32 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms and What to Expect

By Brian Price

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Your Growing Fetus at 32 Weeks

Eight more weeks to go! At thirty-two weeks your baby is 16.7 inches. Girl, you’re carrying a Jan sports backpack in your stomach! If you’re having a hard time picturing that, your baby is the size of a squash.

Here’s the 411 on what’s happening this week

Your little squash is working on swallowing and sucking. All this practice will prepare the digestive system for the milk they will drink.
Your baby is now fully opaque as more fat has accumulated under their skin.
Your mini-me is continuing to practice kicking! Don’t forget to keep count of those kicks for your OB.
Toenails and fingernails are fully formed

Pregnancy Superfood for Week 32

This week’s superfood comes in the form of a delicious green pod! We’re looking at you Edamame!

This veggie is full of fiber, folate, and other B vitamins. Zinc, Copper, magnesium, and iron are also packed into these tiny soybeans. The fiber will keep you regular while the folate will help prevent birth defects.

Edamame is a great source of plant-based protein which will lower your risk of developing gestational diabetes.

There are a variety of ways you can eat this delicious vegetable. Edamame is great for your Eda bay! Admittedly that pun was super cringy, but these recipes aren’t.

Edamame Hummus:

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen edamame (shelled)
3 ½ tbsp tahini
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp onion powder
⅛ tsp pepper
Olive Oil, optional

How to Prepare

Thaw out the edamame.
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients.
Continue to blend until you reach your desired consistency.
Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour.
When you’re ready to serve and eat, drizzle a tad of olive oil on top if you prefer. Enjoy!

Edamame Mango Salad:

Ingredients:

1 cucumber
500 g edamame
3 mangos, small
1 red onion
1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained
350 ml can corn, drained
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Juice 1 lemon
Avocado

How to Prepare:

Dice the mangos, onion, and cucumber.
Add the diced ingredients into a large bowl with all of the chopped ingredients.
Stir in the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Once everything is mixed serve and enjoy.

Top Tip for Week Thirty-Two

If you’re planning to breastfeed, sign up for a local class to gain more information. If you love to read check out Breastfeeding Made Simple.

Inspirational Message of the Week from Already Moms

“Loving a child doesn’t mean giving in to all his whims; to love him is to bring out the best in him, to teach him to love what is difficult.” – Nadia Boulanger

“If you have never been hated by your child, you have never been a parent.” – Bette Davis

Big Efforts from your Co-Creator

By now you may have noticed that your lady easily forgets things. Pregnancy brain is real! Instead of beating her down about it, help her deal with it.

The hormones cause her brain to feel foggy, and adding more stress will only add more fog. If there’s something you want her to remember, write it down, or mark it on her calendar on her phone.

Try to have a sense of humor about it. Neither one of you should waste your energy on the small things she may have forgotten.

This Art of Allowing

Did you notice there were two inspirational quotes this week? They both were fitting to this week’s Art of Allowing section. As your due date nears you probably have spent some time worrying on if your child will like you or not.

Don’t worry about it, they will love you. However, keep in mind that there will be times when you will have to discipline your child and their feelings will be hurt. Allow yourself to be okay with your child being upset with you, it’s natural and it won’t last long….we promise.

Pregnancy Symptoms of Week Thirty-Two

Just a few more weeks of these annoying symptoms! Here’s what you may be experiencing this week.

Leg Cramps: You may experience more leg cramps. Stretching and staying hydrated may prevent them.

Vaginal Discharge: The amount of discharge you’re producing will continue to increase until the day you deliver your baby. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal. Your body is working to keep the bacteria out. If your discharge turns yellow, green, or smells badly consult your doctor.

Swelling: Swelling of your feet, hands, and face may occur. If the swelling becomes severe, talk to your doctor.

Dizziness: Low blood sugar could be causing you to feel dizzy. Keep a granola bar in your purse for a quick pick me up.

Heartburn: Your baby is growing and crowding your digestive system, thus heartburn may occur quite often. Foods that are acidic and spicy may cause your stomach to hurt.

Shortness of breath: Your uterus is expanding and pushing against your lungs, which leaves you feeling short of breath. Remember to take it easy.

Leaky breats: The yellowish fluid leaking from your breasts is breast milk. If it becomes uncomfortable try wearing nursing pads.

Your Body will Change and It’s Necessary

Your uterus is 5 inches above your belly!
Your bump is measuring in at 30 to 34 centimeters.
Your baby is sitting up near your ribs but sometime between now and week 34 they will drop down near your pelvis.
Once they drop down, they will hang out there in the head down position until delivery.
You will notice that you have now gone from carrying high to carrying low.
Every woman’s pregnancy is different, and some babies won’t drop until you go into labor.

Our Recommended Remedy for Week 32

The uses and benefits of essential oils are endless. They are also great to use during labor, however, we recommend using mists or cotton balls instead of a diffuser. This will allow everyone to recover quickly if they have a reaction or an aversion to the smell.

If you experience nausea, try:

lemon
spearmint
peppermint on a cotton ball

Lemon serves to be the most effective.

For the back pain you may experience during labor, have your partner massage either:

chamomile
lavender
niaouli or vetiver

If you experience anxiety try the mist combination of:

neroli
grapefruit
ylang-ylang
chamomile, and bergamot

You could also try massaging in that combination. To relax and focus on your delivery try blending sweet orange, grapefruit, and spearmint into a mist. For the transition stage of your labor try one of the following oils in a mist lavender, clary sage, mandarin or bergamot.

Our Best Advice to Soothe The Uncomfortable

Alright ladies, we’re constantly preaching to stay hydrated and active. We know being in the third trimester, the last thing you want to do is exercise, but it is so beneficial to your pregnancy.

Working out will make the delivery process easier as well. It will help you relieve stress and manage those hormones a little easier.

Exercising will also ease your aches and pains, and allow you to sleep better. Here are four exercises for you try. They focus on your legs and core which will help you in labor.

Wall Sits

Try doing 3 sets of 10.

Begin by leaning your back against a wall.

Your feet should be about two feet from the wall.
Slowly Slide your body down the wall, like you’re going to sit down in the chair.
Your hips should be above your knees.
To give yourself a little bit of a challenge, place a medium sized ball between your knees.
Gently squeeze the ball while you are holding your sit.
Squeezing the ball will hit your inner thighs and work your pelvic floor muscles as well.
Try to hold the seated position for thirty seconds.

Calf Raises

Try doing 3 sets of 25. This exercise will help out your cramps tremendously. Stand straight and slowly lift your heels up. It’s that easy. For an added challenge hold on to 5 lb weights

Squats

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly squat down and press your heels into the floor. Keep your shoulder, back, and abs engaged.

Cat Cow Pose

Start on all fours. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders and your knees should be directly under your hips.