At 33 weeks pregnant, your child is exhibiting off their sucking and swallowing abilities and is continuous to follow their respiratory muscle actions. In the meantime, it’s possible you’ll discover that you simply’re out of breath as your diaphragm and lungs need to battle your uterus for house in your stomach.
33 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months? 8 months and 1 week
Which Trimester? Third trimester
How Many Weeks to Go? 7 weeks
Your Child’s Growth at 33 Weeks
At 33 weeks, a child is over 11 3/4 inches (30.2 centimeters) from the highest of their head to the underside of their buttocks (generally known as the crown-rump size), and child’s peak is nearly 17 inches (42.9 centimeters) from the highest of their head to their heel (crown-heel size). This week, the child weighs just a little greater than 4 1/2 kilos (2,103 grams).
Bones
Child’s bones are actually absolutely developed, however nonetheless a bit comfortable and malleable, particularly the plates of their cranium. These bones want to stay pliable with a view to move by way of the slender delivery canal.
Actually, one or two spots will stay comfortable even as much as a 12 months after your child is born. These areas, referred to as fontanelles, are regular gaps that permit room for the child’s mind to proceed growing.
Reflexes
A weak sucking reflex appeared round week 28. Now your child is starting to coordinate and follow sucking and swallowing. Your child may also show the rooting reflex by turning their head and opening their mouth in response to a contact or stimulation of the cheek.
Survival Exterior the Womb
A reasonably preterm child born at 33 weeks nonetheless has just a little maturing to do. Infants born round week 33 will want just a little particular care earlier than going house. There’s nonetheless a danger of disabilities because of prematurity, however infants born at this stage have a 99% probability of survival.

Discover a couple of of your child’s week 33 milestones on this interactive expertise.
How Will Being pregnant Change My Physique?
Your Frequent Signs This Week
Being pregnant can result in aches and pains that you simply hadn’t anticipated, and rib ache could also be one in every of them. You might also discover that with these new or rising discomforts, you are out of breath extra typically.
Rib Ache
Throughout being pregnant, your ribs increase, your uterus places stress in your chest, and your child may be pushing or kicking into your rib bones. This mixture of occasions can result in something from an occasional ache to the painful swelling of the cartilage within the chest wall referred to as costochondritis.
Shortness of Breath
About 62% of pregnant individuals report dyspnea or shortness of breath. Being pregnant and hormones trigger modifications in your total physique—together with your respiratory system. Within the third trimester, your rising uterus takes up a lot room in your stomach that it squeezes your diaphragm and lungs, which might have an effect on your respiratory.
Self-Care Ideas
As with lots of the frequent third-trimester complaints, typically the one factor you are able to do for full reduction from signs like rib and shortness of breath is to be affected person. You may probably really feel higher after your child is born in a couple of weeks. That stated, there are some things you may to do assist handle the discomfort now.
Dealing With Rib Ache and Shortness of Breath
Rib ache and shortness of breath typically go hand-in-hand within the third trimester. Listed here are some ideas for coping with ache and discomfort:
- Change positions while you’re uncomfortable
- Take note of your posture (reaching your arms up overhead whilst you sit or rise up straight may give your lungs just a little further room to absorb air while you’re feeling out of breath)
- Observe your childbirth respiratory strategies
- Stretch your physique and your muscular tissues with prenatal train or being pregnant yoga
- Take breaks and relaxation through the day
- Speak to your physician about alternative routes to search out reduction
- Put on comfy, loose-fitting garments
Whereas shortness of breath is frequent, name your supplier or go to the emergency room if you’re having hassle respiratory, you may have chest ache, your physique is swelling, or you may have ache that will not go away or is getting worse.
Postpartum Preparation
Proper now, there’s a variety of focus in your impending labor and supply, and naturally, caring in your new arrival. It is essential to recollect that you will want to deal with your self after labor and supply, too. Which means pondering forward to your restoration interval and gathering some postpartum provides.
If you find yourself having a vaginal supply, the next objects could make your restoration simpler:
- Anesthetic spray. You should use this pain-relieving spray after lavatory visits or after altering a pad to numb your vaginal space.
- Doughnut pillow. Sitting on the sort of cushion takes the stress off the delicate space between your vagina and rectum (perineum).
- Peri bottle. Fill a plastic squirt container with lukewarm water and not directly spray your vaginal space whereas urinating to quell the sting and soothe the fragile tissue.
- Sitz bathtub. This shallow basin sits on high of your bathroom. Fill it with heat water and soak your backside to ease ache and encourage therapeutic.
- Stool softener. Having your first bowel motion after supply might be horrifying, particularly when you have hemorrhoids on high of every part else that occurs to your vagina throughout supply. Ask your supplier to suggest a delicate stool softener that may make the expertise simpler.
No matter the kind of supply you may have, these things generally is a huge assist:
- Comfortable garments. Be sure you have comfortable lounge pants to placed on at house post-birth. You could favor these with a loose-fitting or adjustable waist when you have a C-section.
- Heavy-flow maxi pads. Whether or not you gave delivery vaginally or by way of C-section, you’ll expertise postpartum vaginal bleeding for as much as six weeks. (Tip: You can even use the pads to create soothing ice packs. Merely unfold a pad, squirt aloe vera gel down the middle, soak with witch hazel, refold it, and place it in a zip-closure bag contained in the freezer).
- Ibuprofen. This over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine may also help with perineal ache, cramping, and post-birth bleeding. Converse to your healthcare supplier in regards to the optimum dosing schedule for you.
- Nipple cream. Massaging a small quantity of modified lanolin ointment after nursing may also help stave off and heal sore your nipples. (Tip: Making use of expressed breastmilk can do the identical).
- Nursing pads. These helpful pads can be found in disposable and reusable supplies and can take up any breast milk leaks while you’re not actively nursing and defend sore nipples from rubbing.
- Nursing or pumping bra. The previous permits for straightforward entry for breastfeeding, whereas the latter can maintain breast pump flanges in place hands-free.
Recommendation For Companions
Have you ever seen your pregnant accomplice is cleansing rather a lot currently? This burst of organizational power known as nesting, and it’s considered an instinctual means by which parents-to-be put together for delivery. Some individuals begin to expertise the necessity to nest proper round now, whereas others expertise it a lot earlier or in no way.
As a accomplice, it’s your job to make sure that the pregnant particular person in your life doesn’t overextend themselves. At this level in being pregnant, your accomplice mustn’t climb ladders, use dangerous cleansing provides like bleach, or raise heavy objects. Supply assist and help every time wanted.
It additionally doesn’t damage to get in on the nesting your self. Contemplate making new-parenthood life just a little simpler on your self by stocking up on non-perishable grocery and toiletry staples now. On the identical time, put collectively some make-ahead meals to maintain stocked in your freezer.
Upcoming Physician’s Visits
Because you’re probably nonetheless on an every-other-week schedule, you may be again at your supplier’s workplace for a check-up subsequent week at 34 weeks.
You could be provided the whooping cough vaccine between 27 weeks and 36 weeks as it’s endorsed by the CDC.
A screening take a look at for group B strep (additionally referred to as GBS or beta strep) sometimes takes place between 36 and 38 weeks.
Particular Issues
Preeclampsia is a critical pregnancy-related situation that impacts your blood stress, in addition to a number of organs within the physique together with your kidneys, liver, and central nervous system.
Between 2% and eight% of pregnant individuals develop preeclampsia. The situation often reveals up within the third trimester however suppliers will display for indicators all through being pregnant at every prenatal go to.
Preeclampsia
Your danger for preeclampsia is elevated when you have sure danger components. You may be extra more likely to develop preeclampsia if:
- You’re African American
- You’re carrying your first baby
- You’re youthful than 20 or older than 35 years outdated
- You could have a better physique weight
- You could have a well being situation corresponding to hypertension, kidney illness, diabetes, or an autoimmune dysfunction
- You are carrying twins or multiples
- You have had it earlier than
- Your mom or sister had preeclampsia
- Your accomplice has reproduced with another person who had preeclampsia
Whereas water retention in being pregnant is regular, when you’re experiencing important swelling in your palms or face, your supplier will consider you for different indicators of preeclampsia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension.
There are additionally different indicators of preeclampsia that try to be conscious of. Let your supplier know immediately when you have:
- Respiration problem
- Complications
- Nausea and vomiting
- Ache in your higher stomach or shoulder
- Sudden weight acquire
- Imaginative and prescient modifications
When you’ve got gentle preeclampsia, your supplier will proceed to test your blood stress and urine commonly. They may ask you to test your blood stress at house, too.
In the event that they have not already, your supplier may even ask you to carry out day by day kick counts to watch your child’s well-being at house. Most individuals preeclampsia go on to have wholesome infants, so long as their situation is detected and handled in a well timed vogue.
Extreme preeclampsia must be handled within the hospital. Suppliers will often attempt to safely get your child to 34 weeks, however you might need to ship early stop additional issues of preeclampsia, corresponding to seizures or HELLP syndrome.
A Phrase From Verywell
If nesting instincts have kicked in, use them to your benefit when you may have the power. You have probably already executed all of the prep work in your labor and supply, so this week is a superb time to begin studying in regards to the postpartum interval and getting ready to look after your self and your new child after supply.