34 Weeks Pregnant

Has your midwife taken you through your birth plan yet? If not, then now it’s the time that she does, as your baby can decide to leave Hotel Utero at any time! Size of a baby at 34 weeks is around a butternut squash, your tiny human keeps growing rapidly as he piles on layers of fat. All his organs are almost fully formed by the 34th week of pregnancy, and his brain is currently undergoing major development. It won’t be long until you’ll be able to hold your little one and get rid of all these annoying pregnancy symptoms!

Pregnancy Symptoms at 34 Weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms at 34 Weeks

What to Expect:

• What to expect at 34 weeks pregnant? By week 34, fatigue has probably set in, although it may not be as intense as during your first trimester.

• With your belly growing every day, and your frequent trips to the toilet, it’s no doubt that you’re not getting enough sleep! Plus, your baby can become quite active at times, kicking and taking somersaults in your womb, which all radiate through your tummy.

• The uterus is between 500 and 1,000 times bigger than before you got pregnant, so feeling huge and slow is perfectly normal and understandable.

• Some women report itchy red bumps or welts on their belly and possibly on their thighs and buttocks as well. This is called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, or PUPPP, and affects up to 1% of pregnant women. While this condition is not serious, you should still let your care provider or midwife know about it.

• Week 34 should be a week of relaxation, so try to take things slowly. Also, don’t jump up too quickly if you’ve been lying down for a long time, as this might make you dizzy.

Your Baby at 34 Weeks

How big is a baby at 34 weeks? Your tiny human measures about 18 inches long and weighs about 4 3/4 pounds — fetus’s almost the size of a butternut squash. He continues to pile on layers of fat that will make his body rounder and his skin less translucent and wrinkly. In fact, his skin is smoother than ever before! Right now, his little brain is forming trillions of connections, which makes it possible for him to even learn in the womb. All this brain development makes him rather sleepy, so don’t worry if he’s not as active as usually. Interestingly, the brain isn’t fully developed at birth — it takes another year for the brain to triple in size and become three-quarters of its adult size.

When you're 34 weeks pregnant, his hearing is almost fully developed, so it’s a good idea to start talking to him. Babies tend to be particularly responsive to high pitch sounds. His lungs are still in the process of maturing so they’ll be able to breathe individually after birth. By now, your baby should already be in the head-down position, ready for birth.

Ultrasound Images of 34 Week Pregnancy

Bellies at 34 Weeks

Pregnancy Tips

• Have troubles sleeping? Tip of the week: wear satin pajamas and choose satin bed sheets as they make turning easy and more comfortable. They also facilitate sleeping since satin is particularly soft and also very slippery. Or, buy one of those specially-shaped pregnancy pillows — they’re great at helping you make it through the night!