Your baby

Your baby is now about 20cm from crown to rump and weighs around four pounds, five ounces. By now, the volume of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum level – about two pints in total! After this point the baby will take over most of the space. By the time your baby is born, there will be between 2-6 cups of fluid in the amniotic sac.

Now almost fully mature, your baby's lungs are coated with surfactant to help him breathe. The hearing and speech centres of your baby’s brain are maturing, so he can recognise your voice at birth. Now that your baby is laying down fat, the skin is pink and smooth and his body looks much plumper. A store of glycogen is also building in your baby's liver, providing an energy reserve for during labour and until feeding is established.

Your progress

Your baby's movements are now quite distinct and may provide you with entertainment for several weeks to come! Sometimes you may be able to feel the tiny curve of a small fist or foot poking from your abdomen and you can probably distinguish the baby's knees and elbows, even though the movements are smaller. You may also notice small bumps that move rhythmically across your belly. These are probably caused by your baby’s hiccups and are nothing to worry about.

If you begin to feel tired, weak and faint, get palpitations or feel breathless, this may be caused by anaemia or iron deficiency, as your baby is drawing on your iron reserves – leaving not enough to go round. It's important to keep up with your blood tests during pregnancy, which will check for anaemia. However, it's also a good idea to take an iron supplement and up your intake of iron rich foods such as spinach and dried fruit. What a treat!

What to think about

At this stage in your pregnancy, your midwife will keep a close eye on the position of your baby inside your uterus. In particular, your midwife will feel your bump to discover your baby’s ‘presentation’ ready for birth. At 32 weeks, about 15% of babies are still in breech position – feet or bottom first.

Babies generally settle head down - into the cephalic position - before week 36, although some turn even later. About 3% of babies remain in breech position, with their bottom or feet downwards, right until birth. This means they would be delivered bottom or feet first. Vaginal breech births can be difficult, so a caesarean may be recommended if your baby is in the breech position.

If you find out that your baby is still in breech position during the last weeks of your pregnancy, you can encourage your baby to turn head down by lying on your back with your bottom propped on cushions about nine to 12 inches off the floor. By doing this for twenty minutes, two to three times a day, you may find that your baby flips around naturally.

However if your baby is still in breech position after 37 weeks, your doctor may perform an external cephalic version (ECV), which involves placing their hands on your womb and guiding your baby through a forward somersault. This is successful in half of all procedures and, although it may be uncomfortable, shouldn’t be too painful. It’s also relatively safe and your baby will be monitored before and after to check all is well.