Pregnancy Week 36

Learn From the Specialists

What Your Baby is Doing This Week

This week that little baby you saw on the ultrasound all those weeks ago has given way to a more plump and much larger version. Your baby should have a much more filled out face due to the layers of fat continuing to build up and your baby will be working on exercising his sucking muscles in preparation for those first meals outside the womb. Your baby should weigh around 6 pounds (2,721 grams) at this point.

The bones of your baby's skull are not connected yet and can actually overlap each other as needed to get through the pelvic area and birth canal, this is called "molding". If your baby arrives with a slightly pointed head, don't worry it's common and usually resolves itself within several hours to a couple of days at most.

What Your Body is Doing This Week

This is the week your health care provider will start asking your to come every week. You can expect to have a pelvic exam to see if cervical effacement (thinning of the cervix) or dilation (opening of the cervix) has begun. You may experience engagement (also known as lightening), which is when the baby drops into the mother's pelvis in preparation for labor. Once your baby drops, you may find you have a healthy appetite once more as the pressure pushing up on your stomach will be relieved.

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