35 week of pregnancy from conception
If your baby is born now, he will be able to breathe on his own. His lungs and other body systems are already quite developed. Childbirth at 35 weeks of gestation from conception is considered timely

What happens to the baby at 35 weeks

By the 35th week of pregnancy from conception, the baby is already quite well-fed, its mass has increased due to subcutaneous fat and bone growth.

All systems of the child’s body are ready to work. He constantly makes respiratory movements, in which amniotic fluid enters the lungs. With each exhalation, they are pushed back. The lungs of the child, in fact, are formed, which means that in the event of childbirth, he will be able to breathe without the help of equipment.

– Pregnancy at a period of 37-41 obstetric weeks (35-38 weeks from conception) is full-term, and childbirth at this time is timely. We are not talking about any premature birth during this period, – explains obstetrician-gynecologist Ekaterina Gracheva. – It happens, of course, that the baby is too small for the gestational age, he has growth retardation, or the mother has a somatic pathology, due to which the child is smaller than expected, then the baby will be born, albeit on time, but will be immature. However, these are special cases. Therefore, if the pregnancy proceeded well up to 35 weeks from conception, then there are no risks associated with the birth at this time for the child.

The baby is already completing the formation of the gastrointestinal tract. Both the stomach and intestines begin to contract as they prepare to move food from the mouth to the rectum. In the intestines of the child, the first waste products have already accumulated – meconium (original feces).

By this time, the placenta begins to age. This is natural – she has practically fulfilled her function, nourished the child all these months, and now he is ready to be born.

The only thing that the baby is still not ready for in the outside world is temperature changes. The thermoregulation center of a child, even after 40 weeks, may not be able to cope with its task – to keep warm. Therefore, the crumbs are prone to hypothermia or overheating.

Fetal ultrasound

Now the expectant mother visits the antenatal clinic weekly, because starting from the 35th week, the baby can appear at any time.

All three screenings have already been completed by this time, and doctors can prescribe a fetal ultrasound at this time only if there are any concerns or the results of the last screening require verification. For example, an ultrasound examination may be needed if the baby has been motionless for a long time, if there is a placenta previa or an abnormal fetal presentation, if the child is quite large, there is oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios or diabetes mellitus.

In addition to fetal ultrasound at 35 weeks, it makes sense to pass other tests:

  • check weight and blood pressure;
  • pass urine for the presence of protein and sugar;
  • go for cardiotocography to check the fetal heart rate and detect hypoxia, if any;
  • visit a phlebologist to check for varicose veins.

At this time, vaginal examinations are also carried out, which make sure that there is no outflow of amniotic fluid, that the cervix is ​​in order and is able to stretch.

Before the onset of labor, the cervix may be completely closed or only 1 cm dilated, but during labor it should open to such an extent that the baby can pass through the birth canal.

During such an examination, the width of the pelvis of the expectant mother and the location of the pelvic bones are also evaluated. All this is necessary in order to decide in advance which is more likely – natural childbirth or caesarean.

Photo life

By the end of this week, the fetus grows to 48-49 cm and weighs already 2800-3000 grams. It is about the size of a celery salad.

Compare the photo of the abdomen at the 35th week of pregnancy from conception with the previous pictures, if you notice that the tummy has dropped down, then the baby will be born soon. Abdominal prolapse is one of the main harbingers of an early birth, along with the waste of the mucous plug and the desire of the woman to arrange everything around for the birth of the baby.

What happens to mom at 35 weeks

Most often, the intrauterine stage of development of the baby ends by 36-38 weeks from conception – 38-40 obstetric – at these times, the harbingers of childbirth appear. However, in some women, they can also occur at 35 weeks from conception.

– The harbingers of childbirth include the movement of the center of gravity of the woman forward, which is why when walking the head and shoulders move back, the so-called “proud tread”, pressing the presenting part of the fetus – the head, pelvis or legs – to the entrance to the small pelvis, causing the uterus to descend. In primiparous women, this is noticeable already a month before childbirth. Another harbinger is a decrease in the volume of amniotic fluid. Of course, a woman herself will not feel this, but she may notice that she has lost 1-1,5 kg if she has been regularly weighed before, – explains obstetrician-gynecologist Ekaterina Gracheva.

Starting next week, mom may stop gaining weight. If this happened, then the countdown to childbirth has begun.

