pregnancy week 35
35 weeks pregnant.
Brain growth is rapid — adding billions of new connections every week. Your baby is finishing up the final preparations.
Updated 29 July 2026 · Sources: NHS and ACOG
Your baby this week
Chubby with smooth pink skin. Most of the lanugo is gone but vernix still coats parts of the body, especially folds.
- Brain growth peaks
- Body fat percentage rises
- Most organs mature
- Kidneys fully developed
What may be changing in your body
You may feel the baby drop lower — easier breathing but more pelvic pressure. Practice contractions feel more like real ones.
Lightning crotch
Sudden sharp, electric zings in the pelvis or inner thighs happen when the baby's head presses on nerves. They last seconds, are harmless, and unfortunately have no reliable fix beyond changing position.
Easier breathing, heavier pelvis
If your baby has dropped, your lungs get room back while your bladder and pelvic floor lose it. The trade shows labour's direction of travel.
Increased discharge
Discharge typically increases in the final weeks. Report anything bloodstained, green, itchy, or foul-smelling, or any gush or trickle of watery fluid, to your maternity unit.
Fatigue with bursts of energy
Deep tiredness alternating with nesting surges is the classic late-pregnancy rhythm. Spend the energy bursts wisely and honour the tired spells.
Sharp cervical twinges
Brief stabbing sensations deep in the cervix are common as it begins softening. Regular painful tightenings, bleeding, or fluid loss are the signals that need a call to your maternity unit.
When to call
From here, contact your maternity unit about regular contractions, waters breaking, bleeding, severe headache or visual changes — and immediately about any reduction in movements.
Your week 35 checklist
- Pack the hospital bag completely this week and keep it by the door — include maternity notes, chargers, snacks, and going-home outfits.
- Attend your Group B Strep screening if your unit offers it around weeks 35 to 37.
- Fit the car seat in its final position and have your installation checked if possible.
- Write down your maternity unit's guidance on when to call, and pin it somewhere visible.
A useful partner move this week
Pack your own hospital bag this week — snacks that keep, a phone charger, a change of clothes, toothbrush, and swimwear if you might join her in a birth pool. Learn where her maternity notes live and make sure both hospital bags plus the notes can be grabbed in under a minute.
What comes next
Group B Strep test usually now. Babies born after week 37 are full-term and most go home with parents directly.
Common questions
What should I pack in my hospital bag?
For you: maternity notes, comfortable nightwear that opens at the front, maternity pads, big comfortable underwear, toiletries, lip balm, snacks, a long phone charger, and a going-home outfit sized for around six months pregnant. For the baby: several vests and sleepsuits, a hat, nappies, cotton wool or wipes, a blanket, and the car seat ready in the car. Pack as if staying two nights — most stays are shorter, but the buffer removes stress.
What does a positive Group B Strep result mean?
Group B Strep is a common bacterium carried harmlessly by many adults, but it can occasionally cause serious infection in newborns during birth. A positive result simply means you will be offered antibiotics through a drip during labour, which greatly reduces the risk to your baby. It does not change how you give birth and is not a reflection of anything you did.
What is lightning crotch and is it a sign of labor?
Lightning crotch is the nickname for sudden sharp, electric pains in the pelvis, vagina, or inner thighs caused by the baby's head pressing on nerves as it settles lower. On its own it is not a sign that labour is starting — just that the baby is getting into position. If the zings come with regular contractions, waters breaking, or bleeding, then call your maternity unit.
How many months is 35 weeks pregnant?
Pregnancy months do not divide evenly into weeks, so clinicians date pregnancy in weeks. At 35 weeks, you are in trimester three.