Pregnancy at week 34
4-minute read
Your baby
Your baby now weighs more than 2kg and measures about 30cm from head to bottom. Their immune system is developing, and their bones are getting harder. However, the bones in their skull will stay soft until after they are born. During the birth, these bones will gently slide over each other to protect the baby’s brain.
There isn’t much room for your baby to move around anymore, but you might feel them kick and roll over. This can be quite uncomfortable.
Your baby at 34 weeks
| Length: | 30cm (head to bottom) |
| Weight: | 2.1kg |
Your body
As at the beginning of your pregnancy, you might find you are quite tired and emotional from now on. You will probably have lots of aches and pains and it can be quite hard to sleep. Make sure you get plenty of rest and look after yourself.
Eating a healthy diet and doing some gentle exercise will help you cope now and during the birth. Make sure you keep up your pelvic floor exercises too because the muscles in this area will be under a lot of strain from now on.
Many women develop pains at the top of their legs during the later stages of pregnancy. These are due to the ligaments stretching. If they are very painful, tell your doctor or midwife.
Things to remember
Your doctor or midwife will be monitoring your weight closely during your regular antenatal appointments. You shouldn’t be putting on more than a few hundred grams per week now.
The total amount of weight you might be expected to gain throughout your pregnancy will depend on your weight before you were pregnant. If you were in the normal weight range (with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), you should gain between 11.5kg and 16kg by the end of the pregnancy – less if you were overweight, and more if you were underweight.
If your blood is Rhesus (RhD) negative, you will need to have your second injection of anti-D to protect the baby at your next check-up. You will also be offered anti-D if you have a bleed. Talk to your doctor or midwife for more information.
Read next
Your pregnancy at 35 weeks
Learn about your pregnancy journey and what is happening to you and your baby.
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Last reviewed: August 2020
