Pregnancy Week by Week
Week Thirty Two
This is a 32 week ultrasound picture.
- As you begin to have more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions you may begin to wonder more about labor and what it will entail for you, your family and your baby. You aren't alone in having these thoughts.
- Most women have questions about labor and birth, for example:
- Is this really labor?
- When should I go to the birth place?
- How do I time contractions?
- Who should come with me? (Partner, doula, parents, siblings, etc.)
- What should I pack?
- Will labor be really painful?
- I want to address the last question specifically. About 10% of women will tell you that labor is extremely painful, while 10% of the women will tell you that they experienced no pain. The rest, 80%, will fall someplace in the middle of the two extremes. You really need to look at the sources of pain in labor and birth. We do know that women who have taken childbirth classes tend to report less painful experiences and have fewer complications than women who have not taken classes.
Baby:
- Your baby's movements will peak this week. From now on the will change in quantity and quality. Remember to do your Fetal Kick Counts. Most of the wrinkles are disappearing from your baby's face, and there may be a lot of hair on their head! The weight gain has been fairly incredible recently. Your baby has put on about 2 pounds of weight, mostly fat and muscle tissue, since last month, bringing the total to about three pounds eleven ounces (1.7 kilograms), and measurements to 40 cms or 15.8 inches!
- Babies who are born at a younger gestation than this will most likely having difficulties sucking or nursing. This also applies to babies who weigh less than 1500 grams at birth. A good sucking pattern is a sign of neuromuscular maturity.
Suggested Reading:
Birth As An American Rite of Passage by Dr. Robbie Davis-Floyd
A theory book on why birth in the United States has come to the place it is, written by an anthropologist.