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34 Weeks Pregnant

May 4th, 2009

34 Weeks Pregnant – Pregnancy Week by Week

pregnancy weeks 34

**Please note- Your Due Date is calculated from your last menstrual period, which corresponds to our Pregnancy Week by Week articles.

Week 34

How Big is the Baby at 34 Weeks Pregnant?
By 34 Weeks Pregnant your baby is now almost five pounds and just shy of 20 inches long!! More so than ever before your baby resembles a miniature being from pregnancy 34 weeks on.

Your Baby’s Growth and Development

Your baby is continuing to grow and fill out during pregnancy week by week. In fact, that is his primary job during pregnancy at 34 weeks and beyond. Not much changes from 34 Weeks Pregnant and on except your baby is adding valuable meat to his bones. Keep in mind that the weights presented each week in our week to week guide are only estimates. Some babies will weigh in a bit larger and others a bit smaller. Some babies will also be longer or shorter. Every baby is unique.

There are many factors that make estimating the weight of your baby challenging as you continue pregnancy week by week. Many women like to get an estimate about how big their baby is during their prenatal visits. However, most estimates can be as much as 1 to 2 pounds off in either direction.

There are many reasons for this. It is difficult to guess how much the baby will weigh combined with the placenta and amniotic fluid. Even with ultrasound your healthcare providers best estimate may be off. Ultrasound however can be a valuable too to help predict the weight of the baby.

During an ultrasound your healthcare provider will take many measurements to help estimate the baby’s weight and size. Among the more common measurements include the diameter of your baby’s head, the circumference of the head and abdomen and the length of your baby’s femur.

Estimates are more likely to be within ½ to 1 pound when an ultrasound is used.

Your Growth and Development

Your uterus at pregnancy 34 weeks is now just about 5.6 inches from the top of your navel. You may notice that you look similar to or different from other pregnant women who are as far along as you are. Every woman carries her baby differently. Some tend to carry more wide, while others carry lower or higher. It really depends on a number of factors. You may even carry differently from one pregnancy to the next!

There are many women that believe the way you carry represents the gender of your baby, but by and large this is an old wives tale! It is fun to guess however, particularly if you are waiting until delivery to determine the sex of your baby!

Changes in You
You probably are getting a little bit uncomfortable by pregnancy week 34. You are also likely to start feeling anxious to meet your newborn baby during pregnancy week 34 or thereafter.

Some women start to worry about whether or not their baby will fit through the birth canal at about this point in time. Generally your healthcare provider will not be able to predict whether or not your baby is too big to fit through your pelvis. This diagnosis is typically made during labor, when your physician can determine how the baby is fitting into your pelvis.

Just because you are petite doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to delivery a large baby. There are many women who are petite that go on to deliver babies 8 pounds or more.

Some women also start wondering when their baby will ‘drop’ sometime after week 34 pregnancy. Dropping is the term that refers to the process whereby your baby’s head enters the birth canal. It generally occurs in first time mothers a few weeks before delivery. In moms who have already given birth, it may not happen until a day or two before labor begins.

When you do drop you should notice a change in your abdomen. You might notice your baby is resting lower. You might also notice that it suddenly becomes easier to breathe, in part because you have ‘lightened’ your load and now have more room available in your upper abdomen.

It is also common to start feeling some pressure in the vagina after the baby drops. Some women worry that their baby might fall out. Talk to your doctor if you feel the pressure is severe. Your healthcare provider can check to see exactly how low the baby’s head is. Usually everything will be fine, you simply need to adjust to your baby sitting a little lower than you are used to.

Nursing Pillows
For Breast and Bottle Fed Babies

You may think if you bottle feed your baby you won’t suffer any of the side effects nursing mothers often do (like neck and shoulder pain). The fact of the matter is however, whether you bottle or breast feed your baby, feeding takes its toll. Most babies feed while laying in their side, supported by their mother or fathers arm.

