Thirty-second Week of Pregnancy: What to Expect

In the 32nd week, you are in the last week of pregnancy of the eighth month. That means your pregnancy is heading into the home stretch, and you’ll soon be holding your baby in your arms. But in this last remaining time, your charge still has a lot to do.

In the 32nd week of pregnancy, it is getting tighter and tighter for your baby in your belly. Find out why you feel fewer and fewer kicks from now on and why you now get little red dots on your skin.

In the 32nd week of gestation, it often happens that your baby turns in your belly. This is necessary to get into the optimal birth position. The baby’s feet may press on your diaphragm. You may experience slight shortness of breath. Even climbing stairs becomes increasingly strenuous. You have probably already noticed that everyday activities that you used to do without discomfort are now a little more difficult.

Your baby now needs a lot of space in your belly. Kicks and nudges may also feel a little uncomfortable for you.

You still have a few weeks to go before you can finally hold your baby in your arms. Until then, your body still needs a lot of energy to provide your baby with the best possible care.

Make sure that you give your body enough rest. Dizzy spells in particular can be a sign that you should take a short break.

In the 32nd week of pregnancy, many expectant mothers feel the desire for the closeness and security of their partner, but are unsure whether sex is safe during pregnancy. It is important that the pregnancy is “stable”. This means that neither contractions nor pain or bleeding are occurring or have occurred. You may experience a large red skin rash in the 32nd week of pregnancy. We will tell you what this is and what you can do about it later in this article.

These 3 signs tell you that the birth is imminent

If you go by the expected date of birth, it’s about 8 weeks until you can finally hold your baby in your arms.
It’s high time to start thinking about the birth. You may have already asked yourself how a birth begins and what signs point to it – we have the answers.

The rupture of the membranes

Your baby is in a sac until it is born. The first sign that it is about to start is the so-called rupture of the membranes. The rupture of the membranes occurs either in the upper part of the uterus or in the area of the cervix. In the first case, the amniotic fluid only comes out in droplets. In the second case, a swelling-like discharge of amniotic fluid is possible. Regardless of how much amniotic fluid is leaking, you should get a ride to the hospital immediately. The birth is imminent.

The contractions

Contractions are a clear indication that birth is being induced. But what is a contraction actually? A contraction occurs when the muscles of the uterus contract from top to bottom.

This process is also known as contraction. Contractions help your baby to descend deeper into your pelvis. Contractions are divided into 6 phases:

• Early labor
• Practice contractions
• Descending contractions
• Opening contractions
• Pressor contractions
• Postpartum labor

Bleeding

Bleeding during pregnancy can have many causes. At term, light bleeding is harmless in most cases – but should be monitored. In case of heavy bleeding, you should be taken to a clinic immediately.

Relate: Third Trimester of Pregnancy: What to Expect

These birth injuries you should know

A birth is always individual and hardly plannable. Unexpected complications can occur in almost all births. In this section, we would like to inform you about the most common birth injuries and at the same time take away your fear of them.

What are birth injuries?

Every expectant mommy probably wishes for birth with as few complications as possible. However, many pregnant women are not informed about possible injuries.

Injuries in the intimate area are nothing unusual during natural birth. During vaginal birth, injuries can occur in the entire birth area. Affected are:

• Perineum
• Vagina
• Labia
• Clitoris
• The internal pelvic muscles
• Sphincter muscle
• Cervix

Below, you will learn everything about the most common injuries during childbirth.

Vaginal tear

A vaginal tear is very rare. In fact, with vaginal birth, the risk is relatively low. In many cases, vaginal tears occur as a result of a forceps birth or a suction cup birth.

To reduce the risk of vaginal tears before birth, you can train your pelvic floor muscles. A daily perineal massage in the last 3 to 5 weeks before the birth can also make the tissue more elastic.

A simple vaginal tear can be closed with a surgical suture immediately after birth. As you can see – everything is half as bad.

Dam tear

The perineal tear is the term used to describe the tearing of the perineum. This is the name given to the tissue between the vagina and the anus. When your baby’s head and shoulders are born, the perineum may be stretched so much that it tears.

Depending on the severity and extent of the tears, injuries are classified into 4 degrees of severity.

