At week 35, your baby is as big as a pineapple measuring about 18 inches and weighing over 5 pounds. Sometime around this week, your baby's digestive system should be strong and ready for the milk your breasts have been busy prepping to make. Their kidneys and liver are prepared to help process the waste products from a developed digestive system. Soon your little one's digestive tract will be ready for nutrients, and upon birth, they will pass their first bowel movement in what is commonly known as meconium. Meconium is tar-like and very sticky. It is usually dark green or blackish and is typically challenging to clean up.
As the baby's sexual hormones increase, the male testes will descend into the scrotum from the abdomen, and the female labia will swell. Don't despair if your little one is born with slightly swollen and darkened genitals; this is normal due to the increase in hormones and subsides soon after birth.
Your baby will still be moving as much as before, but with limited space, the kicks and punches will feel different than they used to. Think more wiggles and squirming and fewer jabs; the somersaults and flips are a thing of the past.
Reference Sources
- American Pregnancy Association - Week 35