The support you lend your baby while feeding can eventually lead to neck and shoulder problems. Fortunately these problems are easily resolved with the use of a proper support pillow like Snoozer Pregnancy Pillows. Remember you’ll need to take good care of your neck and shoulders so you can carry and lift your baby without pain as they continue to grow and flourish!

Maternity Clothes
The Inside Scoop On Maternity Tees

Want to know what many women find most comfortable to wear during their pregnancy? Why, maternity tees of course! Maternity Tees and Shirts from Motherhood Maternity, provide all the comfort of ordinary tees with just a little extra room for expansion… something you will need during the next 9 months! Many maternity tees are specially designed with expectant mothers in mind. They may have cute logos that tell onlookers whether you are having a boy or girl (and even twins in some cases!) or other classy pictures. The majority of maternity tees come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. You can mix and match plain ones with more dramatic, colorful concoctions.

If you are considering wardrobe essentials during your pregnancy, don’t forget to add Maternity Tees from Motherhood Maternity to your list of must haves! Once you have one you’ll find you can’t live without it!

Pregnancy Health Tips
Many women start wondering about whether or not they will need an episiotomy at this point in pregnancy. Recent studies have suggested that episiotomies while often common, are an unnecessary medical procedure that many new mothers endure at the time of delivery.

An episiotomy is an incision your healthcare provider will make from the vagina to the rectum in an effort to avoid tearing during delivery. Many women experience tearing when the baby’s head passes through the birth canal. An episiotomy may be cut horizontally or vertically.

Supporters of the procedure claim that it may help prevent unnecessary tearing and lacerations. However there are many women who endure increased lacerations, complications, unnecessary pain and even those that require reconstructive surgery after having an episiotomy. Many times an episiotomy will result in a longer recovery period after delivery.

There are certain risks associated with having an episiotomy including:

Increased risk of blood loss during delivery.
Increased risk of infection.
Weaker pelvic floor muscles after birth.
Increased healing times.
Loss of sexual sensation post delivery.
Incontinence.
Increased risk of a severe tear during birth.

In some instances however an episiotomy may be a life saving procedure. It can be medically necessary, particularly during times when the baby is in distress and needs to be delivered quickly.

Baby size doesn’t really have anything to do with the amount of tearing you might experience. How big your baby’s head is will actually determine whether or not you experience any tearing during delivery.

Is there anything you can do to avoid an episiotomy? Some women and healthcare providers encourage gentle stretching of the birth canal during labor and delivery. This is often referred to as a perineal massage. You can actually perform this massage in the weeks leading up to your birth.

Perineal massage is a form of exercise that can help prepare your body for labor. Many women begin massage in the five to six weeks leading up to delivery. Use of perineal massage may help reduce your risks for excessive tearing.

Many women choose to perform a perineal massage themselves, however there is no reason your partner can’t help you. To perform a perineal massage you will need to do the following:

Sit in a position that allows you to remain comfortable with your legs apart.
Place some water soluble lubricant on your fingers and thumbs as well as the area between your vagina and anus.
Next you will place your thumbs into the vagina about half way. Spread your legs and press down firmly on the perineal area. Try pressing down and to the sides at the same time so that you are stretching the area.
Hold for a few minutes. You should feel some tingling.
Massage the lower vaginal canal back and forth.

It is best that you ask your healthcare provider exactly how to perform a perineal massage if you are interested. It is often hard to visualize such activities without someone actually showing you how to perform them.

Ultimately the best way to avoid tearing is through a slow decent and controlled delivery of the head. If you work with a qualified health practitioner, you have the best chance of delivering your baby with minimal damage to your vagina and surrounding areas. If you have concerns about tearing talk with your healthcare provider. Typically your healthcare provider will be able to alleviate some of your concerns and inform you of all your options prior to delivery.

Article you might be interested in reading: Clear Blue Pregnancy Test, Pregnancy Support Belt, Pregnancy Due Date and Pregnancy Health Insurance

Article source: http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com