You at 32 weeks pregnant

You might be feeling more breathless at times, because of the pressure of your growing baby and uterus on your lungs.

Your belly button is either stretched flat or sticking out. If you have belly button piercings, it’s a good idea to take them out if you haven’t already.

Baby basics
You’ll feel less like shopping as time goes on. So it might be a good idea to have some basics ready for when your baby arrives:

• a cot for your baby to sleep safely
• a properly fastened and adjusted, approved, rear-facing child car seat
• a safe pram or baby carrier
• plenty of nappies and a nappy bag
• wraps – big cotton or muslin ones are best
• clothes for dressing your newborn – most term babies can wear size 000, and 100% cotton is best next to your baby’s skin
• daily care essentials – baby wash (non-soap is best), cream for your baby’s bottom, sorbolene cream for dry skin and a thermometer.

Most hospitals will give you a list of baby equipment. Antenatal classes will also help you go through the basics.

A freezer full of food is another good ‘baby basic’. You’ll have your hands full feeding your baby, so it’s great if you’ve got something nutritious to feed yourself and other family members.

Extra ultrasound scans
If everything’s going smoothly, you’re not likely to need any more ultrasound scans after 18-20 weeks.

But your doctor or midwife might suggest extra ultrasound scans in the following situations:

• You’re having twins or more.
• You have a medical condition like gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.
• There are concerns about the growth of the baby.
• You’ve had problems in previous pregnancies.

If your baby is lying in the breech position towards the end of your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife might also recommend another scan to check why your baby is in this position and where your placenta is.

Our Pregnancy for partners section has tips and information for your partner, if you have one. It covers essential topics like antenatal classes, relationships and feelings, wellbeing, birth support and early parenting.

Your baby when you’re 32 weeks pregnant

Your baby’s weight has almost doubled in the last 4 weeks. From now on, your baby’s weight will grow faster than their length:

• Your baby is about 28 cm long from head to bottom and weighs about 1.7 kg.
• Your baby is still putting on fat beneath the skin, looking plumper all the time.
• Your baby might be head down now. If not, don’t worry. Some babies leave it until the last moment to turn around. Only a few babies are in the breech position at birth.
• Your baby’s eyes are a dark grey or blue colour. They’ll change in the weeks after birth, but you won’t know the final colour until about a year after birth.