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Pregnancy Week 34

Pregnancy Week 34

Your Baby's Development This Week

Can you believe it? The baby is now about 17 1/2 inches long and weighs over 5 pounds.

The fingernails have grown long enough that baby can actually scratch his or her own cheek. Baby is blinking and responding to light, just as a newborn would.

The nervous system is maturing and developing, with connections multiplying rapidly in the brain.

The testicles of baby boys are now descending.

Pregnancy Symptoms You May Feel During Week 34

That belly is the center of much attention, not all of it pleasant. The belly button may have gone from innie to outie. If it bothers you, remember it's not a permanent state and if it's popping through your clothes, put a band-aid over it.

Another possible belly issue: itchiness. Some itching is normal with the stretching of the skin and can be helped with lotion and possibly calamine lotion. Other itching can be something more. If you have red raised patches that are intensely itchy and it spreads to your limbs, it could be pruritic uricarial papules and plagues, or PUPP. This can be treated with medication and creams. Another itchy problem is due to a dysfunction of the liver, and is cholestasis. This itchy condition is accompanied by nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite and is diagnosed through blood tests. It can be treated with medication.

Visit With the Obstetrician

Now that you are nearing the end of the pregnancy and birth is approaching, you should take some time during your visits to ask more detailed questions of your doctor about what to expect during and after labor. Don't worry that your questions are stupid or trivial. Ask away. Unasked questions will lead to unnecessary worrying. That's no good for anyone. Make a list to take with you to your visit and make sure you write down anything you might not remember later. Pregnancy brain will make retaining information more difficult than usual, and writing it down will save you the embarrassment of asking the same questions over again.

Preparing for Baby

Episiotomies are cuts made in the perineum to aid in birthing the baby. Routine episiotomies are not the norm anymore, but still occur in significant portion of births. Some people advocate perineal massage to avoid this procedure, beginning with massaging the area at week 34. To learn the proper method, talk to your doctor and let your partner be involved as well.

Pregnancy Lifestyle

As the pregnancy continues into the dwindling weeks, insomnia may become problematic. It seems to be one way nature allows you to adjust to life with a newborn. To ensure adequate rest, you might need to master the art of napping. Prop up those feet, put on an eyemask and soak up a few minutes of blissful peace. Make a comfy nest of pillows and lie down on your side with some calming music playing softly in the background. Peel back the sheets and slip inside bed for a quick twenty minute pick-me-up. Learning the art of snagging a few zzz's where you can will help you in those early mommy days to come.

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