32nd Week Of Pregnancy: Changes, Symptoms, Food & Care

In the 32^nd week, you are in 8 months of your pregnancy – a month to go before you meet your little one. Your baby is prepping up for the big day and is about 15 to 17 inches long, weighing around 3½ to 4 pounds. Your baby has been rigorously practicing all the skills that he/she will need to thrive outside the womb. These skills include swallowing, breathing, kicking, sucking, etc.

32nd Week Of Pregnancy: Changes, Symptoms, Food & Care

Your little human is now roughly the size of a Cantaloupe and has developed all the major organs. Your toddler slumbers in a regular cycle of waking & sleeping. Stay tuned to find out more!

What can you expect during the 32^nd week?

Your baby has bid farewell to the transparent skin and has developed skin that is opaque.
Expect for the lungs, your baby has now developed all the major organs. Chances of survival are great if your baby is born this week.
Your baby is inhaling some amniotic fluid and is practicing with the lungs.

Changes in your body

At this point in time and throughout pregnancy, you might feel changes in your mouth, teeth, and gums. These might include:

Sensitive gums

If you observe that your gums feel more sensitive, it might help to help rinse with saltwater and use a brush with softer bristles. You may also experience swelling or bleeding when you brush or floss.

Mouth sores

Your immune system is now working extra hours to remove germs from your mouth which causes sores in your mouth. Don’t worry as this is temporary and will go away after pregnancy.

Teeth feel looser

Your ligaments tend to relax as a result of hormonal changes. These same hormones may also affect the tiny ligaments that hold your teeth in place. When these ligaments relax, you may feel your teeth to be looser than usual. Rest assured as there is a very low possibility of you losing a tooth due to this reason. Usually, this feeling goes away after you’ve given birth.

Make it a mandatory routine to floss your teeth daily, brush twice a day, and keep having dental check-ups regularly every six months.

Your Baby

Your baby has started shedding the lanugo, the soft, thin fine hair that covered the whole body Most of it should have gone by now. Some babies are also born with a little lanugo.
Your baby is getting closer to looking like the baby you will meet. His eyelashes, eyebrows, and even his hair are now all in place. Your baby is preparing for his/her debut.
It is very likely that your baby is standing on the head now. Most babies move into the head down fetal position at a minimum of a few weeks before birth. If your little gymnast decides to change several positions before he is born, don’t feel surprised! You might feel him jostling into place as and when he flips or turns.
With more and more fat forming under your baby’s skin, your baby has now developed a skin that is opaque, completely different from the transparent skin that your baby had.
Not only this, but your baby’s toenails have been growing and are visible now. Keep-those handy nail-cutters ready as you will have to cut some teeny tiny toenails soon.

At 32 weeks, your child is currently around 15 to 17 inches in length and weighs around about three and a half pounds to four pounds. This size is so different from the size that your baby had in the 17th week of pregnancy.

Your Symptoms

You will possibly continue to experience pregnancy symptoms until delivery. At week 32 these symptoms may include:

fatigue
heartburn
Braxton-Hicks contractions
breast leakage

Constipation

The growing size of the uterus is cramping your bowels. This is making them drowsy and unpredictable. To tackle this, get enough exercise – anything helps from prenatal yoga to brisk walks. Also, keep yourself hydrated and drink enough water

Faintness or dizziness

Feeling light-headed or dizzy can be a result of a number of things, including low blood sugar levels. Continuously attempt and have at hand a protein-and-carb-rich nibble in your sack to chomp on when you feel faintness. Trail blend, soya chips, or granola bars are an extraordinary decision and may keep dizziness under control.

Hemorrhoids

If you spend a lot of time sitting, hemorrhoids, which are varicose veins in the rectum, can be a literal pain in the rear. Warm baths coupled with ice packs or witch hazel can soothe the pain

Colostrum

In the third semester, your breasts keep getting bigger. They leak out colostrum, the thick yellowish fluid, which is a precursor to breast milk. Your baby will first get this liquid, which is the first milk packed with protein and antibodies. On the off chance that these leaks are getting awkward, and wear nursing cushions or pads.

