Week 36: Your pregnancy
Your baby’s growth: Gaining more weight
Your baby now weighs around 6 pounds and is 20.7 inches long.
Your baby works hard to accumulate all the fat she can in preparation for delivery. Her body grows rounder every day, since about 15% of her total weight is now made up of fat. Once she’s born this fat layer will help her maintain her body temperature and give her a reliable energy source.
Developments this week:
- Organs. Development of major organs, such as the kidneys and liver, is complete.
- Lungs. Some fine-tuning, such as the final development of the lungs, still takes place inside the womb.
- Head. Your baby's head is round, but by the time she makes it through the birth canal it may be temporarily misshapen as powerful contractions compress the soft bones of the skull. Her head shape will return to normal within a few days.
What’s happening with you
- Weight gain. With a month of pregnancy to go, you'll probably continue to gain weight, although the majority of your pregnancy weight gain has occurred.
- Heartburn. If you've been experiencing heartburn, the baby's movement down toward your cervix may ease that discomfort. Your appetite may return because the baby is no longer putting as much pressure on your stomach and intestines.
- Movements may change or cease. As your baby grows larger and amniotic fluid volume decreases, it's not as easy for her to move around. This may lead to an alteration in the sensation of fetal movements. To some women it feels as if the baby is not moving as much as it had been, but everything is usually fine. Things are just getting a bit crowded.
