Eighth Month Pregnancy - 8 months pregnant | Dr N Layyous

Eighth Month Pregnancy - 8 months pregnant

8 months pregnant (Weeks 31-35)

• Your baby is 42cm in length, 1.60 in weight.
• Fat accumulates under the skin.
• Fetal movement may awake you at night.
• Kick chart can be used to monitor your fetal movement.
• You may experience heartburn.
• It is safe to have sex during this stage of pregnancy.

32 Weeks Pregnancy

• Your baby is 1.8kg in weight, 43cm in length.
• You may gain weight, 1 pound/week, and ½ of this extra weight is from fetus growth.
• Till the end of pregnancy, your baby will gain 1/3-1/2 of birth weight.
• Toe nails, finger nails and real hair have already formed.
• Skin is now translucent and the skeleton is still hardening.
• Your blood volume is now 40-50% more than prepregnancy.
• You may experience heart burn, as your uterus is compressing your stomach. Try to eat small, frequent meals. When sleeping, try to elevate your head on a pillow
• Back pain may increase as pregnancy advances. But if you didn’t experience it before, consult your doctor immediately. It may be a sign of labour.

33 Weeks Pregnancy

• Your baby is 2kg now, and 44cm in length.
• The skeleton continues to harden, but skull bones will not fuse together. This allows the baby’s head delivery during labour, by allowing overlapping of the bones. This may lead to a cone-shaped head from pressure during delivery.
• These bones will not fuse until early adulthood to allow for brain development.
• Your baby’s head is directed downward in preparation for delivery, and also this position allows more blood supply to the brain, for development.
• Your Antibodies are travelling to your baby’s immune system, to help in fighting germs after birth.
• If delivery occurs at this time ,while the system is still immature, there may be a need to spend some time in a sterile environment.
• You need to consume more calcium in your diet in order to help your baby’s skeleton to harden.
• You may face a problem to find a comfortable, appropriate position for you to sit or to sleep.
• You may experience aches and numbness in your hands and wrists. Try to splint your wrist or take frequent breaks away from your work in order to flex your fingers and exercise your wrist.
• Swelling of your hands, feet and face could be a sign of preeclampsia. Consult your doctor immediately if this happens.
• As skin stretches more, it may become more itchy. You can use a moisturizer, but after consulting your doctor, as it may be a sign of obstetric cholestasis.
• If your baby’s face is not yet directed downward, try to spend some time on your hands and knees and wiggle your hips and arch your back.

33 Weeks Fetus

33 Weeks Fetus

34 Weeks Pregnancy

• Your baby is now 2.3kg in weight, and 45cm long.
• The brain is working effectively, and memory is forming so let your partner keep talking to your baby in order to be familiar with his voice.
• Your baby can sleep and even dream by this time.
• The brain will triple in size in the 1st year of birth, and at the age of 1 year the brain is ¾ the size of the adult’s brain.
• The body is filled with fat which will regulate temperature after delivery.
• Your Baby can breathe with his lungs without a problem.
• You may experience polymorphic eruption in pregnancy, which is a harmless condition. You may take topical antihistamine, moisturizers steroid cream to decrease the itch.
• Take frequent rests and save your energy for the big day.
• Do not jump up immediately from a sitting position, as you may become dizzy.

34 Weeks Fetus

34 Weeks Fetus

35 Weeks Pregnancy

• Your baby is 47cm in length, and 2.7kg in weight.
• The nervous system and immune system are still finishing their final touches.
• The pupils react to light.
• The hair and toe nails are developed; your Baby will gain weight in the next few weeks, and if delivery occurs by this time there is 99% chance that your baby will survive.
• If you have a male baby then the testes will reach into the scrotum.
• You may have frequent urination or experience heartburn, because of the enlarged uterus..check out
  Frequent Urination During Pregnancy
• You may experience Braxton Hick’s contractions as abdominal cramps.
• You may have an increase in vaginal discharge which may be accompanied with blood, this is called the show.
• It is safe to drive a car, but put the seat belt beneath your bump.
• If you are thinking of returning to your job, you should think about childcare
• By this week, you should determine your birth plan, and discuss it with your partner

35 Weeks Fetus

35 Weeks Fetus

Dr Najeeb Layyous F.R.C.O.G

Consultant Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist