36 WEEKS PREGNANT

• This image of your baby's face looks identical to the profile you'll be seeing in person in a few weeks (four or less!).
• For the remaining weeks, your baby will be adding 1/2 pound each week until birth.

• During the next few weeks, your baby will just be putting on a little more weight but not drastically as much as he/she did in the past few weeks leading up to this one. In week 36, your baby still weighs a little over two kilograms and measures up to nearly 19 inches and a half.
• Your baby has probably already settled into an upside-down position, getting ready to come out into the real world. As the bones in your baby's skull have not fused yet, making it easier for him/her to move the head in the birth canal.
• If you were to give birth to your baby right now, rest assured that his/her immune system is developed enough to fight off infections all on its own. Blood circulation has also reached perfection by this point in time.
• However, the digestive system, which, although has almost fully matured, will take a few more days to be fully developed.
• If there is one thing that has not changed from the previous week and will continue to be the same are your baby's movements. Your restless little one will continue to move about like it is nobody's business.
• As your baby's growing body is capable of functioning on its own now, the placenta takes a step back and produces fewer hormones. Your baby has become quite the stud already!
• Also, your baby is getting extremely close to being able to breathe on his/her own. Lanugo, the thin hair that has been covering his/her body will start to disappear along with vernix caseosa, the waxy-like substance covering your baby's skin, and they blend with the amniotic fluid.
• Along with bile and mucus, your baby will be swallowing the amniotic fluid and its contents. These things will eventually make your baby's first poop once after birth.

• Vaginal discharge : Are you spotting blood along with normal white discharge? Don't you worry, your cervix is dilating or opening up.
• Bloating & gas : You are probably passing gas and burping like crazy! Do not worry. This will go away soon. Stick to small regular meals and lots of water. And do not forget regular exercise.
• Constipation : Use the same remedies for this as well. Smaller, regular meals, lots of water, and regular exercise. If it is a bit too uncomfortable, speak to your doctor.
• Heartburn or indigestion : You may find them unbearable at this stage. Apart from small regular meals, drink lots of water and get out for a walk after meals.
• More frequent urination : Do you feel every time you go to the washroom, the baby may just pop out? His/her head is pressing your pelvis, making less room in your bladder. Do not cut down on fluids because of this.
• Changes in fetal movement : As your baby's all grown now, he/she may be finding the space too cramped to move around. What you may feel is now a lot less kicking and a lot more squirming!
• Itchy belly : By now, you probably know that Vitamin E oils help to soothe an itchy stomach. So, stock up on Vitamin E, you may need it while breastfeeding your little one.

Check out Mylo's solution to your sleepless nights

• While you may not be experiencing any new symptoms or many changes this week, you may see a bit of blood with your vaginal discharge.
• The reason for this discharge may be due to your sensitive and dilated cervix, which may have been slightly bruised during a routine check-up or if you had engaged in sexual intercourse.
• What you may also notice is that your baby's movements are slightly different than they used to be.
• This is because your baby has now moved down to your pelvis.
• This is still making you urinate more frequently.
• If your scans have shown a breech baby, do not worry.
• There's still time left for the baby to be in the head-down position.
• You could do breathing exercises meanwhile.
• You may also be wondering how to differentiate between fake contractions and real ones, right?
• Speak to your doctor and learn the differences.
• Understand what to do when water breaks or when the mucus plug falls.
• You may also want to be aware of the stages of childbirth and pain relief methods such as an epidural.