Hey mama.

Welcome to Pregnancy unpacked.

I'm Trish, a labor nurse of 16 years, mom of seven, and your birth vesting.

I'm gonna be walking you through not just baby bumps and fruit sizes, but the entire identity shift that pregnancy will be for you.

Each episode drops every Wednesday, and we're gonna unpack what's happening in your body, what to expect, what to do, what's not.

Even when it feels extremely weird and how to actually feel supported emotionally and physically, you're gonna hear from me where I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, but I'm gonna be cheering you on along the way.

You can follow along each Wednesday because pregnancy deserves more than outdated advice and Google anxiety.

Hey mama.

Welcome back to Pregnancy Unpacked.

This is Trish, your favorite labor nurse, your birth coach, and your voice of calm in your earbuds.

If you're 34 weeks, we are getting so close.

Your baby is now the size of a butternut squash weighing about 4.7 pounds.

And measuring around 18 inches long.

But here's what's also incredible.

The baby's lungs are making major developmental leaps.

We're talking about huge milestone in their ability to breathe on their own if they're born today.

So today we're gonna dive into what makes week 34 so special, the signs of preterm labor you need to know about, and we're gonna talk about your house.

Hospital bag, you're just six weeks away from meeting your baby.

TikTok.

TikTok, I'm so excited for you.

Oh my gosh.

This is such an amazing time and I just wanna remind you from the get celebrate yourself, do something fun, go out with some of your friends and just be pampered.

You are.

Precious.

Okay, so let's talk about your little baby Bean Baby is about the size of a butternut squash, like we said, and almost five pounds, like that's crazy.

Here's what's making me so excited about week 34.

Your baby's lungs are having their biggest week yet.

This is an important week for that development.

There's surfactant.

Production is ramping up like crazy, and we talked about that last week.

Surfactant is basically like a soap that coats the inside of the lungs so they don't collapse.

When baby breathe at 34 weeks, if your baby were born today, they would have a 99% survival rate.

That is incredible.

Their brain, of course, is getting more and more wrinkled, which is actually good because those wrinkles mean more surface area for brain development.

And their bones are beginning to harden.

But again, we talked about last week that little skull staying soft so it can move through your birth canal.

Just like last week, their sleep cycles are getting more and more defined and their immune system is getting stronger every single day.

Keep paying attention to the movement patterns because they are so, so important.

And also, if you keep a little journal, you might notice that baby follows the same pattern once they're born.

Let's talk about what's happening with Mama Bear because you are so important.

You've probably gained about 23 to 30 pounds now, and your uterus is getting huge.

It's probably about six inches above your belly button now, and the shortness of breath is probably intense because baby is really pressing against your diaphragm.

Heartburn might be at an all time high.

This is when most of my members inside the memberships.

Start really complaining about heartburn because everything is squished up there.

So the bigger the meal you eat, the more it's going to be intense, the more intense it'll be.

So having small, frequent meals, those are your besties right now.

Okay, we're gonna talk about the lady bits today because you're probably feeling like your vagina is about to fall out because the pressure in your pelvis as baby starts to drop down is no joke.

And your Braxton Hicks are probably getting stronger and more frequent, but they're still irregular and they should go away if you change positions or you take a shower or you do something different.

Okay.

Sleep is probably a serious joke at this point.

Between peeing constantly heartburn and not being able to get comfy.

Quality sleep is hard to come by, so do what you can nap when you can and use all the pillows like your, your partner doesn't need a pillow really.

They can sleep flat.

The nesting instinct might be continuing as well, or maybe it's just now hitting you, but I personally love the nesting instinct and having that urge to clean everything, organize everything.

Just channel the energy girl, but don't exhaust yourself.

Okay, this is really important.

I wanna talk about preterm labor signs, because you need to know what to watch for, but I don't want you making decisions out of fear or panic.

True preterm labor signs include.

Regular contractions that are 10 minutes apart or closer for at least an hour.

So if you have six contractions in an hour, you need to let them know.

Another sign could be a constant low back ache that doesn't go away.

Pelvic pressure that feels like baby is really pushing down.

This one is kinda silly.

Whenever I tell moms this in person, I'm like, I know you feel like your vagina's falling out.

Like how in the hell Amm supposed to know if this is more pressure?

But if you just feel increased pressure, we'll say that cramps, that feel like really bad period cramps.

Or a sudden gush of fluid or even a slow leak of fluid or bleeding.

Here's what's not usually preterm labor.

Braxton Hicks that are irregular and they go away.

We need to change positions.

Occasional back pain that comes and goes, or just feeling uncomfortable.

That's all.

Just a normal part of third try.

If you're having regular contractions, here's what to do.

Empty your bladder, drink a lot of water, lay down on your left side and time them.

If they're still coming every 10 minutes or closer after an hour, call your doctor.

