Week 33 · Third trimester
33 weeks pregnant
Hydrangea stem
43.7 cm (17.2 in)head to heel
At about 43.7 cm from head to heel, your baby is close in length to a Hydrangea stem (~44 cm), one stem holding a generous gathering of tiny blooms.
This week, inside
The brain and nervous system have reached an advanced stage of development. Bones continue hardening, while the skull bones remain soft and separated to allow flexibility for birth and early growth.
What you might be noticing
- Pelvic heaviness. a heavier feeling low in the pelvis can occur as the baby’s position changes.
- Practice tightenings. painless Braxton Hicks tightenings may be present.
- Sleep and digestion. sleep difficulties, heartburn, bloating, or constipation may continue.
Small things that help
Keep the things you reach for most at a comfortable height. If plans are multiplying, write a “not necessary before birth” list beside the necessary one.
For the record
What cluster of small moments made up this week for you?
Zohra asks one of these every week, and keeps your answer. A year from now it is the part people say they are most glad they wrote down.
Where this came from
Not sure you are at week 33? Work out your due date — or see every week’s size on one chart, and the rest of the third trimester.
Keep this week
Zohra draws this same flower in the app, at this same size, and keeps what you write beside it — with your bump photos, the letters, and the sounds from your appointments.
Zohra arrives on the App Store for iPhone shortly. Everything on this site is free to read now, with no account and no sign-up.