Thirty-sixth week of pregnancy

At 36 weeks your baby’s lungs are finally mature and his head may be engaging his pelvis area in preparation for delivery.

Weight and length at 36 weeks

 

How many months is 36 weeks pregnant?

At ^week 36 you are at the beginning of the ninth month of gestation. To know the exact correspondence between months and weeks of pregnancy you can use our conversion table .

36 ^per week: frequent symptoms

• Pelvic pain
• Increased white discharge (leucorrhoea)
• Itching in the belly and breasts
• Need to urinate often
• Insomnia
• Swollen feet
• nest syndrome

How your body changes

What does the balance say?

Right now, your weight gain should be around 25-30 pounds . This value, however, is very variable and depends on several factors, such as your weight before pregnancy , your build, how many children you are expecting and the size of the child. It will therefore be up to your gynecologist or midwife to determine whether the scale indicates correct weight gain or whether you need to pay more attention to your diet.

More generally, continue to follow a healthy and balanced diet and remember that, unless otherwise directed by your doctor, you should continue to consume approximately 460 kilocalories per day right now .

The belly goes down

If this is your first pregnancy, these days you may notice that your belly has visibly sagged , giving you relief from heartburn and shortness of breath. At the same time, however, you may feel the need to urinate more often , find it more difficult to walk or feel a sort of ” electric shock” in the vagina.

These symptoms usually indicate that the baby has “engaged” the head in the pelvis area and is almost ready to be born. To hug your little one, however, you will still have to have a little patience: most likely, in fact, they will still have to spend a few more weeks before labor begins.

White losses on the rise

You may have noticed a lot of whitish, odorless vaginal discharge lately . This phenomenon, which takes the name of leucorrhoea , is typical of pregnancy and serves to protect the vaginal environment from the resurgence of bacteria that could be dangerous for the baby.

However, if the losses are accompanied by burning, itching, redness of the vaginal mucosa or bad smell , do not hesitate to contact your gynecologist or obstetrician : these symptoms, in fact, could be the sign of an ongoing infection .

How the child grows

It is about 46 centimeters long , the size of a cabbage , and weighs around 2.5 kilograms .

A stash of energy

From now on your little one will slow down its growth rate , to pass more easily through the birth canal, and will dedicate itself to accumulating fat reserves , which will provide the energy to face the hardships of birth. From now on, his weight will increase by about 230 grams per week .

Finally autonomous!

The lungs are fully mature and are able to breathe on their own . The intestine is already ready to digest liquid foods and the immune system is getting stronger, thanks to the antibodies you supply through the umbilical cord. Meanwhile, the amniotic fluid is decreasing and these days you may even see the imprint of a small foot pushing on your belly.

Commitment issue

When your little one lowers his head into the pelvis, his rhythm of activity will not change , but his movements may be different. For example, you might notice his back shifting to one side or the other of his belly.

If the commitment doesn’t happen this week, don’t worry: This descent can also happen just before delivery , especially if you’re not in your first pregnancy.

Do you know that…

After birth, your baby’s immune system will continue to strengthen through breastfeeding . In fact, through your milk, you will continue to transmit the antibodies it needs to defend itself against the first infections. 

For the dad

Do you work away from home or are you afraid you won’t be able to get home in time to take the expectant mother to the hospital? For safety, choose together a trusted person who can accompany you while waiting for your arrival!

Checks and exams to do

• Vaginal-rectal swab

If it hasn’t already been performed in the past few weeks, your gynecologist or midwife will perform a vaginal and rectal swab these days , to search for  group B beta-haemolytic streptococcus . If the test results are positive, you will be given appropriate intravenous antibiotic therapy at the onset of labor .

Click here to see the tests to be done between the 34th and 38th week of gestation

Advice from the 36th ^week of pregnancy

• To reduce nighttime visits to the bathroom , make sure you’ve emptied your bladder well before bed. A little trick is to lean forward while urinating .

• Did you know that during pregnancy you are more predisposed to vaginal candidiasis ? To prevent it, try to limit simple sugars and refined flours in your diet.

• Have you already decided where your future baby will sleep when you get home? At least for the first 6 months of life (and preferably for the first year ), experts recommend that the newborn sleep in the same room as the parents, to reduce the  risk of SIDS .