About the baby…
In the 35th week of pregnancy the baby measures around 47 centimetres and has around 2.6 kilograms. The bone system has developed, but the cranium will remain flexible even after birth (during his childhood the bones of the cranium are still developing). A premature birth now, in the 35th week of pregnancy, involves a low risk, the baby having big chances of survival – his lungs are used with the breathing exercise. His hair is growing and he also continues to store fat.
… and the future mother:
Starting with the 35th week of pregnancy, it is very probably that you will feel more tired and small tasks can exhaust you- offer yourself the necessary repose. It is very possible that colostrum starts leaking from your nipples (a yellow or colourless liquid), which will show that your breasts are ready for lactation. They are now much bigger and are ready to ensure your baby a healthy meal.
Good news: if the baby has the birth position, with the head down, then the pressure upon the diaphragm is getting lower and you can now breathe easily. The bad part: the pressure upon your urinary bladder is growing and lethargy or sometimes even pains in the pelvic area can appear. The pains from the pelvic area, which can extend to the hips and thighs, accompanied by back pains, can seriously disturb you when you are moving.
What are you doing in the 35th week of pregnancy?
More frequent controls. Starting with the 25th week of pregnancy, because you have just about one month until the term, your doctor could call you every week for a check, to evaluate the movements of the baby, his growth and his position. He can ask you (it is ok if he does not ask you) to keep a record of how often and intensely the baby moves. In general, if you do not feel him moving and hitting at least ten times in two hours, this can become a problem. But for watching his moves efficiently, you must learn his schedule of sleep to see when he is calm and to compare his movements from one day with the others from the next days.
Stress. It is very normal for you to be impatient but also extremely stressed. You are worried and you have fears especially when you are at your first pregnancy. No matter how much you read or talk with other mothers, you may not feel prepared for this experience. Try to eliminate your black thoughts and do not give attention to your fears- think positive. If the doctor tells you that there is no problem, then there is no problem for sure! Keep yourself busy with pleasant activities, rest and when a black thought comes into your mind, call your husband, a friend, your mother…
Repose. To reduce stress and risks, it is time to give attention to repose and forget about physical exercises- except for Kegel exercises and those for breathing. No more swimming, aquatic gymnastics; do your walks around the house to be able to come back inside the house and rest when you feel tired. Do not ignore your rest, so whenever you feel a little tired, you can take a nap, watching a movie or reading a book. In this period, massage is your best friend- it has a positive effect upon the pains, skin problems and upon stress.
Details about giving birth: did you decide upon the details of how you will give birth? Advice: try to avoid episiotomy: this seems to affect the recovery and can aggravate the cracks. Ask of course the advice of your doctor and if you can, avoid this procedure.
The water breaking: we know, you saw in the movies that the woman becomes aware that suddenly the water has broken and immediately has contractions, while after ten minutes she holds an adorable baby in her arms. Unfortunately, it is not like that. The water breaks frequently before the activation of the labour and you may not realise this. This is probably because it will not leak like a flood but it will be light. However, you can notice it- even if you do not have contractions, call your doctor immediately. If the labour does not manifest soon, the doctor will have to artificially induce it.
Caesarean: it was also said in other articles: in specific conditions and situations- if the baby is not properly positioned, but is placed with the posterior forward, if he is positioned laterally, if you had preeclampsia, if the labour lasts too much without any evolution- it can be recommended or even obligatory to have a birth through caesarean section. On the other side, you can be the one that chooses this kind of, even if everything goes well. But before making a decision, make the necessary enquiries. You think that you will escape the pain of natural birth, the pains of labour and of the necessity of pushing for who knows how much time? It is true, but the birth through caesarean section implies other inconveniences: the recovery is harder, because your skin, the muscles, the fat and the uterus have been cut. You will have pains for a long time, even during simple movements like lifting, walking, changing of position, sneezing and laughing. So, be sure that you choose carefully the way in which you will give birth, if the caesarean operation is not imposed. Take care: even if you choose the natural birth and you do not record any progress for 10 days, if the cardiac rhythm of the baby modifies, the plan can be changed and the caesarean operation is imposed. It was said before: what is important is that the baby is healthy!