How Does Your Body Change During Week 34 of Pregnancy?

3 min read

Written by Sindhuja Prabhu

Sindhuja Prabhu

M.Sc (Psychology),PGDBM

Sindhuja, a mother of two, is an obsessive mom with a keen interest in psychology, especially child psychology. Her quest for knowledge and way with words led her to become a passionate content writer. She transformed her love for writing into a full-fledged career which incidentally also turned up being the perfect stress buster for the last 5 years.

pregnancy week 34

During the last few weeks of your pregnancy, you may notice changes in your body every week or even every few days. Your baby is growing to reach their full size before it can come out into the world and your body is accommodating all those needs. While some changes can be negligible, some can impact your daily life.

Your baby is growing and so is your belly. As the weight increases in the front, the back starts feeling the strain to meet the growing demand. Your feet start swelling and your breathing gets shallow. What else can you expect in Week 34?

Read on to find out.

How Does Your Body Change During Week 34 of Pregnancy?

Every pregnancy is unique. You may experience the following symptoms and changes in week 34 of your pregnancy:

1. Enlarged Breasts

As your prolactin levels increase, your body gets ready to start feeding the baby. Your breasts will feel fuller and heavier. It can also be painful at times, especially during physical movements.

What to do

Wear a good support bra to hold your breasts closer to the body. Wearing more layers or tops that cover the chest area can offer more support.

2. Blurry Vision

The changing hormones can affect your eyesight too. Your eyes can become sensitive to light or the cornea can change shape, thus affecting your vision. Don’t worry, blurry vision is only temporary and it will improve as your hormones start settling down after delivery. Very rarely does it indicate other pregnancy-related issues like diabetes or blood pressure. High blood pressure or high blood glucose levels can also affect your vision.

What to do?

If your vision is very blurry, you need to check with an ophthalmologist. Also, take tests to check your blood pressure and sugar levels. Perform some eye exercises after consulting an ophthalmologist. If necessary, you can wear sunglasses or anti-reflective glasses to reduce the impact of bright lights on your eyes.

3. Fetal Movements

Your baby is bigger and stronger now. You may feel the kicks are stronger than last week. With less space, the movements can feel more intense. Your baby might be just stretching but it can feel like a big punch or a kick. Sometimes you can even see the foot or head impression against your skin as they push and stretch your skin.

What you eat or even the music you hear can change the way your baby moves inside. They are more responsive now.

What to do?

All you can do is just enjoy these movements. If the baby is pushing against your sides too hard, you can slowly nudge them to make them change their position. You need to be gentle and patient while doing this as it may not work out every time. You can even try changing your position when you are sitting or lying down.

4. Pregnancy Brain

You may find it difficult to focus like before. Your attention span or ability to recollect details can decline. Pregnancy can cause a change in the structure and components of your brain, leading to this mental state, more often known as a pregnancy brain. If you are struggling to get some quality sleep at night, it could also lead to forgetfulness and affect your ability to concentrate.

What to do?

You can try writing down important details and maintaining a “to-do” list. Try to reduce your mental load. You can fix multiple reminders on your smartphone for appointments, check-ups, and other important activities that you can’t afford to miss. Take frequent breaks to give your brain some time to refresh and refocus.

5. Leg Cramps

As the baby’s and your body weight increases, the impact on your legs will increase. Continuous strain can lead to exhaustion and cramps in your legs, making it difficult to do many regular activities.

What to do?

Avoid standing for long and drink a lot of water. If you are not suffering from pregnancy hypertension, you can even add salt to a glass of water and drink, for quick relief.

6. Other Symptoms

Some of the other pregnancy symptoms from the previous weeks of your pregnancy will continue. They are:

Edema
Shortness of breath
Dark Nipples
Insomnia
Dizziness
Stretch marks
Sleep disturbances

As your body gets ready to bring a new life to earth, it goes through a lot of changes. It keeps changing to accommodate the baby’s needs. Each pregnancy is different and the way every pregnant woman feels the above symptoms can also differ. You may not have any of the above symptoms or may experience something very different. Just relax and enjoy these final weeks of your pregnancy.

Happy Pregnancy!