Weekly Guide to Pregnancy: Week 33

Week 33
Week 33 

Your Baby

How big is my baby?

Fetal size: crown-rump 30cm (12 inches), crown-toe 43cm (19.4 inches). Fetal weight: 2 kg (4.4 pounds).

Until Week 20, your baby spent most of its time in a wakeful state. Between Weeks 20 and 28, he/she started to have periods of activity and quiet. After Week 28 your baby started to experience active sleep (eyes and body moving, heart rate speeding up then slowing down, facial expressions changing, and changing breathing patterns). From Week 28 onwards, it is likely that your baby starts to develop a pattern of deep sleep and active sleep. During the active sleep periods, your baby's brain undergoes stimulation, which probably helps it to mature.

Your Pregnancy

What pregnancy symptoms will I be experiencing?

Up to and including Week 33, your weight gain should be between 10 and 12.5 kilos (22-28 pounds). You may start to gain weight faster from this week on, as your baby also grows very rapidly at this time.

It's important to keep eating well, and to ensure that you don't skip any meals. You will probably need to eat smaller meals more frequently due to the lack of space in your abdomen and the incidence of heartburn.

At this stage of your pregnancy, you may find that your vaginal discharge has increased. You may also leak small amounts of urine due to increased pressure on your bladder. If you are concerned that you are leaking more fluid than you should be, or if you have had a gush of water, visit your health care professional to ensure that your membranes haven't ruptured.

As you become more uncomfortable, it's only natural to wonder about the comfort of your baby. Your baby will let you know if it is uncomfortable in the womb, probably by moving about and elbowing and kicking you! Other than a lack of space, your baby is probably quite comfortable in the womb, enjoying the warmth and muffled sounds in utero.

Learn more about your pregnancy

Read more information on Pregnancy and Birth on Essential Baby.

Discuss Pregnancy in the Essential Baby Forums.

The First Trimester

4 weeks pregnant
5 weeks pregnant
6 weeks pregnant
7 weeks pregnant
8 weeks pregnant
9 weeks pregnant
10 weeks pregnant
11 weeks pregnant
12 weeks pregnant

The Second Trimester

13 weeks pregnant
14 weeks pregnant
15 weeks pregnant
16 weeks pregnant
17 weeks pregnant
18 weeks pregnant
19 weeks pregnant
20 weeks pregnant
21 weeks pregnant
22 weeks pregnant
23 weeks pregnant
24 weeks pregnant
25 weeks pregnant
26 weeks pregnant
27 weeks pregnant

The Third Trimester

28 weeks pregnant
29 weeks pregnant
30 weeks pregnant
31 weeks pregnant
32 weeks pregnant
33 weeks pregnant
34 weeks pregnant
35 weeks pregnant
36 weeks pregnant
37 weeks pregnant
38 weeks pregnant
39 weeks pregnant
40 weeks pregnant