Author: Emily

I’m finally 32 weeks! I feel as though I’m edging closer to the point where I will see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I’m not quite there. Everything is just fine, despite my penchant for complaining. The baby is super active, which I’m hoping has no correlation to personality on the outside of the womb. But that remains to be seen.

So, approximately 8 weeks to go!

And for the real countdown: 25 days until I buy one of everything in the baby department of our brand new Ikea!

Anyway… here’s what WebMD has to say about the 32nd week of pregnancy.

Your baby measures about 18.9 inches long from head to toe and weighs almost 4 pounds (Dammit! Then where did these other 25 come from??). It fills almost all the space in your uterus now (and the space where your ribs, lungs and stomach should be living in harmony instead of playing “Survivor”), either lying with the head up or sometimes still with enough room to do somersaults (and jumping jacks). A layer of fat is forming underneath the thin, wrinkly skin (I KNOW! Jeez! Oh, wait, does that mean the baby’s skin??). Baby’s practicing opening his eyes and breathing.

Although you’ve only been seeing the doctor monthly, now you’ll probably start seeing your practitioner every two weeks until the last month, when you’ll probably switch to weekly visits (which is when the internal exams commence. I can hardly wait.). You may continue to get backaches and leg cramps. You may also notice colostrum leaking from your breasts, a yellowish fluid that precedes milk production (which is NOTHING compared to what’s to come).

Tip for the Week:
You might be carrying differently from others at the same stage of pregnancy, which may lead friends, family, acquaintences and random strangers to think that you’re about to give birth any second, when really you have eight more weeks. That’s just because they are stupid, not because you’re huge. Really. We swear. (Ok if only I could forget that it was me who put that last part in, I would be in business.) Whether you’re carrying higher or lower, bigger or smaller, wider or more compact depends on the size and position of baby, your body type and how much weight you’ve gained (did anyone notice how that didn’t say “the baby’s sex”? Interesting, seeing as how everyone thinks they can predict my baby’s, uh, parts by looking at my stomach!). For more comfort, drink plenty of fluids, elevate your legs when sitting, lie on your left side and wear support stockings (in case you don’t look cool enough in your too-tight maternity clothes).