If you have been attending ante natal classes, you’ve probably learned all about birthing positions, breathing exercises, and so on. If you haven’t been to any class, you can give some thought to birthing positions now. Involve your partner in the process – try to figure out what position will be comfortable for you and find out more about ways to breathe during labor and delivery.
Your emotions may be all over the place right now, but this may be a good time to give a thought to your partner’s emotions as well. Your partner may also be feeling anxious about impending parenthood, about the new responsibilities, and may be apprehensive about any complications that could occur at the time of the birth. Plus your partner may be feeling a little left out as you the mother to be are doing all of the work here!
Changes in the baby
Your baby is now about 4 pounds and about 16.5 inches in length. If you underwent an ultrasound now, the technician would measure various aspects of your baby and based on the size and other parameters will tell you what the due date is. This could be a bit before or after your EDD, but don’t worry about that.
- Baby may have settled into the head down (cephalic) position by now.
- Baby can get a ‘taste’ of what you’re eating; so try to eat a varied diet that is rich in nutrients by eating a variety of fruit and vegetables and whole grains as well as lean protein.
Changes in the mom to be
You’re probably waddling rather than walking now but the good news is that your weight gain will have slowed down by now. Between now and the birth, it will be the baby who’s gaining most of the weight.
- Many women experience carpal tunnel during pregnancy. There may be a shooting pain, numbness or difficulty grasping things. This happens because the pressure on the nerves in the wrist increases at this time.
- Fluid retention and swollen ankles could be another problem about now.
Tips for the 33rd Week
To keep active in the later stages of pregnancy swimming is an ideal exercise; it prevents the body from overheating, it is low impact and the water cushions the body.
- However you need to be careful of falls if you go swimming. It can be slippery around the pool or in the shower stall.
- Be very careful getting in and out of the pool and also be vigilant about the quality of the water and hygiene levels at the pool.