No, 32 weeks is not full term; a baby born at 32 weeks is considered moderately preterm, as full-term pregnancy is defined as 37 to 42 weeks, with the ideal being after 39 weeks for optimal development. Babies born at 32 weeks often need special care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) due to underdeveloped lungs, difficulty regulating temperature, and feeding challenges, though survival rates are high, notes Healthline and University of Utah Health.
If a fetus reaches 32 weeks gestation and you deliver at 32 weeks gestation, your preemie's chance of surviving is as high as 95 percent. Their chance of dying during infancy and childhood is also very low.
Your baby is continuing to grow. The toenails and fingernails have formed, and the lungs are continuing to mature, although they will not be fully developed for several more weeks. Your baby's skeleton has completely formed, but the bones are still very soft and pliable.
After 36 weeks, your baby's lungs are fully formed and ready to take their first breath after the birth. Their lungs are also now very good at producing a substance called surfactant. This keeps air sacs in the lungs open and able to take in oxygen.
Outlook for a baby born at 32 to 34 weeks
Here's what to expect: Moderately preterm babies look thinner and their skin more wrinkled than full-term babies. They can sometimes breathe on their own, and many just need supplemental oxygen to help them breathe. They can sometimes be breastfed or bottle-fed.
Research has shown that in the third trimester (after 28 weeks of pregnancy) going to sleep on your back increases your risk of stillbirth. As the link has now been shown in 6 separate research trials, our advice is to go to sleep on your side in the third trimester because it is safer for your baby.
Your baby's brain and vision are developing very quickly now. The bones are fully formed, but still soft and flexible for delivery. Little fingernails and toenails are growing, lungs are maturing, and the nervous system is almost complete. Your little one has been busy going through so many big changes!
It's common to wonder how big your baby is at 32 weeks. Now that you're 32 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs around 4 pounds and measures about 11 inches in length, crown to rump—they're about the size of a napa cabbage!
At this stage of your journey, new developments are beginning to unfold. Check out this week-by-week guide to find out what's in store for your baby and your body in week 32 of pregnancy. How many months is 32 weeks pregnant? You're in your eighth month.
Children born moderately (32-33 weeks) or late preterm (34-36 weeks) have higher long term risks of neurodevelopmental difficulties that can affect their behaviour and ability to learn, finds a study of over one million children published by The BMJ today.
Moderate to late preterm babies (born at gestational age of 32 to 36 weeks) who have no significant medical problems on admission are likely to be discharged at 36 weeks of postmenstrual age (gestational age plus age since birth), according to a study published in the American Journal of Perinatology.
Babies born before 37 weeks are premature. A premature birth is more likely to happen when a mother has a health problem — like diabetes — or does harmful things during her pregnancy, like smoke or drink.
But if NICU babies can't breastfeed in their early days due to medical needs, learning to feed later can be even more difficult. Every baby is different, but many premature babies begin oral feeding between 32 and 34 weeks' gestation. Your care team will guide you based on your baby's readiness.
Some common signs and symptoms of fetal distress include:
But if your baby will be larger than average, it will be perceived as “closer to done” when the ultrasound is done, and your due date will be moved up (incorrectly). The reverse is also true for babies that will be smaller than average at term—their due date might be moved to a later date.
Taking Care Of Yourself And Your Baby
And the answer to the question of how many hours should a pregnant woman sleep is as close to eight to 10 hours as she can.
Do not eat fish high in mercury such as swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark. Manage heartburn by eating 4 or 5 small meals each day instead of large meals. Avoid spicy food. Manage swelling by lying down and putting your feet up.
Three key signs that labor is approaching soon are regular contractions, losing your "bloody show" (mucus plug), and your waters breaking, often accompanied by lower backache, baby dropping, or a sudden urge to clean (nesting). These signals show your body is preparing for birth, with contractions becoming stronger and closer together as labor progresses.
Your growing baby now measures 42cm from crown to heel and weighs approximately 1.8kg. Babies born at 32 weeks or later have a good chance of surviving.
Swelling, especially in the face, that does not go away after lying down. Rapid weight gain (more than one pound per day) Blurred vision or spots before your eyes. Headaches, severe or that don't respond to comfort measures or Tylenol.
Prenatal sleep
At first, we need to clarify one thing: it's a known fact that babies sleep in their mother's womb. They usually sleep when their mothers are going about their everyday chores. It's almost as though the mother's daily routine would seem to reassure the fetus, which sleeps until mom goes to bed at night.
Most women can safely work until they go into labor. “Most pregnant women can perform normal, non-hazardous jobs that don't involve lifting greater than 30 pounds repetitively,” says Greg Marchand, MD, FACS, FICS, FACOG, an ob-gyn and expert in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.