What To Expect At Week 33

This week, your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (about the size of a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. The bones in the baby’s skull are not fused together, which makes it possible for them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for the baby to fit through the birth canal. These bones don’t entirely fuse until early adulthood, so that his brain and other tissue expand during infancy and childhood. You may be feeling some pain and numbness in the fingers, wrists, and hands. This happens when the tissues in your wrist retain fluid, which puts pressure on the carpal tunnel (a narrow channel in your wrist), and is pinching the nerves in the area. Some practitioners recommend massaging the perineum (the area between the vulva and the anus) in order to help you avoid having an episiotomy or tearing during childbirth. Not everyone is comfortable doing this, but if you want to give it a try, now is the time to start.

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