Use our pregnancy calendar to see what’s happening in your pregnancy each week.

It might be time to start slowing things down a little. Here’s what you can expect from week thirty five of your pregnancy.

Your Baby:

Is the size of a pineapple

Will be practicing their sucking movements ready for that first taste of milk

You:

May find baby movements increasingly painful

Should be taking things as slowly as possible (easier said than done!)

Can be tested for Group B Strep from this week onwards

Week Thirty Five

With a baby roughly the size of a pineapple inside you, you’re bound to be feeling a little full up at the moment. Things like swelling and general aches and pains can get worse the nearer to the end you get, so try your hardest to take things a little easier on yourself over the next few weeks. Taking a moment in the evenings to rest with your feet up should help to ease any swelling in your ankles and legs. Remember to keep yourself well hydrated at the same time, it’s easy to slow your drinking when you’re having to go to the toilet every five minutes but it’s important that you keep yourself topped up on water. Why? It’ll help keep your muscles in top condition ready for labour (remember, you need those muscles to push the baby out!), help reduce headaches and swelling and keep the toxins and waste in your body from building up.

From week thirty five, you can also be tested for a bacteria called Group B Streptococcus (Group B Strep or GBS). Around 25% of pregnant women have this natural bacteria that’s carried in their digestive system or vagina. Most carriers would be unaware of it’s presence as it’s rarely harmful to adults but, during childbirth, it can be passed to the baby which can cause serious and potentially life threatening complications. By detecting it during late pregnancy, antibiotics can be given during labour which can prevent the GBS infection from passing. Some clinics may do this automatically for you but if not, you can test yourself using a kit from Strepelle which you send off to their laboratories for testing.

Other fun things this week: I swear this baby is trying to make a run for the exit already, albeit via the side. Whilst movements around this time can be more uncomfortable due to limited room, I seem to spend my life pushing the baby’s bottom out of the side of my ribcage or flinching as it bounces off of my hip and pelvis. In the evenings the movements resemble something from the movie Alien as my stomach contorts itself around shifting internal limbs. I vaguely remember this from the first time round but with a bump that’s far more out the front this time, there are definitely times when I look down expecting to find a foot having ripped a hole in my torso… what a lovely visual to end on!

Missed a week? Catch up on week thirty four

Fancy sneaking ahead? Here’s week thirty six