You are 33 weeks and 2 days

With well-developed hearing, your baby may not be getting as much peace and quiet in the uterus as she would like.

47 days until your due date

Although some quieter high-pitched sounds don't reach the uterus, it's not as peaceful as you might think. There's constant background noise from your heartbeat, breathing, and stomach rumbling. The uterus and amniotic fluid block many quieter sounds, but voices get through quite easily.

Your baby has already learned to adapt to repetitive sounds and is now building a memory for familiar noises, the most familiar of all being your voice. She'll startle and turn toward loud or unfamiliar sounds, which also make her heart rate rise.

Ask a Doctor

What is perineal massage and how do I do it?

Just five minutes a day massaging your perineum (the area between the vagina and anus) with oil could reduce your risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy during the birth. You're also less likely to have pain there afterward, even after an episiotomy. Here's how:

Wash your hands and apply a mild lubricant to your thumbs, then slide them about an inch inside the vagina. Gently stretch the vagina until you feel a slight stinging.
Hold the pressure steady until the stinging stops, then gently massage the lower half of the vagina with your thumbs. With your thumbs hooked inside, pull forward to stretch the skin.
Not sure you're doing the first part right? Put your fingers in the corners of your mouth and pull it open to the sides for a similar burning sensation.

Focus on

Your baby: Lie and presentation

Your doctor will check your baby's lie and presentation at every prenatal appointment. The "lie" is which way round she's lying, vertically or horizontally; a horizontal lie is called transverse. The "presentation" is which part of the baby is nearest the pelvis and would come out first.

The most common presentation is head down, bottom up, called cephalic. Breech is when the baby is bottom or feet down with her head up. In a footling breech, the baby is head up with one leg extended downward and the other tucked in.

In an anterior position, your baby is head down facing your back. In a posterior position, she's head down facing your belly, which can make labor longer and may increase the chance of an assisted delivery.

This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.

What is perineal massage and how do I do it?

Your baby: Lie and presentation

Appointments and key dates around now