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33 Weeks Pregnant
 The Baby All of the organs are now developed and some are functioning already just as they will after the birth. More and more subcutaneous fat is forming so your baby's wrinkles disappear slowly but surely. The skin becomes a rosy color and the fine downy hair that was on the skin is replaced with vernix caseosa. This "baby cream cheese" prevents the skin from drying out. The fine downy hair comes off and floats in the amniotic fluid. Because the baby takes small sips of amniotic fluid, he swallows these hairs which then tickle and stimulate his intestines, which helps in their function after birth. Within 24 hours after his birth, your baby will have his first bowel movement. This is called meconium. It is greenish-black in color, odorless, and is very sticky. It looks like greenish tar and is just about that sticky - you may need to wipe him with almond oil or olive oil to get the meconium off of him! But that's something to think about later. For the time being, your child must continue to grow. He is now 16 inches (41 cm) long and weighs 4 ½ pounds (2 kilos). For the next four weeks on he will gain up to a couple of ounces a day. Depending on the time of his birth he will become a seven-, eight-, nine- or ten-pounder. Little girls are a bit smaller and lighter and the oldest (first) children are generally lighter than the following children. That may be because of the tight abdominal muscles, the stretching of the uterus and the age of the mother. The more children a mother has, the more the abdomen will be able to stretch.
 MotherIt's great to be pregnant and not have any problems. Longingly you are looking forward to the moment of the birth and you are fully enjoying the good feeling that your body gives you. What a happy time... But, some pregnant women experience lower back pain and pelvic complaints. Pain in the lower back usually starts in the pelvis, but it feels like a tiring, nagging feeling in the lower back. You start out a bit stiff. Over the course of the day it can lessen, or even disappear. But if you continue to overload your back and you stay stressed, then the area in which you feel pain can become larger. It can spread to your hips and legs and your whole pelvis will hurt. Pelvic pain doesn't just arise from getting older, but also overly-intense sports, your busy life with your job, motherhood and your social life but also especially because of the hormone relaxin. After 12 weeks of pregnancy you already have high levels of relaxin in your blood. Progesterone ensures that from the 16th week on, the softening of your pelvic joints will continue. Relaxin makes sure your pelvic ligaments are supple to help your pelvis open wide for the baby's passage, but it also makes all of your other connective tissue wobbly too. In some moms, the result can be severe sciatic pain, as the bones and joints shift around and compress the sciatic nerve. Ouch!In the end, all the discomfort will diminish your stamina. You waddle like Mother Goose and now it's time for targeted therapy. Don't wait too long to find a therapist -- ask your health care provider (HCP) for a referral to someone who specializes in pelvic instability problems in pregnancy. You may find a physical therapist, chiropractor, osteopath, or massage therapist who can help you create a treatment plan. Try to forge a new balance in your daily activities including sufficient breaks. If you can rest well in the afternoon, you can face the world at night.
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If you have a lot of pelvic pain then let your family, friends or paid household help take over. |
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If necessary, let your kids do things themselves or help you as often as possible. Reduce the amount you lift them up or carry them on your hip. |
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Ask your childbirth educator or HCP for tips on preventing pelvic instability. |
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Pelvic tilts, those cat-cow yoga poses, can help reduce pelvic pain and realign your pelvis with your back. Practice these throughout the day - but only if they feel good! |
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 FatherWhen you see that your partner is doing OK, feel free to do something for yourself or catch up with your work. Finish those work-related chores that you have been trying to avoid for a long time. If you have an executive function, it is now time to delegate. Go and spend time with friends or go out for an evening. You still have the chance to do it and need to be rested and relaxed when the labor starts. It is possible that after the birth an evening out with friends will no longer be an option for a while. Your partner would also rather have a happy and relaxed companion who spoils her with snacks and gives her massages than someone who mopes around with her when she's feeling down. Make agreements with no room for misinterpretation and show understanding for each other. Something that is really nice to enjoy together is feeling the baby, listening to its heart, making contact if you don't hear anything from the baby and experiencing the pregnancy classes together. That is the best preparation for the birth. The birth of a baby is something you do together and this is the time to prepare for it as a team. By reading, talking with friends of yours who are also parents and who have experienced it all before, and by visualizing your son or daughter he or she automatically becomes a member of your family. |
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