Welcome to calendar week 36 of pregnancy — officially the first of month nine.

Your shortlyhoped-for infant is eavesdropping more these days, thanks to a newly sharp sense of hearing, and he may also be possibly dropping lower into your pelvis.

This final month may bring extra joint flexibility (and less ideally, pelvic pain) as loosening and softening hormones kicking in alee of labor.

Your Baby at Week 36

Don't have headphones?

View video transcript.

Talk about a growth spurt! Your baby has gone from the size of a sesame seed to a 6-pound, 20-incher in about half dozen months time! That incredible rate of growth slows now for two important reasons. Outset, your fiddling one is storing up the energy reserves he'll need to become through labor and enter the earth. Plus, if his trunk got much bigger, he'd have a really tough fourth dimension plumbing fixtures through the narrow alley of your birth canal...a tight squeeze no thing what.

Speaking of that journey, it'due south a skilful affair for both of y'all that his bones are yet flexible, enabling a gentler ride to the big meet and greet. Leading the fashion is his corking noggin, featuring ingenious floating skull plates that overlap to allow the caput to shrink on the way out. When your little one emerges, yous'll notice a soft rectangular area on the top of his beautiful petty head. This soft spot — or anterior fontanel — is where your baby'due south skulls basic oasis't all the same fused. They'll close past the fourth dimension he turns 18 months.

Final touches are making your baby set up for prime time. Blood circulation has been fine-tuned and the immune arrangement is set to do boxing with germs outside the womb. Later on birth your little fighter volition continue to reap the benefits of your antibodies give thanks to your colostrum and breast milk. And speaking of that breast milk, baby's digestive system is ready to take liquid nutrient — theoretically — since your little ane still gets all his diet (and oxygen) from the placenta.

At a Glance

So cute!

Your baby looks more like an baby this week, with chubby little legs and pink-tinted skin — fifty-fifty in babies of colour because of the blood vessels just beneath the surface.

Bionic hearing

Your baby's ears are extra sharp during these last few weeks. Studies evidence she may fifty-fifty recognize your vocalization and favorite songs later on nascence.

Baby may drib

If this is your beginning birth, your babe may driblet lower into your pelvis this week in what is called "lightening" or "dropping."

36 weeks meaning is how many months?

If y'all're 36 weeks pregnant, yous're in month nine of your pregnancy. Simply a few weeks left to get! Notwithstanding have questions? Hither's some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken downward in pregnancy.

How big is my babe at 36 weeks?

Forget your agonized back — and everything else! — by trying to focus on your baby, who is now about 6 pounds and 18 to nineteen inches long.

Growth will slow down in the coming weeks, both so your baby will exist able to fit through the narrow passageway to the outside and so she tin can store upwardly all the energy needed for delivery.

Fetal skull and bones

When yous're 36 weeks pregnant, your baby's skull basic are not fused together yet so the head can hands (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

Your baby'due south skull isn't the only soft structure in her little torso. Most of her bones and cartilage are quite soft likewise, allowing for an easier journey into the globe during delivery. But don't worry — they'll harden over the first few years of her life.

Babe's digestion however needs to take hold of upwards

Past now, many of your baby'due south systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms, and merely about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby'south allowed system has adult plenty to protect your piddling i from infections outside the womb.

Others, nevertheless, notwithstanding need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth.

Why? Inside her little gestational cocoon, your infant has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, significant that the digestive organization, though developed, hasn't been operational. It will accept the offset year or 2 to bring information technology up to speed.

Your Body at Calendar week 36

baby size at 36 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy walk or waddle

Welcome to your last month of pregnancy! Information technology's a good thing your baby'southward almost washed cooking since your body may feel pretty "done" past at present too.

For one thing, by 36 weeks pregnant, y'all're doing the penguin waddle many third trimester momshoped-for adopt. That new walk is non in your imagination; it'south in your connective tissue, which those hormones are loosening and softening.

And that's particularly important now that you're nearing your due date. Your baby — who's grown quite big by this indicate — needs to fit through your pelvic bones, so it's good that they're more flexible at this phase. It'south your body'due south way of getting ready to squeeze a big infant out of a pocket-sized space.

Pelvic hurting

The downside to all this joint flexibility, besides the resemblance you now conduct to your feathered friends, is pelvic pain. Add the force per unit area from your babe'south head burrowing deeper and deeper into your pelvis and your heavier uterus weighing yous down, and information technology'due south no wonder it's a pain to walk around these days.

To relieve the discomfort, relax with your hips elevated, do some pelvic exercises, take warm baths, utilise warm compresses, get a prenatal massage from a certified therapist or try some complementary and alternative therapies. A belly sling may exist helpful too.

