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Day 250 of 280 · 35 weeks + 5 days

The numbers, updated

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 7 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-five weeks and five days. The call card you made in your second month needs the numbers for the end: labor and delivery, the backup, and the way in.

Size this week
about the size of a honeydew melon
Length this week
around 46.2 cm from head to heel
A woman with a full bump in a hoodie at the fridge, pinning up a handwritten card while her teenage daughter copies the numbers into her own phone, kitchen light in the evening.

Thirty-five weeks and five days. Back in your second month you made a card with your provider's numbers and put it on the fridge. It was built for early pregnancy. Today it gets the numbers for the end.

Your baby

A single honeydew melon on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 46.2cm long from head to heel, about the size of a honeydew melon (NHS). Their movements are more limited in the crowded womb but should still feel as strong and regular as before; the NHS says to talk to a doctor or midwife, or call, if they change or stop (NHS). That's the first number on the card.

Your body

The NHS's list at 36 weeks includes noting your hospital reference number and important phone numbers (NHS). The AAP's version is more detailed: the hospital's name, address, and phone number; your delivering doctor or certified nurse midwife and their backup; the quickest route and the right entrance; and an ambulance number kept handy (AAP).

The AAP also suggests a list of people to call for child care or help around the house, "even if you don't think you'll need extra help" (AAP). Plans change at the end of pregnancy; the card is how you keep up with them.

Try today

  1. The numbers update

    Time: 20 minutes

    1. Take down the card from your second month and add the labor and delivery unit's direct number, plus the hospital's address and the entrance you'll use at night (AAP).

    2. Add your provider's backup, by name if you know it (AAP).

    3. Add any hospital or patient reference number you've been given (NHS), and 911 at the bottom.

    4. Add who drives, who watches any older children, and one backup for each.

    5. Put the new card on the fridge and a photo of it in both phones.

    Make it work:

    Call the labor and delivery number once now, just to hear who answers. You'll trust it more when it matters.

Watch for

  • Normal

    quieter spells and busier ones; there's no specific number of movements that counts as normal, and a change is what matters (CDC).

    Call your provider right away

    if your baby's movement is stopping or slowing (CDC).

  • Normal

    knowing that sex or an internal exam can cause a little spotting, one of the less serious causes of bleeding late in pregnancy (MedlinePlus).

    Call 911

    for heavy bleeding, a stiff and painful belly, or strong, frequent contractions, and call your provider right away about any other bleeding (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    needing to pee more as the baby's head moves down (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for pain when you urinate or a change in the smell or color of your urine, which may mean a bladder infection (MedlinePlus).

For you

A card on the fridge does something quietly useful: it moves the plan out of your head. You don't have to be the only one who knows where everything is. The NHS's advice for these weeks still applies too: talk to your doctor or midwife if you feel anxious or low (NHS).

If you're the partner: photograph the card, save the labor and delivery number under a name you'll find at 3 a.m., and drive the route once.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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