Yes, a baby can safely be born at 32 weeks, but they may need specialized care to help support their development as they navigate their early days in the world. A baby who's born before week 37 of pregnancy is considered to be premature.
Known causes of preterm labor are:
- Infections.
- Vaginal bleeding.
- Hormone changes.
- Stretching of the uterus. This might be from being pregnant with more than 1 baby, a large baby, or too much amniotic fluid.
32 weeks is how many months? You're in your eighth month!
The full development of your baby's brain and other vital organs such as lungs, eyes, heart, immune system, intestinal system, and kidneys takes place in this final term of your pregnancy. Let's explain a bit more. Take the baby's lungs for example – an organ absolutely essential to breathing and therefore survival.
Your baby when you're 32 weeks pregnantFrom now on, your baby's weight will grow faster than its length: Your baby is about 28 cm long from head to bottom, and weighs about 1.7 kg. Your baby is still putting on fat beneath the skin, looking plumper all the time. Your baby might be head down now.
If they occur low down, just above your pubic bone, this can be a sign your cervix is dilating. It might feel something like the cramping ache you have just before, or at the start of your period. You might also feel a dull ache in the lower part of your back, which comes at regular intervals.
Your baby, or foetus, is around 42.4cm long from head to heel, and weighs about 1.7kg. That's approximately the size of a kale leaf and the weight of a joint of beef. Your baby is perfectly formed but needs more fattening up. That's what the next few weeks are all about.
In the third trimester, abdominal pain can reappear as the uterus begins to crowd the organs. Some women experience heartburn or a sensation that the skin of the stomach is stretching. Having stomach pain in the third trimester may indicate a more serious problem if it: occurs with other symptoms, such as itching.
Weeks 32 to 35 are often considered the eighth month of pregnancy, but there can be a little wiggle room and debate about this as it's hard to make 40 weeks separate perfectly into 9 months.
Read on to find out how to tell if baby will come early or late.
Signs that baby is 24 to 48 hours away
- Cramping. Period-like pain low in the pelvis, near your pubic bone where your cervix is.
- Mucus plug.
- Backache.
- Contractions that become regular and increase in intensity and get closer together.
Some women who have fast labours aren't aware that they're in labour until the very last minute. It's thought that their womb (uterus) contracts so painlessly that they don't feel the contractions in the first stage of labour at all.
5 Signs That You're Really in Labor
- Your contractions are strong.
- Your contractions are regular.
- The pain in your belly or lower back doesn't go away when you move or change positions.
- Your water breaks.
- You have a bloody (brownish or reddish) mucus discharge.
Very active baby before laborSome women experience their baby moving a lot in the run-up to labor. One theory for this is the increase in Braxton Hicks contractions. As your body prepares for labor and birth, you might start to experience a greater frequency of Braxton Hicks contractions.
It's very unlikely that you will suddenly go into labor without warning. Your body will let you know that you're close to the big day, so you can make sure your hospital bag is packed, and be ready to go to the hospital when the time is right.
