Week 36 · Third trimester
36 weeks pregnant
Peony, full stem
47.4 cm (18.7 in)head to heel
At about 47.4 cm from head to heel, your baby is close in length to a Peony, full stem (~47 cm), lush at the top and measured all the way to the cut stem.
This week, inside
Around this point, the lungs are nearing the maturity needed for breathing after birth. Sucking and digestion skills are also developing for feeding after birth, whether milk is offered by breast, bottle, or both.
What you might be noticing
- Bladder changes. a little urine leakage with a laugh or cough can happen as the pelvic floor carries more pressure.
- Sleep and back. sleeping problems and backache can continue.
- Practice tightenings. painless Braxton Hicks tightenings may be present.
Small things that help
Place a spare pair of underwear or a liner in the bag you use most; preparation can be quiet and matter-of-fact. Keep feeding plans open to the support and circumstances you meet.
For the record
What are you hoping to remember about the person you are just before the meeting?
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 36? 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.