Pregnancy Week 35: Birth Preferences, Hypnobirthing, and Your Baby's Final Preparations

8 min read

Quick answer: At 35 weeks your baby measures about 46.2cm crown to heel and weighs around 2.4 kilograms, with fully developed kidneys, hearing and a well-established sucking reflex. This week is a good time to write your birth preferences with your midwife and decide on pain relief, from gas and air, pethidine or diamorphine, and an epidural to a TENS machine or hypnobirthing.

What parents need to know

You're at 35 weeks, just five weeks until your due date. Your baby is almost fully developed and is spending the final weeks gaining weight and fine-tuning the systems they'll need for life outside the womb. This is also an important time to think carefully about your birth preferences and any pain relief techniques you'd like to explore.

Length	About 46.2cm crown to heel
Weight	Around 2.4 kilograms, like a honeydew melon
Weeks to due date	Five weeks until your due date
Urine produced	Up to half a litre per day
Epidural availability	Only available in hospital

How big is your baby at 35 weeks?

Your baby now measures approximately 46.2cm from crown to heel and weighs around 2.4 kilograms — roughly the weight of a honeydew melon. They have very little room to manoeuvre now and you may notice their movements feel different — more pressured stretches rather than big rolls. You should still feel your baby move right up to and during labour. If your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel them moving anymore, or their usual pattern of movements changes, call your midwife or maternity unit immediately.

What's happening with your baby?

Your baby's kidneys are fully developed and they're producing up to half a litre of urine per day, which is passed into the amniotic fluid and then recycled as the baby swallows it. The liver has also developed to the point where it can process some waste products. Your baby's hearing is fully developed and they can recognise familiar voices: studies suggest that newborns show a preference for their mother's voice from birth, having heard it throughout pregnancy. The sucking reflex is also well established, which will be crucial for feeding after birth.

Understanding your pain relief options

As your due date approaches, it's worth familiarising yourself with the pain relief options available during labour. Available options in the UK include:

Gas and air (Entonox): a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide breathed through a mouthpiece during contractions. It takes the edge off pain and is available at home births, in birth centres, and in hospital. Side effects can include light-headedness and nausea.

Pethidine or diamorphine: strong opioid injections that can help reduce pain and promote relaxation. They cross the placenta, so timing is important — they're not given too close to delivery as they can affect the baby's breathing and ability to feed.

Epidural: an injection into the space around the spinal cord that numbs the lower half of the body. Highly effective, but restricts mobility and may slow down labour or push. Only available in hospital.

TENS machine: sends small electrical pulses to the back which may disrupt pain signals. Most effective in early labour and can be used at home. Usually hired rather than purchased.

Hypnobirthing: a technique combining breathing exercises, relaxation, visualisation, and positive affirmations. Some women find it extremely effective for managing pain and anxiety during labour. Classes are available through NCT and privately, and there are also self-study resources.

Writing your birth preferences

Your birth preferences (also known as a birth plan) is a document you share with your care team to communicate your wishes for labour and birth. Keep it concise and flexible, and discuss it with your midwife. Consider including your preferences around: who you want present; movement and positions during labour; pain relief; monitoring; interventions such as episiotomy; and immediate care after birth (skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, vitamin K).

When to get help

Some symptoms in pregnancy can be a sign of something serious and need checking quickly. This is who to contact, and how soon.

Call 999 if:

you're bleeding from your vagina and the bleeding is heavy (soaking a period pad soon after putting it on), or you also have severe pain in your tummy, pain in your shoulder, or feel sick, faint, dizzy or lose consciousness
you think your baby is coming now and you have a strong urge to push (ask for an ambulance)
you have severe difficulty breathing (you're gasping, choking or not able to get words out) or your chest feels tight or heavy
you have pain and swelling in one leg and you also feel short of breath or have chest pain. A blood clot in the leg can travel to your lungs, which can be life-threatening
you have possible signs of sepsis, such as breathing very fast, being confused or having slurred speech, blue, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that does not fade when you press it, or a very high or very low temperature. Being pregnant makes sepsis more likely
you do not feel you can keep yourself safe (a mental health emergency is as serious as a physical one)

Always call 999 if you think it's a life-threatening emergency, no matter what stage of pregnancy you are.

Call your midwife or maternity unit now if:

your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel your baby moving anymore, or there is a change to your baby's usual pattern of movements
you have light bleeding or spotting, even if you have no pain or only mild tummy pain
you have stomach pain that is severe or does not go away after you've rested for 30 to 60 minutes, or stomach pain with regular cramping or tightenings, lower back pain, or pain when you pee
you're less than 37 weeks pregnant and you have a gush or trickle of fluid from your vagina (this could be your waters breaking), regular contractions or tightenings, period-type pains, or backache that's not usual for you
your waters break, even if labour has not started
you have signs of pre-eclampsia: a severe headache that does not go away with simple painkillers, vision problems (such as blurred vision or seeing flashing lights), pain below the ribs, sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet, feeling very unwell, heartburn that does not go away with heartburn medicines, or being sick (vomiting)
your skin is very itchy (for example, it keeps you awake at night), the palms of your hands or soles of your feet are itchy, or the itching is worse at night. This can be a sign of a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) that needs urgent treatment
your breathlessness comes on suddenly, you're out of breath when you're lying down, or you're breathless and also have chest pain or feel dizzy
you have pain or swelling in one leg, usually in the calf or thigh. This could be a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT), which is more likely when you're pregnant
you have a high temperature (38C or above), or you feel hotter than usual or shivery. A high temperature can be a sign of an infection, so it's important to get it checked
any of your contractions last longer than 2 minutes, or you're having 6 or more contractions every 10 minutes

If your baby's movements change, do not wait until the next day: call immediately, even if it's the middle of the night. Do not use a home doppler to check the heartbeat yourself. Even if you hear a heartbeat, this does not mean your baby is well.

If your waters break, use a period pad (not a tampon) so your midwife can check the colour of the waters, and tell them immediately if the waters are smelly or coloured.

You can also call your midwife or maternity unit if you're unsure or worried about anything.

If you cannot reach them, or you're not sure what to do, call NHS 111.

Speak to your midwife or GP if:

you're worried about your mental health, or stress, anxiety or low mood are affecting your day-to-day life. If you need urgent help for your mental health, call 111 and select the mental health option, or ask for an urgent GP appointment

Go to sleep on your side. From 28 weeks, the safest position to go to sleep is on your side, either left or right. Research suggests that, after 28 weeks, falling asleep on your back can double the risk of stillbirth. This includes daytime naps. If you wake up on your back, just turn onto your side and go back to sleep.

Your week 35 checklist

This week:

Finalise your birth preferences and share with your midwife.
Decide on your preferred pain relief options.
Consider attending a hypnobirthing session or class.
Confirm your birth environment.
Rest as much as possible.

Sources & further reading

General information, not individual medical advice. Speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor about your baby’s needs.