32 weeks pregnant

Now, Your Child may be in the head-down position, with the head getting closer to your pelvis. 

On your side, many of your symptoms may still be there, including an increased frequency of the urge to pee.

Your Child’s development
The head is fully covered with hair, and tiny toenails are now clearly visible. Your Child now weighs about 1.8kg and measures 42 cm — the size of a kale leaf.

Enhanced coordination: Your Child enjoys sucking the thumb, which enhances the little one’s coordination and knowledge of the different body parts. 

Position: Your Child is actually getting ready for delivery and may already be in the head-down position. In fact, about 90% of babies delivered during the 32nd week of pregnancy survive and turn into healthy children. 

Lanugo: This fine hair that has been covering Your Child’s body for several months will start to fall off this week.

Pupillary reflex: Your Child’s pupil can now change in diameter in response to light. This means the optic nerves, which respond to visual sensations, are now ready to function. Note that while Your Child can already see right after birth, the vision still remains limited, as the eyes can only focus on an object for a few seconds.

Breathing: Your Child practices breathing more this week. It not only helps the little one get ready to live outside the womb but also helps the lungs secrete more surfactant — the lubricating substance that helps Your Child breathe more easily.

Genital organs: If you are expecting a boy, his testes are now descending to their final home in the scrotum.

Your development
The most common symptom in this trimester is most likely the increased urge to urinate. 

By now, the increase in blood flow may have gotten to its peak, so those symptoms associated with it may still be present. Your extra 50% blood volume helps nourish Your Child and will cover for the blood you’ll lose during childbirth.  

What you can do
With your due date fast approaching, you may now get your hospital loads ready. You can also do hospital registration and prepare other necessary documents during this period. This saves you time for too much paperwork when labor comes.  

You can also consider how you would like to manage pain during delivery. Epidural anesthesia is one of the most common methods for managing labor pains. However, some ladies prefer water birth or even go through labor without pain-relief medications.