Pregnancy Care Guide: Weeks 36

Pregnancy Care Guide

Pregnancy: Weeks 36 – 40

Changes in fetus • Over 14 inches in length from crown to rump • Roughly 7½ pounds in weight • Fingernails and toenails fully grown • Thick layer of subcutaneous fat • Heart beats at a rate of 110-150 beats/minute • Lanugo hair has almost completely disappeared • Placenta has reached maturity and is now aging • Eyes now blue, but may change post-birth

Changes in you • Stronger, regular fetal activity • Increasingly heavy vaginal discharge • Itchy abdomen, protruding navel • Increased constipation • Impatience and restlessness • Increased difficulty sleeping • Easier breathing after baby drops • Increased Braxton Hicks contractions

Suggested reading for mother: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, by Gwen Gotsch and Judy Torgus (La Leche League) Suggested reading for partner: The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year, by Armin A. Brott Suggested website for both: www.breastfeeding.com
What to expect at your next office visit: Weight and blood pressure check Complete blood count Urine test for sugar and protein Fetal heartbeat Size and shape of uterus (determined by external palpation to see how it correlates to estimated due date) Height of fundus (top of the uterus) Discussion of symptoms you have been experiencing (particularly any unusual ones) Estimate of fetal size (you may get a rough estimate of fetal weight and position, based on palpation) Presentation (fetus's head or buttocks first; facing to the front or to the back) Descent (to determine if presenting partly engaged) Examination of cervix (usually sometime after 38th week) for effacement or dilation Where appropriate, repeat cultures of the cervix Vaginal culture for group B streptococcus (unless patient has previous history, in which case the culture is not necessary) Increase in number of office visits to weekly
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