Itchy Tummy and Skin

The constantly-growing paunch may be getting itchier as the skin continues extending and dries. If applying liberal amounts of creams and moisturizers do not help, try calamine lotion or some other time of anti-itch lotion that can help soothe more stubborn itches. Another great alternative would be to add oatmeal to your bath and have a bath in warm (not hot) water.

Problems in your sleep

In the third trimester, a tsunami of other conditions such as leg cramps, heartburn, increased frequency of urination, and anxiety with a dash of hormones disrupt your sleep. Try and talk to your partner if you are tensed or worried about something.

Things to Consider in 32nd Week of Pregnancy

Some symptoms that you must look out for are sudden weight gain, changes in vision, pain in the upper abdomen or shoulder, persistent headaches, and swelling or puffiness. These could be signs of a pregnancy-related high blood pressure complication known as preeclampsia. If you feel that you are facing any of these symptoms in the 32nd week or anytime for the rest of your pregnancy, call your doctor and consult him immediately.

At 32 weeks of pregnancy, you are possibly 7 or 8 months pregnant depending on which basis you are grouping the weeks of pregnancy into months. Although you still have some weeks to go until your pregnancy is full-term, you will have a lot of things to look into in these final weeks.

Also, around this time, your doctor may be asking you to keep an eye on your baby’s movement – your doctor can guide you on this. One way to do this would be to count the number of kicks, keeping a record of how long it takes to count, say, 10 movements. Pick a time of the day when your champion is typically energetic. A good time would be after you’ve eaten a meal.

When to call the doctor?

If you think you are having contractions or if you feel that you are going to have them, call your doctor immediately. Along with that also consult him if you face the following:

burning with urination
vaginal bleeding or fluid leakage
headache that is persistent
severe abdominal or pelvic pain
blurred vision
fever

Additional questions that you may ask your doctor:

By when can I expect my baby to fully develop?
What relief and alternatives are accessible to me to ease the labor contractions and pangs? What are your recommendations?
How often do I need to be seeing you?
Is it OK if I bend over in my 32^nd week of pregnancy?
Since this isn’t my first pregnancy, what complications can I expect to crop up this time around?

Some planning tips for the big day:

This week should be all about planning what to do and get things ready when you bring your baby home. This may look like a little too early but it is a lot easier if you set things up now than in the last moment. Things will later seem smooth once your new baby is home and you are adjusting to your new life.

What food or meal options can I arrange for?

The last thing that you would like to think about once you bring your baby home is dinner or lunch. Proper nutrition is crucial for your recovery and wellbeing after your delivery. Nursing mothers need an extra 400 to 500 calories per day to keep up with the increased metabolic demands of the body.

If you have enough space in the fridge, try and prepare some meals and freeze them in the freezer so that you can pop them into your microwave during the early weeks right after delivery. One good option would be to ask your friends and family to contribute.

There are also some good meal delivery services that specifically cater to new parents. These are often a little heavy on the pocket but may make a nice baby shower gift.

What can I do if I have older children?

You should start planning about arranging stuff for your older children once you get into labor. If you have a family member who you feel will agree to come and watch your other older children, reach out to them. Also if you think that your older child will stay at a friend’s place, think of ways to arrange his transportation.

Here are Frequently Asked Questions on 32nd Week of Pregnancy

How many months are 32 weeks of pregnancy?

If you are 32 weeks pregnant, you are in your 8^th month of pregnancy. Just one more month to go!

What is my baby’s fetal position – head down or breech?

Around this time of pregnancy, you will feel tapping and squirming. Your infant has returned to a nestled posture. Between weeks 32 to 38, your baby will possibly settle into the head down, bottoms up, position in your pelvis preparing for birth. This is on the grounds that the baby’s head fits better at the base of your reversed, uterus that is shaped as a pear-mold.

Furthermore, it’s simpler during labor if your infant can come out with the head before the rest of the body.

What are my Baby’s sleep cycles like?

Notwithstanding planning for the large day, your child is slumbering with standard rest and wake cycles. Hope you too are resting up for the big day!

Takeaway

With just 1 more month to go for the big day, you might be extremely delighted and excited. Try to stay calm and take things easy. This is a good time to start planning about the things that you need to arrange for before, during, and after you go to give birth.

Keep your self-hydrated and do some regular exercises. Your little big human is also waiting to come out with a bang very soon and is almost ready for the big event. Take good care and stay healthy!