33 weeks pregnant
Weekly update
Your Child may now be able to open the eyes when awake and close them when asleep.
Since the baby is still adding more weight and your belly is getting larger, you should be mindful of your movement to avoid bumping into people or objects.
Your Child’s development
Your Child now weighs around 2 kg and measures about 43 cm in height — about the size of a pineapple. From this week onwards, your little one will keep adding about 225g each week until delivery.
The eyes: The pupils have started responding to light by changing their size, as Your Child’s retina can now detect light from bright sources like the sun or flashlight. Your Child now keeps the eyes open when awake.
Flexible skull: While all bones continue to harden, the skull bones will remain soft and separated until birth. The reason is to make the journey through the birth canal easier as the skull bones will have to slide over each other to reduce the size of the head while protecting the brain. The gaps between the skull bones are called fontanels.
Your development
Your belly is getting really large, and you may not yet be used to your new size. So, you should take extra care not to hit your belly against an object or bump into people.
You can still enjoy sex with your partner, and your baby won’t be affected. Your Child may not even know what’s going on, even though the little one has grown.
Some ladies have sleep problems in the third trimester, and the reasons include high hormone levels, restlessness, and inability to find suitable sleeping positions. Since getting enough sleep is necessary, you should try to get as much sleep as possible.
What you can do
It is always advisable to count kicks because it’s a good way to monitor your baby’s health status. You can set aside a particular time for it — right after breakfast or lunch is a good time.
Walk in the sun: Go out and expose Your Child to light from a natural source. This might help improve Your Child’s eyes development and give you — and the little one — an extra dose of vitamin D. Try not to use a flashlight on your belly. A flashlight might be too strong and cause stress to Your Child.
Verified:
Dr. Wanwadee Sapmee Panyakat (OB-GYN) (20 October 2021)
Sources:
- 33 Weeks Pregnant - National Health Service
- 33 Weeks Pregnant - The Endowment of Baby Development
- 33 Weeks Pregnant - Light exposure during pregnancy key to normal eye development
- Pregnancy 33 to 36 weeks - Pregnancy Birth Baby
- 33 Weeks Pregnant - Fetal development: The 3rd trimester, Mayo Clinic
- Fetal development: The 3rd trimester, Mayo Clinic