Third trimester · 36 weeks pregnant
Week 36: dropping down
Lightening, weekly visits and a packed bag.
Your baby is shedding lanugo and most of the vernix and may drop lower into your pelvis, which eases breathing but adds pressure. The digestive system is ready for milk and the lungs are nearly mature.
Size and weight
About the size of
a romaine lettuce
Length
47.4 cm
Weight
2.6 kg
Averages from standard growth charts. Measured crown to rump until week 20 and head to heel afterwards.
How your baby is developing
- Lanugo and most vernix are shed and swallowed; they become part of the first stool.
- The baby may drop lower into the pelvis (lightening).
- The lungs are nearly mature; the digestive system is ready for milk.
- Skull bones remain movable; sucking is strong.
How you may feel
- Easier breathing but more pelvic pressure
- Waddling walk
- Increased discharge
- Pelvic pain
- Braxton Hicks
- Poor sleep
- A burst of nesting energy
From 37 weeks your baby is early term, so from now on labour would not be considered preterm.
What's next
Tests and appointments
- 36-week check: baby's position (breech is discussed now), blood pressure, urine and growth.
- Weekly visits from now.
- Group B strep swab (35–37 weeks) and repeat infection tests if not yet done.
What to do this week
- Finish the hospital bag and put it by the door.
- Cook and freeze meals for the first weeks.
- Plan the route and transport to your chosen maternity hospital (tug'ruqxona), including at night, and keep your exchange card and passport together.
- Stop long-distance travel unless your care provider agrees.
Call your doctor or maternity hospital if
- Your baby is moving less than usual, or the pattern has changed
- Vaginal bleeding, or your waters break, especially if the fluid is green or brown
- A severe headache, vision changes, pain under the right ribs, or sudden swelling of your face and hands
- Regular painful tightenings before 37 weeks, or severe itching of your palms and soles
If something feels wrong, trust yourself and call 103 or your maternity hospital. You will never be wasting anyone's time.
Not sure this is your week?
Enter your last period or due date and we will show the right page and your checkup timeline.
Get this week in Telegram
Our bot sends you a short weekly digest for your exact week, your due date countdown and a list of upcoming checkups. It also knows the warning signs that need a same-day call.
- ✓A short digest every new week
- ✓Countdown to your due date
- ✓Reminders about upcoming checkups
- ✓Kick counter and contraction timer