36 weeks of pregnancy: what happens to the fetus, what the woman feels, getting ready for childbirth

36 obstetric week of pregnancy. The weight of the fetus is approximately 2.5-2.7 kg. Full growth of about 45-47 cm. At this time, the performance of each crumbs can differ greatly from the average in a smaller or larger direction. This is dictated by heredity and the course of pregnancy. What are precursors of childbirth? It’s time for mom to make a list of tasks that are important to complete before the baby is born.

What month?

The 36th obstetric week means that from the moment you conceive your baby, the 34th week is going on. And how many months is this? Almost nine lunar. (If we take it as the usual lunar calendar, 36 weeks will end with 9 months. In obstetric practice, it is customary to divide the months into 4 weeks, so 36 weeks open the last - 9 months of the obstetric month of pregnancy. About the gestational age and calculation methods here -https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/beremennost/kak-opredelit-srok-beremennosti.html

Fetal development

Your baby is almost completely ready for childbirth. Many internal organs (for example, the heart, endocrine glands, brain, circulatory system, liver, kidneys) are fully formed and perform all their functions.

Some organs will work only after the birth of the baby. For example, the intestine does not fulfill its excretory function, although a certain amount of feces has already accumulated in it. These are solid particles that during the entire pregnancy have entered the fetus’s stomach along with swallowed amniotic fluid. Such masses are called meconium, they are black in color, and will be excreted by the intestines on the first day after the birth of the baby.

The lungs are still not functioning. The fetus receives oxygen through the placenta and the umbilical cord, carbon dioxide is also excreted. Now it’s the lungs - the baby’s weakest point. Many children have not yet formed enough surfactant, a substance that regulates respiratory processes.

This is why childbirth at the 36th week of pregnancy is considered premature and undesirable. Children who appear at this period often find themselves unable to fully breathe. They need special equipment and medical supervision.

What is happening with the baby now? He gradually gets rid of the original grease.This substance protects thin baby skin from soaking for many weeks. Now its layer is becoming thinner.

The skeleton of the fetus has almost reached the desired degree of mineralization. The bones of the skull are connected by cartilage. During childbirth, they move slightly so that the fetus more easily passes through the birth canal of the mother. Full development of bones is achieved by an adult, tentatively this happens at 25 years old.

The skin of the fetus is a little straightened due to subcutaneous fat, limbs and cheeks become cute infant swelling. The bright red color of the skin turns a little pale, although the baby pink color appears only a few weeks after birth.

Fetal position

Now your baby in the uterus is very crowded. Most likely, he has already taken the most correct position: head down, arms and legs crossed. But this does not always happen.

If the doctor has found you have the wrong presentation of the fetus, do not be afraid. There are exercises that will help the baby turn correctly (read about them in the recommendations at the bottom of the article). And there is also a technique for external rotation of the fetus, this is a special medical procedure.

Pregnancy Twins

This happens to about one in a hundred mothers. Wearing two children at once is more difficult work than giving life to one baby. A multiple pregnancy rarely “reaches” forty weeks, so twins or twins may well be born at thirty-sixth week.

With a multiple pregnancy, the height and weight of each baby is less than with a single pregnancy. And the number of movements can be very small, as two children literally do not have enough space.

Woman's feelings

It is on the 36th week that you can feel something wonderful: the disappearance of heartburn and relief of breathing. Now the stomach is slowly starting to sink. This reduces pressure on the diaphragm and some internal organs.

But at the same time, your bladder seems to decrease several times, because the uterus is now pressing harder on it. The urge to urinate becomes almost constant. Because of this, leaving the house for a long time is simply impossible. If you are still going somewhere, immediately clarify the issue of the availability of public toilets. Sometimes the urge to defecate also increases.

You may experience serious sleep disturbances. Even with pillows overnight, your stomach can really get in the way. If you can’t sleep off at night, catch up in the afternoon. Chronic fatigue can seriously complicate the upcoming birth and the postpartum period.

Harbingers of childbirth - false contractions

Surely you have been feeling false fights for a long time (Brexton Hicks). This is a normal physiological process. So your uterus trains before birth. You feel as if the whole stomach is stiff for a few seconds, and then it relaxes by itself.

At the thirty-sixth week, such contractions may occur more often. Be very careful not to confuse them with real birth. False contractions should not be repeated more often than four times in one hour, and the gaps between them should not be uniform.

If the contractions are repeated as if on a timer, call a doctor - most likely, childbirth begins.

A few words about how the birth occurs

Now you need to at least in general terms understand what you have to do in the maternity hospital. The birth of a baby is a very individual process. The births of different women may be similar, but you will definitely feel something of your own. Childbirth is divided into three periods:

1. The cervix opens to such a state as to “release” the fetus.This period is accompanied by regular contractions, the discharge of water and ends with attempts.
2. Feeling the effort, the woman in labor at the command of the midwife is pushing, then relaxes. A baby is born.
3. Attempts begin again, and the mother’s body gets rid of the membranes and placenta.