1st degree

• Superficial tears of the vaginal and/or perineal skin.
• Depending on the size, the tears are closed with a small suture under local anesthesia

2nd degree

• Injuries to the superficial perineal muscles
• Injuries are sutured under local anesthesia

3rd degree

• Partial or complete rupture of the sphincter muscle
• Injuries are usually sutured under local anesthesia, in rare cases under general anesthesia

4th degree

• Injuries to the sphincter muscle and tearing of the intestinal mucosa
• In exceptional cases, may lead to fecal incontinence or pain during sexual intercourse

In the 32nd week of gestation, your baby is about 16 ¾ inches tall and weighs about 3 ¾ pounds.

In the 32nd week, your baby is almost ready to discover the world. The development is already very advanced. The digestive tract is not yet fully mature, and the lungs have not yet produced enough “surfactant”. This is the name of a substance that ensures that the vesicles do not collapse during breathing. It still takes a little while for the alveoli to mature enough for them to breathe on their own.

In the 32nd week of gestation, your baby will continue to practice breathing out and in, intensively with amniotic fluid. You may feel the hiccups caused by this in the 32nd week.

Your body in the 32nd week of pregnancy

The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes the muscles. This could be the reason why you, like many women in the last trimester, suffer from heartburn.

It occurs when the muscles at the entrance to the stomach no longer close sufficiently, and therefore stomach acid rises into the esophagus. Heartburn is often accompanied by nausea and discomfort.

Try to relieve the discomfort by:

• eating smaller meals
• avoiding spicy food
• sleeping with your upper body elevated

Also, talk to your gynecologist about what else you can do to relieve the discomfort.

When you are 32 weeks pregnant, and you feel your baby moving in your belly, you probably feel incredibly happy most of the time. However, it can also happen that the nudges of your little treasure seem a little rough. This is due to the increasing lack of space in your belly.

It can be uncomfortable when your little one nudges you in the ribs with his toes or elbow. By lying down on your side or adopting a different position, you may be able to encourage your baby to change its position in the uterus.

You are probably particularly concerned about labor now. There is understandably a lot of concern that you might go into labor in the 32nd week of pregnancy and therefore give birth prematurely, but the signs of early labor would also be very clear. Also, sink contractions that push the baby into the pelvis are not usually expected in the 32nd week of gestation.

Many women are worried about how they will handle the pain of labor. This is completely normal, as they do not have any experience to fall back on. Always keep in mind that nowadays there are plenty of ways to make birth as easy as possible for you: from alternative therapies such as acupuncture and aromatherapy to medical procedures such as local anesthetic epidural anesthesia (PDA).

However, if you are very anxious about giving birth, taking a hypnobirthing course, for example, can also be helpful. Various relaxation and visualization techniques are used to replace the fear of birth with joy and to encourage the mother in her active role during birth.

• Slow digestion. You are 32 weeks pregnant and now complain more often about abdominal pain? This can sometimes be due to your digestion, which has already changed since the beginning of your pregnancy. The reason for this is pregnancy hormones and the shrinking space in your belly. It is advisable now to eat as much fiber as possible and drink plenty of fluids. This can get your digestion going again.
• False contractions. The occurrence of exercise contractions – also called Braxton-Hicks contractions – is completely normal now. However, in the 32nd week of pregnancy, you usually don’t have to worry about preterm labor and delivery. However, it is important to have any pain (e.g. menstrual pain, cramps or dull aches) checked out by your doctor.
• Calf cramps. During pregnancy, calf cramps (often at night) are not uncommon. This is due to shifts in the fluid and mineral balance.
  Back pain. Many women complain of low back pain during their pregnancy. Causes could be a rapidly growing uterus, the loosening of muscles (precisely also in the back area), the extra weight, or simply a change in posture. You could try to counteract these symptoms with gentle exercise.
• Varicose veins. Varicose veins are dilated tubular or even nodular veins. They are often found on the legs. They form as a result of a weakness of the vein walls or valves. The extra weight during pregnancy can favor the formation of power veins. However, a tendency to them may already be congenital.

Week 32 of pregnancy: Your checklist

• If your baby is pressing against your ribs – it is best to change your position so that he can change his position.
• Regularly attend your medical check-ups.
• A visit to the hospital where you are going to give birth may help you to get rid of possible nervousness.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your birthing classes and to your friends to ease your fears.