One more day we continue with the series of tickets dedicated to Pregnancy week by week, arriving at the week 33, close to entering the last month and with a considerable belly because of the obvious weight of the baby who now takes weight much faster than at the beginning.
Because of the size of the belly, many moms continue to live a normal life, but others are already beginning to change their gait and body position a little to compensate, being able to suffer some back pain (and that is why it is recommended to exercise during pregnancy). As there are other symptoms that may occur at this point, we will see what are the changes in the mother and what happens in the baby in the week 33 of gestation.
Changes in the baby in week 33 of pregnancy
In the week 33 of gestation, at which time the baby has been forming for 31 weeks, it measures about 43-45 cm and weighs about 2,000 grams. This, obviously, is variable, because now genetics already play an important role and we can find babies of that size as well as others that are much larger or smaller. To learn more about their measurements, tell them that their femur now measures about 6.5 cm and that the circumference of their head is about 30.6 cm.
In this week it is possible that, if you have not already turned around to put yourself in a cephalic position, do it or start to "think" about doing it. Now you can still, but in a few weeks your size will make it more difficult to turn.
It has been seen that fetuses of this age make rapid eye movements (REM) that are like what we do when we dream. For this reason It is believed that 33-week-old fetuses already dream when they sleep. The question we are sure to ask ourselves is, and what do you dream of? Question that has no answer, obviously, because it is impossible to know.
The baby's brain continues to develop and now you already have the five senses ready by the time you have to be born They hear the voice of mom and the people who have spoken to her for weeks, they can see inside the belly when the light hits mom's skin, they taste the amniotic fluid and they already feel with the touch. They have no chance to smell, but when they leave they will be very clear about the smell of mom.
As I said, it gains weight quite quickly because is gaining body fat (although he will be born very little). Respiratory movements are also observed, as if they were training to breathe, but they cannot do so because they are in amniotic fluid. The lungs, moreover, are in an active phase of development and, although they are almost mature, they still lack a bit.
The baby's bones are fully developed, although at this point they are still a bit soft and flexible. In preparation for life abroad, the baby begins to store iron, calcium and phosphorus (so premature babies have a higher risk of anemia, because they have not had time to store enough iron).
Changes in women in week 33 of pregnancy
The body continues to change and it is estimated that the mother's weight gain until this week (the accumulated to date) is about 8,050 kg, although as we have said in previous weeks, this is only an average.
At this point in pregnancy the woman may have stronger contractions, although they are still called false contractions or from Braxton Hicks. They are unless they appear more than five contractions per hour and begin to increase in frequency.
It is also possible that some colostrum begins to appear in the chest. It is normal and nothing special needs to be done beyond waiting for the baby to be born so that he can take it.
Some women suffer from the syndrome of Carpal tunnel, which produces pain and some insensitivity in the fingers, hands and wrists. It usually occurs at night, or at dawn, and it happens because in the same way that other parts of the body swell, the tissues of the wrist do so, increasing the pressure of the carpal tunnel, where nerves that get pinched, causing those symptom.
To solve it it can be useful to look for a position that bothers less when sleeping, use some type of wristband or do some of the exercises that we mentioned in your day. However, it is a temporary nuisance that disappears when fluid retention decreases.
It can also happen that the woman begins to feel respiratory distress. This is due to the increase in the size of the belly, which already slightly presses the lungs and causes the respiratory rate to increase slightly, by making shorter inspirations. In principle it should not be an impediment to do the same activities of daily life. If so, if fatigue appeared to do the same as usual to the point of not being able to do so, it would be necessary to consult with the doctor.
It may be a good time to consider whether or not to do perineal massage. It is usually recommended to start 4-5 weeks before delivery, which is usually around week 34-35, but there are those who start earlier and, as a minimum, it can be interesting to be informed about it, since It has been proven effective in preventing trauma in the perineum
Next week: 34th week of pregnancy
Photos | Ben Klocek, Mrs Flinger on Flickr
In Babies and more | Pregnancy calendar: from week 33 to week 36, Week 32 of pregnancy, Week 31 of pregnancy
