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Your Pregnancy: Week 33

Your baby

• From the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, your baby is 44 cm (17 in) long, and weighs about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) now. Although she's nearly finished growing in length, your baby will gain more than half her birth weight during the next seven weeks. In fact, she may put on as much as 224 g (1/2 lb) a week!
• Your baby's lungs won't be fully mature until right before she's born. But if she were born tomorrow, she would still have an excellent chance of survival. Although there's no air in her watery world, she's inhaling amniotic fluid to practise breathing.
• At this point in your baby's development, she may have thick hair sprouting all over her head or just a few wispy strands. Whichever the case may be, the hair she's born with does not indicate the type of hair she'll have as an adult and may even fall out after birth, as hair of a different colour begins to grow.
 
Good distractions
You may be sick and tired of being pregnant, but remember, you’re in the home stretch now. Why not forget about your belly for a while and pamper yourself? You deserve it. Go for a whole-body massage or a facial. Take a nice relaxing bath, read one of your favourite books, or get comfy on the couch with a must-see movie.
 
Another test: Group B strep
Many women are now routinely tested for Group B strep (GBS) between 35-37 weeks of pregnancy. GBS is a bacteria that lives in the bowel and/or vagina of about 30 percent of women and can be transmitted to the baby during delivery, causing life-threatening complications, if untreated in the mom. Talk to your caregiver about any questions you have about this simple swab test.   
 
You said it! Advice from real moms
“Bring baby wipes and super absorbent maxi pads with you to the hospital. No one ever tells you stuff like that!” - Nicole
 
Did you know?
Blueberries are considered a superfood and are a great addition to your pregnancy diet. Not only will their fibre content help with constipation issues, blueberries help strengthen your immune system and your ability to fight infection.
 
Labour day tips: your birth partner
Is your labour partner pumped to perform, or feeling a little nervous?
 
Looking ahead
Maybe you’re going to wait to meet your baby to decide on a name, or perhaps you just can’t agree on the perfect moniker.
 
If you’re open to the opinions of other parents-to-be, share your ideas and look for new ones on our message boards.

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