The lungs that were nearly ready last week are continuing their final maturation. The dreaming continues. The fat accumulation is now substantial — the baby has reached 2.4kg and 320mm, and the characteristic rounded softness of a newborn is unmistakably present. This week adds two more systems to the completed column: the kidneys are now fully developed, and the liver is actively processing waste products.
The liver — the most complex organ in the body — is now actively processing waste products and bilirubin (the byproduct of red blood cell breakdown). The mild jaundice that many newborns display in the first days of life reflects the liver's transition from foetal to neonatal function; the foetal liver relies on the placenta for some processing, and it takes a few days after birth to fully assume its independent role. This is entirely normal and almost always self-resolving. Understanding this in advance means the paediatric team's mention of jaundice in the first 24 hours will not alarm you. See the Common Newborn Health Concerns guide for more on neonatal jaundice and what to watch for.
The baby at 35 weeks is, in the assessment of neonatologists, almost entirely ready for life outside the womb. The systems that are still maturing — primarily the lungs' final alveolar development and the brain's ongoing myelination — benefit significantly from every additional day in utero. This is not a cliff edge; it is a gradient. Each day from now until 40 weeks adds measurable developmental benefit. The phrase "every single day now helps" is not reassurance — it is clinically accurate.
At thirty-five weeks I started counting in days rather than weeks. Each morning felt like a small achievement — one more day of brain development, one more day of lung maturation. The discomfort was significant by then. Counting in days made it feel purposeful rather than just endurance. Every uncomfortable night was doing something.
One of the most physically notable events of weeks 35–38 for first-time pregnancies is engagement — the baby's head moving down into the pelvis. You may notice it before it's confirmed at your next appointment: a sudden ability to breathe more deeply, heartburn easing, the bump sitting lower and visibly more forward. These are the welcome signs of lightening.
What improves when the head engages: breathing becomes noticeably easier as the uterus drops and the pressure on the diaphragm reduces. Heartburn often eases. The bump changes shape — lower and more forward-projecting than before.
What gets harder: increased pelvic pressure, a feeling of heaviness in the pelvis, more urgent and frequent urination (the head now pressing directly on the bladder), and sometimes a waddling gait as the pelvis shifts. Pelvic girdle pain may worsen temporarily. Sharp shooting pains down the inner thigh (caused by pressure on the obturator nerve) are common and normal — they are sometimes called "lightning crotch" and are startling but harmless.
What engagement does not mean: it does not mean labour is imminent. The head can be fully engaged for two to three weeks before labour begins. It is a sign of preparation, not a timeline.
A "show" (mucus plug releasing — blood-tinged mucus discharge): labour may follow in hours to days.
Waters breaking — a gush or a slow trickle of clear or slightly pink fluid: contact your maternity unit immediately, whatever the time.
Regular contractions increasing in frequency and intensity that don't stop with a change of position: contact your unit when contractions are 5 minutes apart for a first baby.
Before 37 weeks, any of the above constitutes preterm labour — contact your maternity unit immediately. Do not wait to see if it settles. See Preparing for Labour & Birth for the full early labour guide.
From 36–37 weeks, those for whom it is appropriate can begin hand-expressing and freezing colostrum — the first milk — as a supplement for the immediate postnatal period. Week 35 is the moment to confirm with your midwife whether this applies to you, so that you can start at 36 weeks if advised.
It may also be offered more broadly if there are concerns about milk supply or feeding initiation. Having a small supply of frozen colostrum available means that if breastfeeding is slow to establish in the first 24–48 hours, the baby can be supplemented without recourse to formula — protecting the breastfeeding relationship while ensuring adequate nutrition.
Do not start before 36 weeks without midwife advice. Nipple stimulation can occasionally trigger contractions before term. At 36 weeks, with a confirmed term pregnancy, the risk is negligible — but the conversation should happen first. The Breastfeeding: A Practical Guide topic covers the harvesting technique, storage, and how to use the colostrum after birth.
Five weeks. The physical discomfort of week 35 is, for most people, the most sustained of the entire pregnancy. The relentless combination of disrupted sleep, pelvic pressure, reduced mobility, and the sheer physical weight of being 35 weeks pregnant is real. The affirmation for this week — "the last stretch is the hardest, you are built for this" — is not hollow encouragement. It is accurate. The body has been building toward exactly this moment for eight months. The systems are in place. The baby is almost ready. The finish line is in sight.
The framing of counting in days rather than weeks — as Vivienne describes above — is genuinely useful at week 35. Each day is not just endurance; it is a measurable developmental contribution. Five weeks is 35 days. Each one adds something real to the baby's brain, lungs, and liver function. That purposefulness can change the relationship to the discomfort.
By thirty-five weeks I had completely stopped being interested in being pregnant and become entirely interested in having had the baby. I was physically done in a way I hadn't anticipated. And yet — and I didn't expect this either — I also found myself crying in the bath thinking about how this particular closeness was nearly over. The ambivalence was extraordinary. I was simultaneously desperate for it to end and not quite ready for it to.
If you haven't yet read the Fourth Trimester and Parent Mental Health guides, the final weeks of pregnancy are an important window. The postnatal period is significantly better navigated by people who understood what was coming before it arrived. The Body After Birth guide is also worth reading now — understanding what postnatal physical recovery involves means you will not be alarmed or unprepared for it.
Five weeks out: the birth guides are largely done. These are the postnatal guides to read before you need them.
The next five weeks are the most physically demanding of the pregnancy for your partner, and they are also the most logistically compressed. The things that haven't yet been done need to be done now — not in week 38, not in week 39. The physical exhaustion of late pregnancy makes practical tasks exponentially harder in the final weeks. Everything that can be done at week 35 should be done at week 35.
The emotional ambivalence described by Jess above — simultaneously done with the pregnancy and not ready for it to end — is common and rarely discussed. Your partner may be experiencing it. Acknowledging it, rather than trying to resolve it in either direction, is the right response. There is no correct way to feel at week 35.
- Read the Fourth Trimester and Parent Mental Health guides this week. The postnatal period is where partner support is most needed and most commonly underprepared for. Understanding what the first twelve weeks actually involves — the sleep, the feeding, the recovery, the identity shift — before you are in it is the most useful preparation you can make.
- Finalise the postnatal support plan. Who is helping in week one? Who is cooking? Who is on overnight duty and how? What does your partner need from you specifically in the first week? Have this conversation now, explicitly, with commitments rather than intentions.
- Hospital bag: complete and by the door. Not almost complete — complete. It should be ready to leave with at any moment from this week onward.
- Know the signs of labour. A show, waters breaking, regular intensifying contractions. Know when to call the maternity unit. Know where you're going. Know the route at 3am. Read the Labour & Birth guide's section on early labour signs — this week if not already done.
Confirm with your midwife at the 36-week appointment whether colostrum harvesting is appropriate for you — and if so, begin at 36 weeks. If you have any of the risk factors listed above (diabetes, planned caesarean, previous feeding difficulties, known foetal condition), having a small frozen supply ready can make a significant practical difference in the first 24–48 hours. If you don't have risk factors, this conversation will simply confirm that harvesting isn't necessary — which is also useful to know.
The 36-week appointment is next week. Arrive with this question ready:
This question gets at the practical reality of the final stretch: the gap between weekly appointments still means days of self-monitoring, and knowing precisely what to watch for, what number to call at 3am, and what the post-dates plan looks like removes a significant source of third-trimester anxiety. Your midwife has answers to all of these questions specific to your trust and your pregnancy — getting them now, while you have the mental capacity to absorb and retain them, is much better than trying to find them in early labour.