Your baby's development in the 32nd week of pregnancy

Starting position: Your baby may already be moving into the final birth position. With its head down it lies in the belly and sometimes kicks hard into your diaphragm. The majority of babies remain in this position until birth. If your little miracle changes its mind a few more times, don't worry. It can still turn a few more times before the due date.

Cute hiccups: Your baby continues to practice breathing vigorously in the 32nd week. Through the inhaling of amniotic fluid, it often gets hiccups. This trains its airways and is noticeable to the mother as twitches in the belly noticeable.

Amniotic fluid volume decreases: The space in the uterus is getting smaller and the amniotic fluid now makes room for your baby to continue growing. About 1 liter is still in the amniotic sac at the moment. In the coming weeks the amount of fluid will decrease proportionally to your baby's growth.

Gaining width rather than length: In week 32 your baby's skeleton is almost fully developed. It will not grow much more until birth – at least not in length. Development now focuses on the formation of fat pads in the lower layers of the skin. Your little one needs these to regulate its own body temperature.

Developed organs: Your baby's organs are now fully developed – it only needs to practice using them optimally. The lungs will also develop their surface protection in the near future. The protein that protects the air sacs is now being produced in greater quantities.

Fetal position: It is getting tighter in your uterus – therefore your little miracle increasingly assumes the fetal position. When your child later sleeps alone in its little bed, you will notice that it still keeps this position then. Even some adults sleep curled up on their side like a fetus.

What can be seen on the ultrasound image?

In the 32nd week of pregnancy your little treasure gains a lot of weight: it now weighs up to 1,800 grams and is about 43 to 44 cm long. This means your baby is roughly the size of a napa cabbage. Gaining muscle and fat is now the focus: your little one has doubled its weight in the last month.

On the ultrasound image you may see that your baby has pulled its little legs close to its body. Sometimes it even sucks on its big toe, to practice its sucking reflex. It folds its little arms across its belly.

Physical changes – what happens to the mother in week 32?

How time flies! Only a few weeks left until the birth and the end of your pregnancy. Your baby is descending further into the pelvis and may already have turned in the 32nd week of pregnancy. What else changes for expectant mothers, you will find in the overview:

Little sleep: As early as week 32 you can prepare for sleepless nights with your newborn. Your active baby and the big belly will probably prevent you from finding a comfortable sleeping position at night and keep you awake. Many women prefer to sleep sitting up in the last weeks. Our tip: Place an extra pillow under your back, to sleep better.

The belly changes shape: By now your baby is so big that you can tell from your belly shape how it is positioned and how active it is. Sometimes your belly is nicely evenly round. Another time it may hang more downward. The change is completely normal and shows, how flexible your skin is during pregnancy.

Fatigue: Many women now notice that even the smallest activities require a lot of energy. So listen to your body when it requests rest and relaxation .

Important fat reserves: Your body continues to build up reserves, from which it can draw during the demanding breastfeeding period. By week 37 you will probably still gain about 3 kilograms.

Easily out of breath: From time to time you will probably briefly get out of breath now. Your baby's strong kicks now go quite directly into your diaphragm and cause temporary breathlessness.

Temporary skin rash: Around the 32nd week of pregnancy you may notice a red skin rash become noticeable. This occurs because of skin stretching and hormone-related dryness, but it usually resolves on its own.It's best to talk to your doctor about the rash. That way you can be sure that it is not an allergy or illness.

Tips against heartburn during pregnancy

You will probably notice it more in the 3rd trimester than before: the unpleasant heartburn and acid reflux. One cause is the increased production of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone causes your abdominal muscles to relax and the sphincter at the top of the stomach to relax. Your stomach acid can now flow back into the esophagus more easily – this creates heartburn.

In addition, as the baby grows your stomach is pushed upwards, which is why heartburn is a common symptom especially in the 3rd trimester. Don't worry: for your baby it is usually not harmful.

It's best to eat many smaller portions spread throughout the day and rest after each meal. Avoid heavily spiced and fatty foods and prefer almonds, carrots, or boiled potatoes. These neutralize stomach acid. A glass of milk or yogurt can also help: after eating it protects your esophagus and relieves heartburn.

Important appointments in the 32nd week of pregnancy

• Take care of official paperwork: The 32nd week of pregnancy is a good time to visit a few important authorities. The application for parental allowance can already be submitted before the birth and the birth certificate can be submitted after delivery by you or your partner. Also the maternity pay should already be applied for now so that it can be paid on time. For the application you need a certificate from your doctor regarding the planned due date. Women who are privately insured must apply for the maternity pay themselves with their health insurance – the insurance does not take care of it automatically.

• The last major ultrasound: This week is the last opportunity for the 3rd major ultrasound examination. In addition to the usual examinations, your doctor places particular emphasis here on the position of the placenta. Further information about the 3rd ultrasound examination can be found in the 30th week of pregnancy. In addition, in the last weeks before the pregnancy a extra blood test for hepatitis B is carried out. The virus can attack the liver and lead to serious infections. Therefore your baby will be vaccinated and immunized immediately after birth if the test is positive.

  For the 33rd week of pregnancy

Image credits

Illustration of pregnant women © designer_things stock.adobe.com

Child places head on the pregnant mother's belly © georgerudy stock.adobe.com