Week 32

Your belly is getting bigger and your breasts are not far behind. It’s getting harder to see your knees and your belly button may be poking out by now. There’s not much room in the space between your breasts and the start of your belly. It’s probably more comfortable now for you to wear a bra most of the time, simply because of the weight of your breasts. Some pregnant women find that they need breast support from a maternity bra even when they go to sleep.

Watch for heat rashes under your breasts, which will be aggravated by sweat. Cooling showers, a light dusting of absorbent talcum powder and good general hygiene will help you to avoid a thrush infection from developing.

You’ll probably find yourself sighing as you sit down – relieved to get the weight off your legs. Avoid marathon shopping expeditions and learn to pace yourself. It is going to become more difficult to sustain activity that requires a moderate amount of physical output. Plan your day to include a rest and some down time.

Your weight is going up in line with your baby’s growth. Some women gain as much as half a kg per week in these weeks. Fluid retention can also add weight, but this is largely unavoidable in the third trimester. Watch for a sudden, rapid rise in your weight or bad headaches. These can be signs of complications developing, so check with your midwife or doctor if you experience these changes.

Your antenatal checks will become a fortnightly affair from now on until around 36 weeks when they will increase to weekly. Get used to having your wee checked, your blood pressure measured and your tummy palpated. Although it can all seem a bit monotonous, it is important that you are monitored carefully. In the third trimester, problems such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and premature labour are more common.

Had enough yet? At 32 weeks pregnant, you probably aren’t quite at the stage of wanting it all to be over, though that time is fast approaching. If you’re looking after other small children, the sheer physicality of being pregnancy is becoming more difficult. Bending over to them in the bath, lifting them out of a stroller, and picking endless toys up off the floor will all add to your fatigue at the end of the day.

You could feel as if you are doing the lot when it comes to your pregnancy. The truth is, you are and at this stage your partner is a bit of an observer. Tell him how you feel if you are getting resentful. Be clear with him about how he can support you and don’t expect him to read your mind.

Your baby weighs around 1.8 kg this week and is just under 50 cm long. Baby will be gaining most of its weight in these last few weeks, around 250 grams per week between now and 35 weeks. Your baby is spending a lot of time kicking, swallowing, moving its little arms around, sucking, grimacing and frowning. Baby can even move its head from side to side and is opening and closing its eyes.

Baby now takes up all the space in your womb, touching the sides. Your nerve endings are picking up every movement because of this, so you are very aware of there being someone along for the ride.

Your baby is still having periods of rest and activity which may follow a similar pattern each day. Some women say that when they climb into bed it is a sign for the baby to start its calisthenics. But it could only be that there is little else to distract a pregnant woman, so you become more aware of your baby’s every movement.

Your baby’s skin is less translucent and looks more like the perfect skin of a little baby. More fat cells are settling under its skin and plumping out those skin folds.

Your baby’s bones are getting harder and calcifying. This means that your diet is particularly important at this stage of your pregnancy. Ensure that you are having 3-4 servings of calcium-rich foods each day such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, almonds, fish with edible bones, and green leafy vegetables. If you can’t tolerate cow’s milk go for soy milk products that are fortified with calcium.

Be kind to your back when you climb out of bed. First roll onto your side and then use your hands to “walk” yourself into a sitting position. Move your bottom close to the edge of the bed so you’re not straining and leaning forward more than you need to. Get into the habit of sitting for a minute or two and then standing. Your blood pressure is lower when you are lying down, compared to when you are standing, so give it time to adjust.

If the thought of tugging at your undies for the next 2 months is driving you up the wall, invest in some pregnancy panties. Though you’re unlikely to find them in the pretty lingerie section, they will soon become your new best friend. They are made with an expanding belly in mind and sit just the right way so you’re not conscious of them all the time.

Avoid large, infrequent meals which will make you feel as if you’ve got a brick sitting in your stomach. Instead, go for light, easy to digest foods that won’t require intensive digestion. Fruit, vegetables, toasted sandwiches, salads, yoghurt, cereals, crackers and cheese are all good staples for healthy snacking. Remember to drink plenty of water. Maintaining your hydration will help you stay mentally alert and keep your kidneys functioning well.

If you don’t have a good camera do some research into buying one. When you go into labour is not the time to be reading the instruction sheet and charging the batteries. You will be sorry if you haven’t got a camera to catch those early precious moments. Even if you don’t like photos of yourself, you will need to make an exception for the next few years.

Speak with your midwife or doctor about the benefits of you doing some perineal stretching. If you are having a vaginal delivery, your perineum will need to stretch a lot to allow the baby’s head to emerge. An episiotomy (surgical cut) is sometimes necessary to enlarge the vaginal opening, though perineal stretching can help avoid the need for one.