Pregnancy week by week · trimester 3
🎃 32 weeks pregnant: your baby is about the size of a squash
At 32 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a squash, putting on fat and practising breathing movements.
Your baby this week
Your baby is around 42.4cm long and about 1.7kg, roughly the size of a squash. They are putting on fat steadily, so their skin looks smoother and less wrinkled. Their bones are fully formed but still soft and flexible, and the plates of the skull can move a little, which helps during birth. Your baby practises breathing movements every day. Fingernails may now reach the tips of their fingers. Many babies are head down by now, and plenty of others still have time to turn.
You this week
Sleep often gets trickier, and a pillow between your knees can make side sleeping much comfier. You may feel breathless, warm and achy, with heartburn and constipation popping up too. Braxton Hicks might be stronger and more frequent, though they should not become regular or painful. Some mums feel a flutter of nerves about the birth, others a burst of excitement, and many feel both in the same hour. Packing a bag can be a calming little job.
Kind things to do this week
- Pack your hospital bag with snacks, comfy clothes, maternity pads, your notes and a few things for your baby.
- Write a rough list of birth preferences to talk through with your midwife.
- Have your whooping cough vaccine by now if you can, so your baby gets the best protection.
Appointments around now
No routine appointment this week. Your next one is usually at 34 weeks.
Questions to ask your midwife
- How can I prepare for the kind of birth I would like?
- When should I phone the maternity unit once labour begins?
When to call your midwife or maternity unit
If your baby's movements slow down, stop or feel different to their usual pattern, contact your maternity unit straight away, day or night. Do not wait until the next day. Please also call your midwife or maternity unit if you have bleeding, fluid leaking, a severe headache, changes to your vision, sudden swelling, or itching (especially on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet). If you have regular tightenings or period-like pains before 37 weeks, call your maternity unit too.
OBubba from bump to baby
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OBubba is free through pregnancy, with a weekly update, kick counting and contraction timing. On the day your baby arrives, the same app becomes your baby tracker.
Questions
What should I pack in my hospital bag?
Comfy clothes and nightwear, snacks and drinks, toiletries, maternity pads, your maternity notes, phone charger, and a few vests, sleepsuits, nappies and a blanket for your baby.
Is it normal for my baby to be breech at 32 weeks?
Yes. Lots of babies are not head down yet, and most turn by themselves by 36 weeks. Your midwife will feel your bump to check.
Not sure how far along you are? Use the due date calculator.
Sources
OBubba gives general information. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Your midwife and maternity unit are always the right people to ask, any time of day or night.