Week 32 is mostly about weight — yours and the pregnancy's. Walking has probably turned into something closer to a waddle, which is your body compensating for the load at the front. This is also the week the vitamin K question is usually first explained, weeks before anyone asks it.
Your body this week
Over the coming month the NHS puts typical weight gain at around 450g a week. Fat is going on inside too, and it does a job: it helps a newborn hold their temperature, which small bodies do badly.
Most babies are head down by now, described as cephalic presentation. If yours is not, there is still time, and at around week 36 there are ways to encourage a turn that a midwife or doctor can offer.
Space is running out, and here is the point that must not be misread: less room does not mean fewer movements. NHS guidance is that movements should continue at the same rate right up until birth, and that any change in the pattern is a reason to contact a midwife or hospital straight away.
What you may notice
Tiredness is heavier now. Alongside it: Braxton Hicks tightenings, sleep problems, stretch marks, sore gums, round ligament pains, piles, headaches, backache, indigestion and heartburn, bloating and constipation, leg cramps, feeling hot, dizziness, swelling, pelvic pain, urine infections, vaginal infections, and skin and hair changes.
Pelvic pain that makes walking or turning over difficult should be raised — there is physiotherapy for it and it is not something to simply endure.
Your baby this week
Around week 32, the length quoted is about 42.4cm from head to heel — the NHS compares it to a bunch of celery. These are averages across many pregnancies, not a statement about yours.
Structurally, development is largely done. What the remaining weeks are for is weight.
What care usually happens around now
Week 32 closes the UK window for the whooping cough vaccination, which is usually offered from week 16 and is most useful before week 33.
Vitamin K is usually explained around now. The NHS describes it being offered for all babies within 24 hours of birth, given by injection or by mouth, and it is a choice that is yours to make — which is far easier to think about now than in the hour after a birth.
If a caesarean is planned, this is when practical arrangements are usually discussed, including how long a hospital stay tends to be. All of this varies by country and by service.
This week's tip
Decide about vitamin K this week, with whoever will be with you at the birth. It is offered in the first day, often while you are holding a newborn and not at your most decisive, and it is one of the few decisions of the birth that can be entirely settled in advance.
When to see a doctor
Contact your maternity service the same day for any change in movement, leaking fluid, regular or painful tightenings, or bleeding. Pregnancy warning signs has the full list.
Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided tummy pain, a severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of the face or hands, a fever, fluid leaking from the vagina, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a seizure. Contact your maternity service the same day for any reduction in your baby's usual pattern of movement. Femio cannot assess a pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Do movements slow down because there is less space?
No. Guidance is that movements continue at the same rate until birth, and a change in your own usual pattern is always worth a call.
My baby is not head down yet. Is that a problem at 32 weeks?
Not at this stage. Week 33 covers packing and group B strep, and week 31 covers position checks. If a baby is still breech at around 36 weeks, that is when options are discussed.