Five Weeks Out
Week 35. The hospital bag is looking at you. The car seat is installed (or almost). And every time you feel a new sensation, some part of your brain runs a quick check: is this it?
It's probably not it yet. But you're close enough that learning to read your body's signals is genuinely useful now. This week, your weekly prenatal visits begin, and the GBS screening is coming up in the next week or two. Both are anchors in the final stretch.
Your Baby This Week
Your baby is about the size of a honeydew melon, measuring approximately 18.2 inches (46.2 cm) from head to heel and weighing around 5.3 pounds (2.4 kg) [3][4]. The kidneys are fully developed and producing urine. The liver has matured enough to process some waste products. The brain continues rapid growth that will not slow down until well into early childhood.
Most babies are in a head-down (cephalic) position by 35 weeks, though your provider will confirm this at your visit. The baby is gaining about half a pound per week from now until birth, adding the fat reserves that will help regulate body temperature after delivery [3].
Your baby's hearing is well developed, and they can distinguish familiar voices, including yours. Research suggests that newborns show preference for voices, music, and sounds they heard repeatedly in the womb.
Group B Strep Screening: What It Is and Why It Matters
Between 36 and 37 weeks, your provider will perform a Group B Streptococcus (GBS) culture. This is often discussed at the 35-week visit because many practices schedule it at 36 weeks and use the prior appointment to explain the test [1][2].
What is GBS? Group B Streptococcus is a type of bacteria that lives harmlessly in the vagina or rectum of approximately 25% of healthy adult women. It doesn't cause illness in adults and has no symptoms [1].
Why does it matter in pregnancy? A baby who passes through the birth canal when GBS is present can pick up the bacteria during delivery. In most cases, nothing happens. But in a small percentage of babies, GBS causes serious infection: pneumonia, sepsis (blood infection), or meningitis (brain and spinal cord infection). These infections can be severe or life-threatening [1][2].
How is the test done? Your provider (or you, in some offices) uses a small swab to collect samples from the lower vagina and rectum. The swab is sent to a lab and results return within 24 to 48 hours. The test itself takes about 10 seconds and is not painful [1].
What happens if you test positive? A positive result means you carry GBS, not that you're sick or that your baby will be infected. When you arrive in labor, you'll receive intravenous antibiotics (usually penicillin) every four hours until delivery. This reduces the risk of GBS transmission to the baby by more than 80% [2].
What if you test negative? No antibiotics needed for GBS. One less thing to manage on delivery day.
What if you have a planned cesarean before labor starts? If membranes are intact and labor has not begun, GBS antibiotics are generally not required for a planned cesarean, because the baby does not pass through the birth canal [2].
Testing positive for GBS is common. It does not reflect on hygiene, health, or anything you've done. It's a carrier state, not an infection, and the management is simple and effective.
Your Body at Thirty-Five Weeks
- Braxton Hicks: Practice contractions may feel stronger now. They remain irregular and resolve with rest or position changes. Real labor contractions get longer, stronger, and closer together over time and don't stop [5].
- Pelvic floor pressure and leaking: As the baby descends, pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor intensifies. Leaking small amounts of urine when you cough, laugh, or sneeze is common and temporary. Kegel exercises help but won't fully resolve it until after delivery.
- Difficulty sleeping: The combination of weight, pressure, frequent urination, and third-trimester anxiety makes restful sleep increasingly difficult. Keeping your room cool and dark and using a pregnancy pillow can help.
- Nesting in full force: The urge to prepare, organize, and clean can feel urgent and productive. Channel it toward practical tasks: finishing the hospital bag, confirming the pediatrician appointment, installing the car seat base.
- Swelling: End-of-day ankle and foot swelling is common and usually benign. Elevating your feet for 20 to 30 minutes provides relief. Report sudden, significant, or facial swelling to your provider immediately.
The Emotional Side
"If one more person tells me to 'enjoy every moment,' I'm going to lose it." Unsolicited advice and commentary on your body, your choices, and your timeline intensify as your due date approaches. The irritation you feel is not hormonal oversensitivity. It is a reasonable response to strangers and relatives treating your pregnancy as public property. You are allowed to redirect conversations, leave rooms, and say "I appreciate the thought, but I'm not looking for input right now." Protecting your mental space in the final weeks is not rude. It is self-care.
What MomDoc Wants You to Know
At your weekly visits, your provider is watching for changes that matter. Blood pressure, fundal height, fetal heart rate, and fetal position are all assessed every time. If your baby shifts out of a head-down position, your provider will discuss options with you.
This is also the right time to review labor signs together. You should call your provider when contractions are regular and five minutes apart for one hour, when you suspect your water has broken (even if it's a slow trickle rather than a dramatic gush), or when you notice decreased fetal movement or any vaginal bleeding beyond normal spotting [5].
You've made it to the final five weeks. Your body knows what to do.