Infant drops ("lightening")

There is a happy upshot, believe it or not. Equally your baby drops into your pelvic cavity — and keep in heed that not all babies drop before labor begins — the up pressure of the uterus on your diaphragm is relieved.

Once this "lightening," as it'southward known in the pregnancy business, strikes, yous'll be able to take bigger and deeper breaths. Your stomach also won't exist so squished anymore, making eating a full meal more than comfortable.

Pregnancy Symptoms Calendar week 36

Changes in fetal movement

As your infant's quarters get more cramped and she has less room to maneuver, expect fetal movements to alter besides. Y'all should yet feel baby moving, just in that location will be less jabbing and boot and a lot more squirming. Read More

Heartburn or indigestion

As your stomach gets pushed upward and squeezed by your uterus, you lot may experience like eating less at mealtimes. That'south not necessarily bad news. Smaller meals are better for your digestive organization and may actually control heartburn. Read More

Bloating and gas

As if heartburn weren't plenty, yous're probably passing gas and burping like a frat boy. This too shall laissez passer (pun intended). In the concurrently, go for smaller meals, which volition help the heartburn, and try not to rush while eating, which will only cause you to swallow more air. Read More

Constipation

If information technology'due south getting worse, blame your belly again — a convenient scapegoat! The same mini-meals that volition help ease heartburn and flatulence are besides a good way to counteract constipation — and for the aforementioned reason: They won't tax your digestive tract as much. Read More than

More frequent urination

Your baby might take dropped into your pelvis by now, crowding your bladder. So it'due south no wonder y'all're going to the bathroom as much as you lot did during your first ii months of pregnancy. Simply don't cut back on liquids — your body needs fluids to stay hydrated now more than than ever. Read More

Vaginal discharge streaked with blood

The discharge from your vagina may be increasing and getting thinner. Don't exist shocked if you discover the mucous is pinkish, red or chocolate-brown subsequently y'all've had sex or a vaginal examination. That just means that your cervix, which is sensitive at present and may be starting to dilate, has been hobbling. Read More than

Itchy belly

Your belly might experience equally if it's stretched to the breaking point by now. Creams containing cocoa butter or vitamin E tin soothe that itchy abdomen and bring some relief. Amend still, become your partner to rub information technology on your belly and practise some bonding with the infant underneath! Read More

Edema (swelling in feet and ankles)

Edema (pregnancy swelling) may exist getting more noticeable now equally your body retains more than fluids. So not only will your ankles and feet be swollen, simply your face up, hands and fingers may exist besides. Go on drinking water and other liquids. All those fluids will help rid your organisation of excess sodium and other waste products, which will minimize swelling. Read More

Insomnia

Sleep may be more elusive than e'er as you toss this way and that looking for the perfect position. Make certain your room isn't likewise stuffy — yous're sure to feel overheated every bit the night wears on — by opening a window or lowering the thermostat. Read More than

Nesting instinct

It's normal to exist tired by the time you hit calendar week 36. Simply you may also get the burst of extra energy known as the nesting instinct — a demand to get organized and ready for the baby. If you do feel energized, take breaks to residue and eat. Read More

Tips for You This Calendar week

Note movement changes

Don't be alarmed if your baby'south movements accept changed from sharp kicks or jabs to squirms. Your cutie has less room for calisthenics at present.

You should withal keep track of your infant'south movements every day, though, so if you lot're worried, attempt sipping a sugary drink or eating a snack and and then see if your baby perks up. Be sure to call your doctor if there'due south a change in fetal movement frequency or an unusual modify in the blueprint of baby's movements.

Learn about your mucus plug

Exist prepared to lose your mucus plug, which will look like thick, yellow belch tinged with claret. It can happen weeks, days or hours before labor begins.

In that location's no need for business if your mucus plug dislodges well before your due date — information technology could still be a few weeks earlier labor actually starts.

And your babe is however safe even later on you're unplugged. In fact, your body continues to make cervical fungus to prevent infection, which means baby'due south still snugly sealed off. So you tin accept sex, take a bath and otherwise go almost your business every bit usual.

Prep your announcement

If you're planning on sending out birth announcements, information technology's a skillful idea to address all the envelopes or compile the email lists now. One less affair to do once baby arrives!

Get plenty of B6

Chase your protein with an adequate supply of pyridoxine. Never heard of information technology? It's the vitamin also known as B6, and its function is to help your body and baby use all that protein to do its cell-edifice job.

Think of it this way: If poly peptide is the brick, B6 is the mortar. And B6 plays an specially large office in the development of baby'south brain and nervous system.

