Pregnancy Week 33

Your baby is the size of a pineapple. Lanugo, the fine hair that covered her entire body and helped keep her warm as she developed, is starting to disappear, but there might still be patches of it on her shoulders and back.

Baby's Length: 17.20in.
Baby's Weight: 4.23lb.

Not all contractions mean that you're going to deliver soon, which at this point should have you breathing a sigh of relief! Just like your unborn baby's body takes time to develop and mature before he's ready for his birth, your body readies itself for labor by practicing. These beginner and sporadic contractions are called Braxton Hicks contractions. Although they do not lead to active labor, they do prepare your body (and your psyche!) for when the time comes. If you take time to sit down, put your feet up and drink a glass of water or two, these contractions will subside. Labor-inducing contractions don't stop even if you relax for an hour or two.

Your baby doesn't have much elbow room these days—and, happily, that's probably going to mean fewer elbow jabs to the ribs for you. Because space in your uterus is running out, your baby becomes less active at this point in the pregnancy. You may also notice that her movements are affected by your daily routine: how much and when you eat, what position you are in, and sounds from the world outside can all affect your baby's activity level.

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Nervous about working right up until your due date? Propose working from home a day or two during the last few weeks prior to taking off. It will help you ease into your leave without eating into your actual sanctioned time off. Oh, and don't forget to factor in any remaining vacation or sick days when you sit down with the calendar to hammer out your exit strategy; many companies will let you count them toward your time off.

Your baby's brain is continuing to grow and develop. In this image, the red and blue show blood flow to the part of his brain that lets the two halves of the brain communicate with one another.

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It's Week 33 and you can just about see your due date on the horizon. But, since babies can be about as unpredictable as everything else in your life, it's a good idea to do what you can to prepare (which believe us, isn't as much as you think). If your idle hands are itching to do something in preparation for so much busy­ness around the corner, it might be time to put them (and your partner's) to work packing that hospital bag. But what exactly should you put in it? Opinions differ and we'll discuss the essentials in this week's podcast.

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• Do I have to have an episiotomy?