34 Weeks Pregnant
YOU
Fatigue is a common complaint of late pregnancy. Difficulty
sleeping, aches and pains, weight gain, and anxiety about labor,
delivery, and taking care of a newborn may contribute to your
exhaustion. Rest as much as you can and take naps if possible.
Don't rely on caffeine to perk you up, though, because too much
caffeine can negatively affect your baby.
Your baby's head may be moving into your pelvis at this stage,
you may feel this as pressure on your pelvic joints. You may
find that you need to pass urine more often as baby's head is
pressing firmly on your bladder, but on the plus side, you may
experience some relief from breathlessness and heartburn as baby
drops lower, relieving pressure on your digestive system and
lungs.
YOUR BABY
Maternal calcium intake is extremely important during pregnancy
because during the pregnancy, the baby will draw calcium from the
mother to make and harden bone. If a pregnant woman doesn't get
enough calcium during pregnancy, it can greatly weaken her own
bones and teeth because the developing foetus will take minerals
from the mother's skeletal structure as needed. Your baby's bones
will be becoming harder but his / her scalp will still be
relatively soft for ease of passage through the birth canal. During
the birth process the two plates in the head will cross over to
allow the head to pass through the birth canal, and the soft spot
that remains once these plates return to their normal position,
known as a fontanelle, will take several months to close
over.
Meanwhile, your baby's adrenal glands have grown and are producing
hormones that stimulate lactation. The vernix coating on the baby's
skin is becoming thicker, whereas lanugo hair is almost completely
gone.Babies born at 34 weeks usually have fairly well-developed
lungs, and their average size of 5 pounds (2250 grams) and 38
centimeters, allows them to survive outside the womb without
extensive medical intervention, although they sometimes need help
with breathing, and almost always need help with feeding as the
sucking reflux which enables baby to feed doesn't develop
until closer to 38 weeks.
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