconds at a time.
This may continue to be a bother. But, please don’t take any laxatives without consulting your doctor. Have lots of water and eat fruits and fibre-rich vegetables.
You are likely loving your shining, thick hair. But, this excess hair growth can appear on your cheeks, chin and back. Ouch, that could be irritating. But, please don’t use any chemical hair-removing products.
It could be just your awkward size, or just the hormones. A warm shower helps. And, choose to read or listen to soothing music on the iMumz App rather than watching TV or surfing the internet.
Your breasts may leak colostrum — yellowish pre-milk that will be your baby’s first drink. It’s not more than a few drops, though. An interesting trivia is that one study found that the right breast produces more milk in 76% of lactating mothers!
Red bumps on your belly, and possibly your thighs and buttocks as well can leave you sore with scratching. It could be a condition called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP for short). Put coconut oil and try not to scratch.
Perineal massage
Massaging the perineum (area between anus and vagina) is called a perineal massage. One should start practicing this from the 34th week and two times a week. Do use coconut oil for this massage.
Procedure
1. Insert clean thumbs about an inch into your vagina
2. Put firm but gentle pressure down on the perineum
3. Once the perineum is stretched gently move your thumb along sides of vagina
4. Repeat the movement from bottom up to each side
Benefits of prenatal perineal massage
.png)
The iMumz App has helpful tips in its feed section and the nutrient rich weekly diet plans backed by Ayurvedic science base to help you manage pregnancy fatigue.
Check the baby's position
Your Growth Scan or biophysical profile (BPP) could be done in this week.This is a combination of an ultrasound done at 34 weeks pregnant and a special nonstress test. The special non stress test is done to measure the baby's heart rate over a period of time. With this, the doctor can see whether the baby is reacting well to stress and thriving or not.
Questions you can ask your doctor are:
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a B strep test. Group B streptococcus is a bacterial infection that is found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. The mother can pass the bacteria to her baby during delivery. Because of this, your doctor will ask you to do this testing as a part of prenatal care.
A urine test may also be done to check for sugar and protein. These can be signs of gestational diabetes or infection. Protein in your urine may also be a sign of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that can develop during week 20 or later of your pregnancy. It causes high blood pressure, and it can cause problems with your kidneys and other organs.
A Tdap vaccine may be given if not given yet.
Fundal height is a measurement of your uterus and will be done as routine.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that's stored in the liver. It helps in the development of the baby’s heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, and bones as well as the circulatory, respiratory, and central nervous system. Not only does it helps your baby’s bones grow stronger, it also helps build skin and vision. Now that the baby is detecting light, it’s even more important to keep getting this vitamin. Vitamin A is particularly essential for women who are about to give birth because it helps with postpartum tissue repair. It also helps maintain normal vision, fights infections, supports your immune system, and helps with fat metabolism. As per some significant studies, the diet and the nutritional status of vitamin A during pregnancy improved its condition in maternal milk. This led to a good intake of vitamin A by the newborn. Let’s get to a yummy recipe packed with this vitamin.
You can have it with steamed rice or chapati or just as filling in a sandwich or a millet-roti roll!
Ingredients:
METHOD
.png)
iMumz provides micro nutrients week by week for your pregnancy nutrition. Diet charts and recipes are made by mothers to give your daily dose of health for your baby and you.
Castor oil is a traditional method for helping induce labour, but there's limited research on its safety and effectiveness. While some studies show that drinking castor oil does help trigger labour for some women, research also suggests it could cause unwanted side effects such as vomiting, nausea, and stress on the baby.
One thing that castor oil does is stimulate the intestines and uterine muscles, causing the release of prostaglandins, which can lead to contractions. In some studies, women who have crossed their due date have found it to work in inducing labour.
But, since it affects the intestines also, some women had bad diarrhoea and vomiting.
Another review of castor oil research found it was associated with an increased risk of babies passing their first stool – called meconium – before birth, which is a risky thing.
So, please don’t consume castor oil in Week 34, and if planning to do so when you are full term, please ask your doctor, first.
The most common causes for pelvic pain during pregnancy include:
Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), or pelvic girdle pain (PGP), happens when the ligaments that normally keep your pelvic bone aligned during pregnancy become too relaxed and stretchy soon before birth. While they are meant to relax, this is a side effect that is painful.
At 34 weeks, the baby is dropping into your pelvis in preparation for birth. This also leads to pelvic pain, lower-back discomfort, or pressure on your bladder. The positive here is that when the baby drops, many pregnant women report easier breathing because of the reduced pressure on their diaphragm and lungs.
Sleeping with a pillow between your knees will keep your pelvis aligned and will take the ‘pull’ off your hip and pelvic muscle. One leg will be slightly elevated, helping in easing the pain.
The iMumz App has yoga exercises and webinars that can help you manage pain with a good sense of control.
Pregnant women should not eat chocolate.
A study showed that women who ate dark chocolate during pregnancy had babies who showed less fear and smiled and laughed more often at six months of age. Another study found that women who eat five or more servings of chocolate each week during their third trimester have a 40 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure. Make sure it is not sweetened artificially!
Music
We all know stress, if consistent and strong, is bad for the mum and baby. Here is one specific way it acts: it affects the process of neurogenesis (the process by which new neurons are formed in the baby’s brain) in the hippocampus (brain structure embedded into the temporal lobe). As these precious trillions of neurons are forming, an increase in cortisol affects them. It leads to poorer performance in spatial memory for the child.
What does music do? Just the opposite! It increases neurogenesis and enhances spatial memory.
But, you need to choose your music carefully. Why not leave it to the experts?
iMumz application has carefully curated Indian classical music ragas for each week of your pregnancy. Each piece has a specific benefit in nourishing the womb environment in a unique way that aids the baby’s all-round development.
Download the iMumz app now to access pregnancy music that will make you calmer and your baby healthier and smarter!
The award-winning iMumz App is helping 350,000 + women make their pregnancies healthier and happier.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
