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At 36 weeks pregnant you’re in your final weeks and there’s not much more you can do except wait patiently and fine tune the plans you’ve been making. There’s still a lot going on with your body and bump though…

Your baby’s development

This week your baby is the size of a… butternut pumpkin.
It’s possible that your baby’s head will engage with your pelvis this week – meaning that your baby’s body will move down and out from under your ribcage. Excellent news for you on two counts: one – you’ll be able to breathe a little easier again, and two – it won’t be long before you get to meet your baby!

Other final developments happening with your baby, include:

· Creases forming in knees, elbows and neck
· Gums becoming harder and forming ridges
· Meconium (your baby’s first bowel movement) becoming fully formed in the bowel
· Weight gain with your baby still putting on around 250g of fat every week
Your physical pregnancy changes

If you spend some time looking at your belly, you might notice that as your baby moves about you’ll be able to see a little hand or foot. It’ll be a bizarre sight at first but also very exciting!

On a less exciting note, you may notice:

· You will need to relieve your bladder several times throughout the night.
· Your back may start becoming achy as your pelvic bones loosen.
Your health and fitness during pregnancy

Insomnia still causing you trouble? Try not to take long naps during the day. If you stay awake for as long as possible, it’ll help you sleep for longer at night.
It’s also important to take care of oral hygiene throughout these last weeks as gum disease can lead to premature labour.

Your week 36 pregnancy checklist

· Take warm baths or go swimming to ease aches.
· Use pillows to get comfortable during the night.
· Make an appointment at the dentist to check your gums.
· As hard as it may be, try to relax and enjoy these final few weeks.