If this is the first pregnancy, then the mother, most likely, reaches the end of the term – before the 38th week from conception, or 40 obstetric. However, in women who already have children, childbirth may occur earlier. In addition, 35 weeks from conception is the average period for carrying twins, so it makes sense for mothers of twins to pack a bag for the hospital.

What sensations can you experience in 35 week

“When the presenting part of the fetus, whether it be the head, buttocks or legs, descends and fixes at the entrance to the small pelvis, the woman notices that it has become easier for her to breathe, the pressure on the lungs and diaphragm disappears,” explains obstetrician-gynecologist Ekaterina Gracheva. – Harbinger contractions may also appear – separate coordinated contractions, due to which the cervix gradually shortens. Preparatory contractions occur most often at night, at rest and usually do not bring discomfort, do not interfere with normal life.

At the 35th week of pregnancy from conception, shooting pains in the perineum and legs may occur due to the descending fetus. This is the baby and the uterus putting pressure on the muscles, ligaments and nerves in the pelvis.

In addition, vaginal discharge may increase during this period. If mucus appears interspersed with blood, most likely it is a mucous plug that protected the baby in the womb. Her selection hints that the baby will be born soon.

Monthly

At the 35th week of pregnancy from conception, a woman may notice discharge mixed with blood on her underwear. They should not be left unattended.

– Bright scarlet, dark brown discharge, liquid or with clots – this is all a formidable sign that requires an immediate examination by a doctor (and you need to get to the maternity hospital by ambulance). They can mean bleeding with placenta previa or placental abruption, the obstetrician-gynecologist warns.

Both conditions are dangerous. If you do not start taking measures in time, then there is a threat to the life and health of the mother and child.

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Stomach ache

In the last months of pregnancy, false contractions can cause some discomfort. As a rule, they are painless, rather just unpleasant. The uterus contracts usually at night or when the mother is resting. Such contractions are not yet a reason to go to the hospital.

However, abdominal pain can be less harmless. Severe cramping pain, accompanied by bleeding or dizziness, may portend serious problems, such as placental abruption. In this case, call 03 immediately.

Abdominal pains accompany real contractions. The latter are distinguished by periodicity and increasing intensity. When the interval between contractions reaches 15 minutes, and they themselves last about 30 seconds, take your things, call your husband and go to the maternity hospital.

Brown discharge

In some cases, cinnamon discharge in late pregnancy is considered natural.

– Brown, brown, pinkish discharge, muco-sanitary, smearing (secretion of the glands of the cervix) – this is most often a mucous plug – one of the harbingers of childbirth. Its release does not threaten the condition of the woman and the child, this is the preparatory stage of the cervix for childbirth, explains obstetrician-gynecologist Ekaterina Gracheva.

Usually the cork is small in volume – about 50 grams.

However, dark brown discharge, liquid, in which blood clots are present, is a completely different matter. They can signal placental abruption or placenta previa.

Popular questions and answers

What is posterior occiput presentation, is it possible to give birth with it naturally?

Even if the child is positioned head down, variations of its position are possible. The situation is considered normal when a child is born with the back of the head up – 90-95 percent of babies are born that way. But there are situations when the child goes face up. With such a presentation of the fetus, women experience severe pain in the lower back during childbirth, and the birth itself can last longer, but this is not an indication for caesarean section. Usually, the midwife will turn the baby’s head during labor so that it comes out with the back of its head up.

How to determine whether labor has begun or not?

Childbirth can begin either with contractions or with the outflow of amniotic fluid. Training contractions are usually familiar to many women – they feel like tension in the uterus. The real ones differ from them in that they are regular – they repeat every 5-15 minutes, and the uterus tenses for 20-40 seconds. The intervals between such contractions are shortened, and the spasms themselves, on the contrary, become longer.

It is not necessary to wait for strong contractions, if they are regularly repeated for 45 minutes or an hour, you can go to the hospital.

Sometimes amniotic fluid may leak before contractions begin. This moment is easy to distinguish from ordinary secretions – when water leaks, at least half a glass of liquid pours out of a woman, and even when it is poured out, it will flow like a tap.

If the waters flow, we go to the hospital, we do not expect contractions.

Is it possible to give birth naturally if there is a scar on the uterus from a caesarean?

