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When you are 35 weeks pregnant with twins, your finish line is right in front of you. This amazing journey will finally come to an end and soon you will be on the journey of motherhood. Statistics have shown that a lot of women pregnant with twins or multiple babies have successfully delivered this week. This could also get your senses into high gear, keeping you alert of the tiniest signs that take place in your womb. Highly sensitive mothers might find themselves being excited by the lightest kick, the slightest pain, or the very minor cramps, expecting to see their babies poking out right away. Their growth is still taking place inside, but yes, they would be on their way any day now.
The Growth of the Babies at 35 Weeks
It might be the 35th week of your pregnancy and you might be expecting that the babies are ready to begin their movement towards the birth canal. Yes, you might be expecting their arrival now, but that does not mean they are perfectly ready; your babies are still growing, though not much, but let them get ready.
If you are going to have twins or triplets who are deemed to be identical, this is precisely where their looks will begin to match each other. Any deliveries that take at this stage may not instantly make it clear to you that they resemble each other. Give them a few weeks and their identical nature will begin to seem uncanny.
Most of the progress that babies undergo around this stage is in terms of their movement and orientation. This is quite essential than any kind of growth right now because their proper emergence from the birth canal is the priority going forward. The ideal position is termed to be when the babies have their heads pointing down and their legs pointing to your head. Some babies may take their time in getting into this position, and the mother will need to make small attempts to encourage her twins to do so. Numerous exercises such as hip movement on all fours, rocking and light bouncing on an exercise ball, amongst many others can make this happen.
Though your children do need to put on more weight and grow to a certain height to reach what is medically termed as a full-fledged baby, they are in a pretty good condition to survive without any medical assistance, should you give birth to them in this week itself. They can stay in the same room as yours and would generally be able to breathe easily without any support. Despite that, the doctors and nurses would observe your babies frequently to keep a track of their growth outside your womb. This is why doctors prefer that the babies spend yet another week inside the womb until they reach a proper value of weight and height.
What is the Size of the Babies?
By the 35th week of pregnancy, your twins or triplets would be the size of a medium-sized melon. Their weight and height will continue to increase and that itself makes their chances of surviving outside the womb increase substantially. If you were to measure your babies from their crown to their feet, their length would turn out to be as long as 43-45 centimetres by now. Similarly, their weight reaches a large value, ranging anywhere between 2.2-2.5 kilograms.
Common Bodily Changes
Most of the changes in the body that you experience in this week of your pregnancy are simply the lasting effects of a pregnancy that has been getting heavier by the passing week and taking quite a toll on your body as a result.
- Your belly will be too big now. Furthermore, its own weight needs to be taken into account along with the weight of the large twins or triplets that are housed inside it. A lot of this load is being borne by your legs throughout the entire journey. This pressure can get overwhelming at times, which begins to exert a force on the nerves and on the veins that carry blood to the feet. These veins can start hurting and also pop out closer to the skin, making them visible in the form of dark bluish patterns all over your legs. Termed as varicose veins, these are a common complaint of many pregnant women, especially for those expecting twins or multiple babies. Giving your feet some rest and keeping them elevated can help reduce this condition.
- Of course, your babies are ready to be delivered, but that does not mean that various processes that keep them alive in your womb have started reducing. On the contrary, they are at their peak of functioning, making sure that your babies get all the support they need in these final stages. The blood circulation is heavily boosted and pumped to the uterus, allowing it to support these fully grown babies effectively. Such a large portion of blood also finds its way back to your gums, leading to a repeated presence of bleeding gums all over again. Proper dental hygiene needs to be ensured during this time. You should also include vitamin C rich food items in your diet.
- It should be known that you are carrying babies that are roughly 2 kilograms each, along with the weight of the uterus and the placenta, all within a small section of your body. The centre of gravity has shifted by a large amount, which tends to affect your gait quite easily. This can result in times when you fail to judge your own movements correctly since your tummy might also block your line of sight from your feet. Objects falling clumsily from your hands, accidentally hitting doors or tables, can be an oft-repeated phenomenon now. Extra care is definitely necessary to keep yourself safe in this time period.
Symptoms of Twin Pregnancy at 35 Weeks
Take all the previous pregnancy symptoms that you are well-versed with. Multiply their intensity and that’s precisely what you’ll be experiencing in the 35th week of your pregnancy with multiple babies.
- Your waddling nature and the tendency to find yourself moving around clumsily will make you feel like staying in one position and resting quietly. As beneficial as that truly is, there would be rare moments like those. For the rest of the time, you would be constantly going to the toilet. Your bladder will be under a lot of pressure from the heavy uterus. The tiniest amount of pee being stored in the bladder would make you feel like visiting the loo often.
- Your contractions would begin to make their mark quite easily around this time. Again, it is necessary to know whether these contractions are the Braxton Hicks ones, or actual contractions signalling your delivery. Your body is pretty close to practising the delivery procedure as well as preparing itself for the real thing. Therefore, the intensity of contractions might tend to be similar in nature. The key aspect to remember is that labour contractions will be regular, intense in nature, and will have an established frequency.
Twin Pregnancy – Belly at 35 Weeks
Your tummy would have a peculiar shape around this week, which would still be pretty rounded in its nature. While the uterus can even reach your ribcage, the babies would primarily be in the lower region. This expansion of the belly could stretch the skin to a large degree, causing an itching sensation or even a rash on it, which emerges in the form of small red coloured papules. These are totally benign and not harmful to your twins or triplets.
Twin Pregnancy at 35 Weeks – Ultrasound
Ultrasound tests in this week would be accompanied by checks that look for the presence of any bacterial infection in your vagina. All the normal checkups would continue to observe your babies closely. The size of the foetus, heart rate, blood flow, amount of amniotic fluid, the condition of the cervix, umbilical cord placement, are just a few of the parameters that doctors observe intently with the scan. By this week, your babies will start responding to high-pitched noise.
What to Eat
Keeping your weight in check is extremely important in this week and your doctor would recommend certain diet adjustments accordingly. Apart from that, you should continue including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in your diet. Calcium and iron-rich foods should also be included. You can also continue with vitamin supplements.
Pregnancy Care Tips
Here are a few tips that you can try during this stage as soon you would be delivering your babies.
Do’s
- Understand the difference between your contractions and see a doctor if the pain is intense.
- Check your vaginal discharge to know if it is the usual one or because of the water breaking during pregnancy.
Dont’s
- Keep away from seafood in this week since high mercury content can affect the babies easily.
- Avoid staying awake for long hours because insomnia can leave you with low energy levels.
What About the Twins Born at 35 Weeks
Twins or triplets born in this week don’t usually require any kind of medical attention. All that needs to be done is to make sure that their weight gain continues to be on track. They might be able to breastfeed immediately or might take a week or two with that. Storing your first milk can be a good decision in such a scenario.
What You Need to Shop for
Since your babies will be out any day now, make sure they have everything they need, such as:
- Baby formula with any fortified elements.
- A feeding bottle for newborns.
The position of twins in the womb at 35 weeks plays a key role in ensuring a safe and complication-free delivery. Trust your doctor to make the right decisions for you and welcome your little ones into the real world happily.
