At 33 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost the size of a fully grown pineapple. The little one is now rapidly growing in size and gaining lots of weight. At 33 weeks pregnant the child is about 17.2 inches in length and weighs approximately 4.2 pounds. The fetus might grow up to a full inch during this week! Watch out for the extra kicks and jiggles!

33 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

Forgetfulness

Commonly called “pregnancy fog” or “baby brain”, this is a situation in which you keep forgetting things regularly. The changing hormones and stress are beginning to make you forgetful and absent-minded.

Aching muscles

Discomfort is the main symptom of this period! You experience sore muscles from carrying the almost grown fetus. Try to do stretching exercises to help ease the stiffness from the muscles.

Wrist pains

Many women at 33 weeks pregnant experience the “carpal tunnel syndrome” that entails swollen nerves around the wrists due to excess water retention. This is a mild pain and will gradually subside as you reach the time of delivery. However, if it gets worse, consult your doctor without delaying.

Read more: Remedies for Aches and Pains During Pregnancy

Increased headaches

The changing formulae of your hormones at 33 weeks pregnant make your head feel heavy. Along with this, there are also other factors like stress and possible dehydration. Make sure that you drink ample water to keep yourself well hydrated and meditate to reduce stress.

Breathlessness

At 33 weeks pregnant, especially if you’re carrying twins, you are likely to face shortness of breath as the fetus crowds the area around your respiratory tract. However, very soon the baby will “drop” down more towards the pelvis and relieve you from this situation.

Pregnant Belly

By 33 weeks pregnant, you will have gained about 22 to 28 pounds. If you’re carrying twins, you’re likely to have gained an approximate of 32 to 42 pounds. Your belly might be tightening occasionally due to the Braxton Hicks contractions that are preparing your pelvic muscles for delivery. You might even experience sudden period-like cramps at times. However, there’s no need to worry unless they are accompanied by strange coloured vaginal discharge or blood oozing out. These might be signs of complications that may lead to pre-term labour. You must consult your gynaecologist immediately.

33 Weeks Pregnancy Ultrasound

At your 33 weeks ultrasound, you will notice that now the baby is keeping its eyes wide open while awake. The fetus is also learning to coordinate the breathing process along with sucking and swallowing. This, doctors say, is an important skill to learn for “life on the outside”. The 33 week fetus now has smoother skin, harder bones, and a faster growing head. The 33 weeks ultrasound is done as a part of the ‘biophysical profile’ (BPP). This test helps monitor your baby’s movements, breathing process, muscle development, and consumption of amniotic fluid. The doctor will also check the rate at which your baby’s heartbeat changes when it moves and when you experience contractions. If you pass this test successfully, chances of complications after this, reduces by more than half! Phew!

Dos and Don’ts During Week 33 of Pregnancy

Dos –

Start packing your hospital bag

Week 33 of pregnancy is the time when you should start packing your essentials for the delivery period that you will spend in the hospital. In the next few weeks, you will get busy with more appointments with the doctor and family events like official baby showers. Apart from these, you will also gain more weight, which will increase your fatigue.

Start preparing for postpartum care

Following your delivery, you will require a helping hand to get along with the caretaking of your newborn child. Make sure that you start preparing for that from now. Clearly, you will be busier in the next few weeks and hence not be able to interview potential helpers to start off soon enough.

Educate yourself on childbirth mechanics

At 33 weeks pregnant, you’re almost there! Gear up for the real deal, which is delivery. Read medical journals and articles childbirth and attend classes in which you can learn “Lamaze” exercises and delivery movements.

Exercise

Keep doing your regular exercises despite the fact that you feel bloated and tired at 33 weeks pregnant. Not exercising will lead to further stiffness in the muscles, increased constipation, and swollen limbs.

Read More:Exercises to Avoid in Pregnancy

Don’ts –

Shy away from asking questions to your doctor

Never think of any question as “too silly” or “not too important”, especially if it is bothering you for quite some time. Ask whatever you have to, so that you know exactly what’s right for you at this moment. Taking chances on your health at 33 weeks pregnant is more than risky.

Cut down on fats completely

Doctors advise you to cut down on fats, but there’s no need to remove them from your diet altogether. That is no way of getting out of the fattening and bloating process. At 33 weeks pregnant, you must maintain a healthy balance of nutritious foods. Opt for low fats and healthy fats so that the baby receives the essential nutrients to grow, and you are saved from extra weight gain, if that’s scaring you!

Use mobile phones all the time

Constant exposure to radio waves is not good for the 33 week fetus. These high-velocity waves can cause major damage to the baby’s nervous system and neurological functioning if left open to them for prolonged hours. Try setting your reminders on manually operated alarm clocks and make hanging charts in which the important points are marked in red. This way, you may stay away from your cell phone for at least a few hours!

Don’t stress too much about the future, as you’ve already made it through week 33, which is a vital one in terms of your physical and ultrasound tests. Now all you need to do is prepare for the coming weeks and make sure that everything is ready before the baby comes out!