You can also take a nice shower.

See if that helps.

'cause sometimes that will kick it out, but I will tell you that the majority of women who come in and preterm labor, it's because of dehydration.

So get hydrated, stay hydrated.

The other thing is, most of the time when mamas think they're in preterm labor at 34 weeks, they're not.

But it's always better to get checked than to worry.

We never get upset with you guys for coming in to get checked, ever.

Okay, so let's talk about your hospital bag, and I have a list for you guys.

It's inside my third trimester prep pack.

You can go to labor nurse mama.com/third, or if you buy the classes, you'll get all the info in there as well.

So for you, the most important things is you have like a comfortable outfit that you can also go home in.

So if your water's broken, you probably want two outfits, but if not, you could probably wear what you wear to the hospital home again, depending on how long you've had it on or if you leaked in it or whatever.

Nursing bras a comfortable underwear that you don't mind throwing away.

I personally am a huge fan of the pull on diaper undies for women.

Your own toilet trees, a phone chargers.

Super important iPad charger, camera, charger, whatever you need.

Comfortable slippers and maybe a rope.

Other than that, y'all don't need much unless you want a labor gown or something like that.

Make sure you have your insurance cards, your IDs, your birth plan copies, and any paperwork you might need for comfort during labor.

I recommend some labor tools, and we have those listed in our hospital pack, but things like having your own pillow, make sure you have a colored pillowcase so it doesn't get taken or taken to the laundry Snacks for.

Labor, I'm gonna say it.

Snacks for labor.

Even though most hospitals say you can't eat, bring some snacks for your labor.

Think things that are high in protein and some good carbs and some honey sticks 'cause you're gonna be starving and you can even have snacks for your partner and after delivery.

I love having lip balm and a hair tie, like lip balm and a hair tie Are lifesavers.

A little fan, like a little clip-on fan for the bed or for you to hold for babies, some going home outfits and newborn and zero to three month size, just in case.

A few onesies, a swaddle blanket and the car seat properly installed.

The hospital provides everything else and all of the different things for you.

We do provide toiletries, but they're awful.

Awful for your partner.

They need to have a bag that's packed specifically for them too with the change of clothes, some undies, some new socks, some toiletry, snacks, phone charger, comfortable shoes, and maybe some slippers or something to walk around during labor.

Here's what you don't need, 47 outfits for, baby, your entire makeup collection or anything super valuable.

Don't stress because we have most of the things you need, so pads and breast pads and baby diapers and wipes and all that we have for you.

Here's some things you need to focus on this week.

Install your car seat, get it checked by a certified technician.

Don't skip this.

This is like one of the most important things I can say because most car seats are installed incorrectly, so don't skip this.

You used to be able to go to the fire station so you can even call and see if they are, have a certified technician if you haven't taken your class yet.

Girl, what are we doing here?

You need to be educated.

We've got the full birth course, calm labor, confident Birth, or the VBAC lab, which comes with 30 days free of my mom and membership and all the things.

It's complete kit and caboodle for 2 97, and then of course we have the Calm Labor birth pod, which is an audio based class for 97, or you can get started for 33.

Both classes are covered by insurance.

You can use your SHA or FSA pick one and get your butt going.

Okay?

You can't write your birth plan if you're not educated.

You can't just download a birth plan and tick the boxes.

You need to know why you're putting each thing on there.

Another thing, remember doing your kit counts daily.

Baby should move at least 10 times in two hours.

If you're ever concerned, call your doctor.

Create your support.

Support plan for postpartum.

Who's helping you?

What meals are you preparing?

Put the names and numbers of people you can talk to for postpartum depression.

Go ahead and look and see who your insurance covers for therapy.

Put those notes up there, get them ready.

Have all the important numbers on your fridge.

Have a list for postpartum.

This is so stinking important.

Let's have some serious conversations with your partner about what they're thinking.

Like are they thinking that their mom can be at the hospital the whole time and you're like, hell no.

Are you thinking that your mom and sister can be there but his can't?

Like, these are conversations you need to have now, mama, you're just six weeks away from meeting your little one.

This week is all about trusting your body and preparing, but do not let the fear take over.

You can have a beautiful birth that's not filled with fear.

I promise you, your body knows how to do this.

Even if labor starts now, you and baby are gonna be akay at 34 weeks.

Babies do really, really well.

You don't need everything perfect.

What you need is knowledge, support, and confidence in your body's ability to do this incredible thing.

You're growing a whole ass human and that makes you.

A superhero in my book.

All right, you guys, I hope you love this episode.

Please hit subscribe and write a review.

Tell me what topics you wanna hear more about.

And next week we're covering week 35, when baby is considered early term and what that means for your delivery.

So until next week, trust your body, trust your instincts, and remember you've.

Got this.

I adore you as always, we will see you again next week.

Bye for now.