Canada's Largest & Oldest Cord Blood Bank
Just 8 weeks to go now! Are you getting excited to meet your baby soon?
This Week’s Highlights
Your baby now has a good chance of surviving and thriving, if born premature
Your baby’s fingernails are fully formed
You may start experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions
Your Baby at 32 Weeks
Your baby is the size of a coconut, measuring about 16.7 inches (42.4 centimeters) long and weighing in at about 3.7 pound (1.7 kilograms).
Baby Development at Week 32
As the brown fat accumulates under the skin, your little one is starting to look more and more like a newborn.
From this week on, if your little one were to make an entrance into the world early, he or she has a good chance of surviving with a little extra support to breath. All of your baby’s fingers and toes now sport nails, which will continue to grow. He or she now has hair on the head, eye lashes and eyebrows.
If you are lucky, your baby is already positioned for birth with his or her head down pointing toward the exit path. If not, your healthcare provider will tell you that he or she is breeched. But not to worry, there is still plenty of time for your little one to get into position before birth.
Pregancy Tip
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Pregnancy hormones can change your skin. Not only that, the ever expanding belly is likely making your skin feel dry and stretched. Find a good baby safe moisturize, and apply lots of it often.
Your Bump at 32 Weeks
Your fundal height, measured from your pelvic bone to the top of the uterus, should measure from anywhere between 30 to 34 centimeters at this stage.
How Your Body is Changing
With your uterus continuing to expand and organs in the abdomen running out of space, you may feel some pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn and back pain may intensify this week.
You will also want to start monitoring your vaginal discharge from this week on. In preparation for delivery, there will be an increase in discharge, to prevent infections from taking hold. You may also loose your mucus plug (made up of thick mucus as the name suggests) that was covering the cervix. One other thing to keep you eye on is discharge that seems more like watery liquid. If you notice constant watery discharge, your water might have broken causing a slow leak, in which case you will want to contact your healthcare provider.
How Far Along are You?
32 weeks in, 8 weeks to go! You are four-fifths of the way through your pregnancy. Even though pregnancy is measured in weeks not months you are going into your eighth month of your pregnancy.
Did You Know that One Cord Blood Donation Could Produce up to 5000 Doses of a Powerful Cancer Immunotherapy?
UCLA researchers obtained stem cells from four donor cord-blood samples and eight donor peripheral blood samples: “Our findings suggest that one cord blood donation could produce up to 5,000 doses of the therapy and one peripheral blood donation could produce up to 300,000 doses,” said Yang, who is also an associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and a member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “At this yield, the cost of producing immune cell products could be dramatically reduced.”
Track of the latest uses for cord blood and stem cell therapies →
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211116131731.htm
Diet at Week 32
We often think of fats as a bad thing. But not all fats are equal or bad for you. In fact, it is important to include healthy unsaturated fats in your diet since your baby relies on you to provide this essential nutrient. Our bodies use fat as an source of energy, to help protect our vital organs and to aid in the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. Include the following foods rich in unsaturated fats to your diet to ensure your baby is getting sufficient amounts of fat from your diet.
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Fatty fish
- Olive oil
Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 32
Braxton Hicks contractions – Braxton Hicks contractions are named after Dr. John Braxton Hicks, who first described them. They are the result of muscles in your uterus flexing, preparing your body for labour. However, unlike true labour contractions, they are not strong enough to push your baby out. Braxton Hicks contractions often go away when you shift your position. They are also irregular and do not last for more than 1 minute.
Leaky boobs – Your breast start making colostrum in the first trimester. Colostrum is is the term for that first milk, which is packed with antibodies that your baby, will receive. You may experience leaky boobs in the third trimester because the levels of prolactin, the hormone that revs up milk production, keeps steadily increasing. Small leaks in colostrum during this stage of pregnancy are normal. You may want to consider putting nursing pads inside your bra to catch the overflow.
Pregnancy brain – Feeling extremely forgetful these days? “Pregnancy brain” is another side effect caused by hormones, lack of sleep and maybe a bit of stress. Studies show that brains of expectant moms function differently. But no need to worry, your brain will resume its normal activity once the baby is born. Aren’t you glad you have your trusty phone to keep track of your to-do list?
Heartburn and indigestion– Your digestive systems behaves differently during pregnancy owning to hormones. The hormone relaxin is responsible for loosening muscles in your digestive tract. This means food is passed along at a slower rate through your system causing bloating, gas and heartburn. These symptoms may be intensified by the fact that your expanding uterus is pushing your organs higher into the abdominal cavity.
Have Questions about Cord Blood Banking?
Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It contains rare stem cells that have many potential medical applications.
We have put together a fantastic webinar that will introduce you to cord blood and everything you need to know about it.
