When you are 32 weeks pregnant, it is simply important to keep yourself fit and healthy by doing light exercise and resting as much as possible. At this stage, you shouldn’t miss any meeting with the doctor in order to ensure that the baby is growing normally. All you need to do is to calm down and relax and simply follow the instructions of your doctor. You should be fine while dealing with the latter stages of the pregnancy.
What Are the Pregnancy Symptoms at 32 Weeks?
During the third trimester of your pregnancy, you will start to feel your baby growing and expanding. At this stage, it is necessary that you eat a healthy diet so that your baby gets a fine supply of nutrients as well. The healthier you are, the healthier your baby will be.
There are ladies who think that sex during the third trimester may harm the baby in any way. This isn’t actually the case as sex won’t cause any issues for you at any point in your pregnancy.
Another symptom that you will experience in and around this time period is that you might not be able to sleep well and you might disturb your partner more often than not at night. Therefore, it remains a good idea to try separate beds or duvets for the time being as it will allow you to sleep without any tension of disturbing your partner while your partner should also sleep a lot more soundly.
How Does Your Baby Grow When You're 32 Weeks Pregnant?
This is the stage of pregnancy where your baby would be growing at a rapid pace and would be gaining a lot of weight. Your baby will have some hair and some small nails on the toes and fingers as well. The baby would be preparing for life outside your womb from now on and would gain most of the weight during the next seven weeks.
At the moment, you should be gaining around a pound a week with around half of the weight being gained by your baby. Your baby should be around 16.7 inches long now and would probably weigh somewhere around 3.5 to 3.75 pounds.
You can watch this video and get more information about how your baby grows when you are 32 weeks pregnant:
How Does Your Life Change When You're 32 Weeks Pregnant?
You might start to feel some pain in the back at this stage of the pregnancy and it is important that you report it to your doctor as soon as possible because back aches are actually a sign of preterm labor. Whether your back aches are an indication of preterm labor or not, the reason for it is the hormonal changes that are taking place in your body. The hormonal changes are actually responsible for causing the loosening of your joints connecting the pelvis to the spine. It is for this reason that you start to feel pain whenever you move during the latter stages of pregnancy. The gain of weight during pregnancy can also cause pain in the back as your centre of gravity moves downwards due to your enlarged uterus.
You might also feel breathlessness and heartburn during this period and this would be caused by the enlargement of the uterus which would be pressurizing your diaphragm. Taking smaller meals at regular intervals and sleeping with pillows propped up remain sound ideas to dispel both of these problems.
What to Eat When You're 32 Weeks Pregnant
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Needs |
Descriptions |
|---|---|
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Calorie |
You will need around 300 calories more during the 32nd week as you would be gaining around a pound during this week. Rather than eating processed foods and candy that offer no calories, you should eat nutrient rich foods to meet the calorie requirements. |
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Iron |
An iron deficiency can cause a decline in your hemoglobin level which is something you can’t afford because your hemoglobin level would already be under the scanner because of the 40 to 50 percent rise in blood volume. Iron rich foods like red meat, eggs and dry fruit should help you overcome any iron deficiency. |
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Calcium |
Your baby’s bones which are soft at the moment would grow through calcium and it is for this reason that the calcium requirements during this period are around 1,000 mgs of calcium each day. Eating yogurt, spinach and cheese can help you attain the required calcium levels. |
Important Notes: Keep a Healthy Diet
Keeping a healthy diet is important, as this is the stage when you and your baby would need nutrients the most. By eating foods that are rich in protein, dairy items that are low on fat and by eating fruits and vegetables, you should be able to keep your baby well-nourished. If you have a few difficulties in eating large meals, you should try to eat small amounts at regular intervals.
More Tips on 32 Weeks Pregnancy
1. Deal with Braxton Hicks Contractions
You might get the idea that you are going into labor at this point in time because of the Braxton Hicks contractions. However, they are just a false alarm and you should note them in order to prepare for real labor that will come seven weeks or so later. Getting warm baths should help in dealing with such contractions. If you find them terribly real, then you should contact your doctor in order to know just to differentiate between real labor contractions and the Braxton Hicks contractions.
2. Focus Your Energy on Activities to Meet Your Needs
- Swimming is excellent to help in dealing with the pain and swelling in sciatic nerves.
- Walking is brilliant as far as dealing with cramps and lower back pain is concerned.
- Prenatal yoga is great for keeping yourself relaxed and calm.
3. Start Listing Helpers
A lot of friends would like to help you out once the baby is born and it remains a good idea to make a list of helpers that have offered their help. Noting down the task that should be assigned to them would be a good idea as you won’t be able to direct them after delivery. The tasks can include walking your pet and making them eat, taking your older children to the park, getting grocery or bringing a meal.