You'll find B6 in prenatal vitamins and foods similar bananas, avocados, wheat germ, brown rice, bran, soybeans, oatmeal, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, watermelon and meat. Meet, there's overlap with your protein sources, making your job fifty-fifty easier.

Go your labor questions answered

If y'all feel uncomfortable or concerned about labor, it'southward always best to telephone call your health care provider and ask any questions you may accept. Even if you make an unnecessary trip to the infirmary or doctor's part, y'all'd be far, far from the only person who's done so.

Pre-labor tin can last for a few hours to a few days, weeks or even a month in some cases, and signs and symptoms tin can exist different for every person (and every person's pregnancy).

Learn about the stages of labor

There are three phases of labor: early, active and transitional. The kickoff of these stages is usually the longest. Thankfully, it's as well the to the lowest degree intense. Information technology tin can concluding from a few hours to several weeks, often without any noticeable or bothersome contractions.

The second phase, or agile labor, normally lasts a few hours. By this fourth dimension, y'all'll probably be in the hospital or birthing center, and your contractions volition become stronger and longer (lasting almost 40 to 60 seconds).

The third and concluding stage is chosen transitional labor, and it tends to exist the nearly intense phase. Information technology's also the shortest, mostly lasting from 15 minutes to an 60 minutes.

Prepare for a strep examination

No, non the kind of strep that causes throat infections. During week 36 or 37, your doctor will test you for group B strep (GBS), a type of bacteria that's found in the vagina.

GBS leaner is usually harmless to the many adults who carry it — and an estimated 1 in 4 pregnant women do, according to the Centers for Affliction Control and Prevention (CDC) — merely it can cause a serious infection in a newborn during childbirth.

To test for GBS, your practitioner will take swabs of your vagina and rectum. If the results are positive, you'll exist given antibiotics through an IV during labor, so there's little chance of you passing the infection to your infant.

From the What to Await editorial squad and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Expect When You lot're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses but credible sources, such equally peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected wellness organizations. Larn how we keep our content authentic and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Expect When You lot're Expecting, fifth edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Losing Your Mucus Plug and Encarmine Show During Pregnancy, Nov 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Group Strep B Testing During Pregnancy, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Childbirth Stage One: The Three Phases of Labor, August 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, When Does Your Baby Develop a Brain?, June 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, When You'll Feel Your Baby Move and Kick, June 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Changes in Fetal Movement, June 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, What to Write in a Babe Nativity Announcement, June 2021.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Your Baby's Head, June 2010.
  • American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How to Tell When Labor Begins, May 2020.
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, August 2020.
  • American Heart Association, CPR and Kickoff Aid, 2021.
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Third Trimester, 2021.
  • Mayo Clinic, Biofeedback, March 2021.
  • Mayo Clinic, Fetal Development: The 3rd Trimester, June 2020.
  • Mayo Clinic, Signs of Labor: Know What to Expect, May 2019.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Am I In Labor? June 2021.
  • National Institutes of Wellness, National Library of Medicine, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Stillbirth Is Associated With Perceived Alterations in Fetal Activity—Findings From An International Instance Control Study, November 2017.
  • National Institutes of Wellness, National Library of Medicine, Dietary Proteins, February 2021.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Biofeedback in Medicine: Who, When, Why and How? June 2010.
  • National Institutes of Wellness, National Library of Medicine, Your Baby in the Nascence Canal, June 2021.
  • National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, March 2021.
  • National Institutes of Health, Role of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin B6, March 2021.
  • National Partnership for Women and Families, Childbirth Connection, Your Body Throughout Pregnancy, 2021.
  • Stanford Children's Health, Fetal Circulation, 2021.
  • U.Due south. Department of Health and Human Services, Part on Women's Health, Labor and Nascency, June 2018.

Recommended Products

What to Await selects products based on independent inquiry  and suggestions from our customs of millions of parents; learn more than about our review process. Nosotros may earn commissions from shopping links.

Best Baby Coming-Home Outfits for Your Newborn

View All

Best Coming Home Outfits for Baby - Burt's Bees Baby Romper Jumpsuit

⚠️ You tin can't see this absurd product because you have advert block enabled.

Delight whitelist our site to get all the best deals and offers from our partners.

Best Coming Home Outfits for Baby - Little Me Welcome to the World Footie and Cap Set

Best Coming Home Outfits for Baby - Zutano Unisex Newborn Fleece Bootie

⚠️ You can't see this cool production considering you take ad block enabled.

Delight whitelist our site to go all the best deals and offers from our partners.

Best Coming Home Outfits for Baby - Tesa Babe Baby Girl Jumpsuit

Best Coming Home Outfits for Baby - New to the Crew 3-Piece Outfit