Of course, a scar on the uterus is not a sentence; after it, you can safely give birth in a natural way. In each individual case, permission for natural childbirth is given by a doctor. Much depends on the consistency of your scar, on how much time has passed since the cesarean. It is usually allowed to give birth on their own to those mothers whose child weighs no more than 4 kg (although this is conditional), women who have a thickness of the lower uterine segment in the scar area of ​​2 mm or more (although this is also variable). Even the presence of two scars is not an indicator for a cesarean. The main thing is how the previous births went, how the current pregnancy went and how the baby feels.

Is it possible to have sex?

This question, traditionally, worries more men than women. The main fears of “pregnant sex” can be combined into a list:

• it will harm the child;

• the baby feels and understands everything;

• this will cause uterine tone and labor;

• it will be painful, unpleasant;

• the changed body is ugly.

Most of these fears are unfounded.

Firstly, the baby will not suffer in any way from your pleasures, and even if some feelings are transmitted to him, then it will be a feeling of mother’s pleasure, her joy.

Secondly, sperm components really help the cervix to ripen for childbirth, but we are talking about the 35th week of pregnancy from conception, when the child is ready to be born, so there is no point in limiting yourself.

Thirdly, if sex suddenly becomes painful and unpleasant, you need to contact a specialist, with a normal pregnancy, intimate life should not cause discomfort.

By the way, sex, on the contrary, in this case should be more enjoyable. According to surveys, approximately one in five pregnant women experienced an orgasm for the first time during these nine months.

It is important to remember that some sex is really contraindicated. Doctors, as a rule, necessarily warn about this. It is worth abstaining with placenta previa, with spotting, with multiple pregnancies. The rest need to remember what to avoid in bed:

• sexual “marathons”;

• aggressive sex;

• acrobatics in bed and any extreme sports.

What to do if the temperature rises?

Colds often overwhelm pregnant women because of their low immunity. It is easy to distinguish a cold by the first symptoms: general malaise, weakness, “congestion” of the nose, runny nose, cough and, of course, fever.

If these signs appear, call the therapist at home. The doctor must confirm the diagnosis, otherwise there is a risk of starting treatment for the wrong disease. If this is really a cold, then pregnant women are shown:

• plentiful warm drink (warm milk with honey, decoctions of currants, wild rose, tea with lemon or raspberries);

• nasal lavage with saline solutions;

• gargling with warm salt water (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of water) or a solution of baking soda (1 teaspoon per glass of warm water), you can gargle with decoctions of sage, chamomile, St. John’s wort;

• frequent airing of the room;

• maintenance of humidity in rooms 50-60%;

• rest (take sick leave and rest at home).

If the temperature rises above 38 degrees, you can bring it down with paracetamol. The rest of the antipyretic doctors are advised to avoid.

What to do if it pulls the lower abdomen?

If the lower abdomen sips, but there is no bleeding or severe pain, then it is recommended to simply relax or take a warm bath. For some, on the contrary, some kind of housework, such as cooking, helps to distract. If, on the other hand, pulling pains occur along with tension in the uterus, and this tension is repeated more and more often and lasts longer, it is time to begin the countdown to childbirth. Periodic intense contractions are one of the main signs of the imminent birth of a baby.

How to eat right?

In the third trimester of pregnancy, it is better to switch to 5-6 meals a day in small portions. This will reduce the load on the digestive system, undigested foods will not accumulate in the intestines, which means there will be no bloating, constipation and other unpleasant sensations.

In addition, it is necessary to properly distribute products throughout the day. Proteins increase metabolism and take longer to digest in the stomach, so meat, fish and eggs are recommended to be eaten in the morning. For dinner, it is better to leave dairy or vegetable dishes.

Remember that from 9-10 o’clock in the morning digestive juices begin to be produced, so gastritis can develop without a full breakfast. It is better to start the day with foods rich in complex carbohydrates and proteins. They are slowly digested, do not load the pancreas. It can be hot cereals, yogurt, muesli with milk, scrambled eggs.

Two hours later – a second breakfast of foods that also contain complex carbohydrates and fiber. You can eat buckwheat or oatmeal, fresh vegetable salad combined with fish or lean meat, cottage cheese with dried fruits and honey.

The peak activity of the digestive system falls on 13-15 hours of the day. At this time, try to eat a full meal. It is best to have dinner 2-2,5 hours before bedtime, let the body have time to prepare for rest.

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