The days are running on the calendar and the time has come for you to live the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy. 

I have prepared this article to help you understand a little more about what awaits you.

I'll give you a little spoiler already: at this time, your baby is about the size of a cabbage.

For an even more complete and aware journey towards birth, I recommend joining the Academy to access all the best video courses to support your health during pregnancy (multidisciplinary childbirth course, pelvic floor, breastfeeding, nutrition, pilates, etc.) and the development of your baby (motor development, language, cognitive, baby-led weaning, pediatric airway clearance, etc.).

Also, on my Instagram profile @drsilva.com_official and on my YouTube channel you will find lots of content designed for you and your little one.

With the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, you officially enter the ninth month, which goes from 35+1 to 40+0. 

When pregnancy reaches 35 weeks, it is the ideal time to prepare the birth bag.

What to include?

Imagining the choice to give birth in a hospital, the most common in Italy - but not the only option, as I recall in this article - here is a general list:

• Comfortable clothing for delivery.

• Clothing suitable for moving around the common areas of the facility.

• Pads for lochia.

• Comfortable nursing bra.

• Parents' documents.

• Reports of pregnancy visits and tests.

• Snacks to consume during labor.

• A hot water bottle for pain management.

• Shower slippers.

• Everything needed for personal hygiene.

Before continuing with advice on what to pack for the baby in the birth bag you prepare in this thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, I consider two parentheses necessary.

The first concerns the temperature fluctuations experienced in the delivery room. 

To manage them, a good idea is to bring along thick socks, a fleece, and a tank top.

Remember that, in the hospital, heating is very strong in winter. In summer, the same happens with air conditioning.

Choose the clothes to put in the birth bag also based on these criteria.

As for advice on what to eat during labor, focus on dried fruit, oil seeds, dehydrated fruit (be careful not to overdo the latter).

Also excellent are 100% fruit and dried fruit bars and dry foods, precious allies against nausea.

Remember to put in the birth bag you are preparing during the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy - don't think it's too early, because time flies - also something to refresh the partner who will support you.

Now let's see what to bring for the little one on the way:

• A couple of changes of bodysuits for each day you will spend in the hospital (if you have a scheduled cesarean, consider a stay of a couple of days longer than that expected for natural delivery).

• Onesies if expressly requested by the facility.

• A hat to put on immediately after birth, as the newborn does not have efficient temperature regulation and the head is the part of the body from which it loses the most heat.

Also remember that in case of a scheduled cesarean you will not need clothing for the delivery room and that, in general, it is important to pack something that allows you to spend time pleasantly.

A book, the renewed streaming music app with playlists you love, crochet, crossword puzzles: there is a wide choice and what matters is that it is a pastime that brings you well-being.

Now let's talk about the symptoms that the expectant mother experiences during the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy.

Let's start with some good news.

If you have felt shortness of breath for many weeks, during the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy this symptom begins to decrease.

The fetus is progressively moving into the pelvis for delivery, which means less pressure from the uterus on the lungs.

Your companions during this period will also be Braxton-Hicks contractions, or false contractions.

They can also be accompanied by nausea and diarrhea and are the result of the action of oxytocin.

They have a very specific purpose, which is to prepare the walls of the uterus for labor.

There are specific criteria to distinguish them:

• Irregular character.

• Sensation of discomfort and not pain.

• Reduced frequency.

• Possible presentation following events such as physical exertion or the baby's movements.

Also back pain is part of the symptoms characterizing the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy.

The causes that provoke it are basically two:

• Lumbar overload.

• Action of estrogens and relaxin, hormones that increase the laxity of muscles and ligaments to prepare the body for childbirth.

Fortunately, it can be relieved by resorting to various remedies:

• Osteopathy sessions.

• Use, during sleeping hours, a cushion ad hoc for pregnancy. Remember: it must be different from the one you will use, once your little one is born, for breastfeeding.

• Weight-relief exercises for the belly like those you can see below and that you can consider at the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy as they will be your valuable allies during labor.

Also to be mentioned among the symptoms of the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy is heartburn.

An event caused, during the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy and generally in the third trimester, by the pressure of the uterus on the organ, can be controlled with osteopathy sessions aimed at improving diaphragmatic excursion and attention to nutrition.

What exactly to do? First of all, avoid dishes that are too high in calories and rich in fats, do not lie down immediately after eating, have several light meals throughout the day, and focus on dry foods.

At the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, depending on pre-pregnancy weight, one should expect a weight gain between 8 and 12 kg.

Remember, as always, to include this parameter in a holistic approach to well-being, consisting of attention to nutrition and constant movement respectful of the period you are going through.