In the postpartum period, a woman will have rest, a doctor's examination, and, if necessary, suturing. All this applies to independent childbirth.

If your baby is destined to appear with the help of a caesarean section, then at a certain period this operation will be performed. It also has phases, but they relate only to medical actions. In this case, the mother is given a passive role.

What mom needs to do

Assemble the bag for the maternity hospital:

• hygiene items (pre- and postpartum);
• sealed water bottle;
• a plastic envelope or corner with all the documents (always carry it with you).

Check the rules and requirements of the maternity hospital, which you have chosen or determined by the doctor’s testimony. A ban on the use of leather, fabric bags. Then you have to put everything in plastic bags.

If you plan to have someone from your family present at birth, they may need to take some tests.

Also make a to-do list. It is about everything that you want to be in time before the birth. For example, go to an interesting exhibition or buy a curtain for a child.

We also read: necessary things for a newborn baby for the first time - list

What mom doesn’t need to do

Many women at week 36 ask impatiently: well, when am I giving birth? A very dangerous situation is connected with this issue.

Many mothers believe that at this time their baby is completely ready to be born, and he can even be “helped”. And then women sharply increase their physical activity, take on hard work. There are even those who specifically visit the bath or sauna or activate their intimate life.

Never try to stimulate your birth yourself. A gestation period of 36 weeks means that the time is not yet. The baby will come to you when it is completely ready. It is possible that he will need more than forty weeks for this, and it happens. Be patient so you don’t regret your baby’s early birth.

Discharge and pain

Everything is still here. Norma is a scanty white vaginal mucus with a neutral odor. Violations - curdled, yellow, foul-smelling discharge.

Amniotic fluid leakage and bleeding are the most dangerous, their appearance requires urgent medical attention.

Surely now you now and then have a barely noticeable pain in the stomach, lower back, back. Light discomfort is now impossible to avoid. However, for any real pain, urgently go to the doctor or call him at home.

Complications

Problems due to which the normal course of pregnancy is disturbed can occur until the very birth. The most frequent:

• Gestosis (late toxicosis). Find out more here - https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/beremennost/problemyi/toksikoz-u-beremennyih-i-kak-s-nim-spravlyatsya.html.
• Detachment of the placenta. Violates fetal nutrition. It is an indication for the early birth of the baby.
• Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the fetus. It can lead to complications of the brain and nervous system.
• Increased uterine tone. Constantly tense muscles threaten premature birth.

Photo tummies

Visit to the antenatal clinic

The schedule of visits to the doctor can be very individual. Usually, at the 36th week, they go to the local gynecologist every seven days. Activities during the visit are standard:

• checking the results of the tests that you must pass the day before;
• study of data from additional examinations (ultrasound, CT, Doppler and so on);
• measurement of abdominal circumference, uterine height, weight, blood pressure;
• questions about mom’s well-being and possible complaints;
• issuing directions for routine analyzes and studies.

Recommendations

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1. Nutrition. Your diet must have become a familiar thing. After childbirth, proper nutrition will become even more important due to the upcoming breastfeeding.
2. Check your weight.It is advisable that from the beginning of pregnancy you have gained no more than 11-13 kilograms.
3. If heartburn still occurs, cook and drink jelly, cereal.
4. Do not allow constipation to occur, eat prunes and / or dried apricots every day, cook compotes from them.
5. After defecation, wash yourself to prevent hemorrhoids.
6. Palpitations and shortness of breath require cessation of physical activity and a short rest.
7. It may be very difficult for you to move now, but it is necessary. Do gymnastics for pregnant women, Kegel exercises, walk in the park (without long pedestrian crossings), swim in the pool, do special yoga. This will help your body collect before giving birth and recover quickly later.
8. When sitting, keep your legs elevated, this will especially help with edema and varicose veins. Change your body position, arrange small workouts.
9. If your fetus is not positioned correctly, do not wear a bandage.
10. A simple exercise will help to change the incorrect presentation of the fetus: lie on each side for 10-15 minutes, repeat several times. Try not to fall asleep (ask relatives to help you).
11. If the baby is in the head presentation, always wear the antenatal bandage.
12. Give up travel, especially by air and over long distances. If there is an urgent need for this, get a permit from the doctor. Without this document, the carrier may refuse to provide you services.
13. If you have a planned caesarean section, do not worry that the baby will have an “incorrect” birth. The operation is prescribed only because natural childbirth is impossible in principle. So, the baby really needs surgical delivery.
14. Even if you do not have stretch marks, use special remedies against such skin damage (Top 10 Pregnant Stretch Mark Creams) Later, getting rid of the white stripes on the chest, hips, buttocks and stomach will be more difficult.
15. Watch out for colds and infections. Any disease can seriously weaken you and harm the baby.

Now it is especially important for you to accumulate positive emotions. They will help you in the first difficult days after the birth of the baby.

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Video guide: 36 weeks of pregnancy what happens to the baby and mother, childbirth is close, three periods of childbirth

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Preparing for a trip to the hospital