At the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, your little one measures about 45 cm from head to heel and weighs around 2.5 kg.

During this period, the increase of the subcutaneous fat layer is already concrete, which implies an increase in fat deposits especially in the legs and arms.

The thirty-fifth week of pregnancy is a fantastic period for the refinement of reflexes.

Your little one turns toward the light when perceiving it and the sucking reflex is increasingly trained.

Soon, the full functionality of the respiratory reflex will begin.

Organs such as the liver and kidneys have already started functioning.

At the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, meconium is already present in the fetus's intestine.

As your midwife has surely already told you, it will be expelled after birth.

It consists of amniotic fluid, vernix caseosa, bile, lanugo that your little one is already losing.

A milestone of great importance characterizing the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy is the achievement of an optimal level of immune system efficiency.

Attention: however, complete development is not yet being discussed.

To achieve this result, it is indeed necessary to think in terms of years.

In the first days of life with colostrum and later with breast milk, a valuable contribution will come in the development of immunity.

Don't worry if, at the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, your baby has not yet turned into the cephalic position.

You have time until the end of the wait and, as I recall in this article and as explained by Doctor Alvisi, freelance midwife, in the video below, there are several ways to help him.

A newborn born at the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy is classified as mildly premature.

This definition is used for births that occur between the 34th and 37th weeks.

In most cases, a premature newborn born at the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy and with a weight within the parameters of gestational age does not require respiratory support.

Attention: this does not mean it should not be monitored.

During the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, functions such as thermoregulation, blood sugar maintenance, and coordination between sucking and breathing processes are not yet fully developed. 

During the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, you can undergo various tests useful to understand if everything is going well. 

Here they are:

• Blood pressure measurement: when it is high, it can be a symptom of gestosis or preeclampsia, a very serious complication.

• Urine test with urine culture.

• Toxotest and detection of antibodies for Cytomegalovirus (CMV).

• If not done previously, tests for sexually transmitted diseases (HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B).

Do you need to have the ultrasound? 

Unless your midwife recommends it, absolutely not.

For some time now, the growth ultrasound has no longer been part of the standard guidelines for routine checks during normal pregnancies.

During the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, the dietary guidelines to follow do not change: keep focusing on the Mediterranean diet, the best eating plan in the world.

Seasonal plant foods, whole grains, to be served with as much variety as possible, good fats, and high biological value proteins: these are the foundations of this dietary approach.

In terms of proteins, consider the importance of a 50:50 split between plant-based and animal-based sources.

Regarding iron, don't forget that red meat is not the only source available (try not to overconsume it as it is rich in saturated fats).

Legumes are also excellent.

Just remember, since they contain non-heme iron, which is the less bioavailable form typical of plant sources of this mineral, to pair it with a source of vitamin C.

Here is a brief recap of the foods you must avoid from the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy until delivery to protect yourself from foodborne infections:

• Raw fruits and vegetables not washed under running water, scrubbing them vigorously to remove Toxoplasma gondii oocysts.

• Raw and unpasteurized eggs.

• Raw or undercooked meat and fish.

• Raw or lightly cooked blue cheeses.

• Raw cold cuts (even cooked ones should be minimized, but for reasons related to the presence of additives and preservatives).

• Short-aged cheeses made from raw milk.

Nutrition during pregnancy can also help you greatly to prevent neonatal colic.

No, they are not physiological as you were probably told.

To help you understand more about this, I invite you to take a look at this 2018 study.

Work that highlighted the association between neonatal colic and high levels of fecal calprotectin, a marker of intestinal inflammation, in the stools of newborns, has revolutionized the approach to managing the first problem.

Since it has long been known that bacterial colonization of the neonatal intestine occurs well before birth, that is, during fetal life, it is easy to understand how nutrition can affect inflammation of the intestine itself.

Yes, you can start preventing now that you are pregnant, even if you are in the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy.

What do you need to do? 

Simply eliminate pro-inflammatory foods such as dairy products, refined flours, sweets, processed meats, cold cuts, fried foods, sources of trans fats (just to name a few).

Physical activity is a valuable ally in the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy.

Among the goals it helps achieve is preparation for labor.

Excellent in this regard is the practice of yoga and Pilates.

The first discipline, useful for working on body awareness—particularly suitable in this regard is the yin technique, which involves holding positions for several minutes—and on relaxation, prepares the body for labor in various ways.

Among these are asanas like the goddess pose (Utkata Konasana).

A position similar to the sumo squat, it greatly helps to open the pelvis.

Pilates, on the other hand, helps relieve lower back pain, improve flexibility, and, through diaphragmatic breathing exercises like those you can see in the video below, strengthen the pelvic floor.