Pregnancy Week 36: Group B Strep (GBS) Test and Baby's Soft Skull

You are thirty-six weeks pregnant and counting down the last month to the arrival of your baby. You have the pregnancy waddle and may be finding that your vision is not as clear as it was just a couple of weeks ago. You will also be getting a test for Group B Strep around your thirty-sixth week of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Week 36: Baby's Development

Your baby is weighs around six pounds and is warming up for his appearance by your thirty-sixth week of pregnancy. All his bones are hardened except for his skull. His skull bones are not connected yet because they need to shift in order to allow him to pass through your birth canal.

Your baby's movements and kicks may also be slowing down. He just doesn't have as much space as he once did. If you are not feeling your baby move ten times per hour then drink a glass of juice. The sugar in the juice should get him dancing in no time.

Pregnancy Week 36: Group B Strep (GBS)

Your doctor will test your cervix for a bacterial called Group B Streptococcus (GBS). This is a normal bacteria found in about 15-25% of women. It does not do any harm to you but it can cause an infection in your baby when you deliver. GBS is not the same bacterium that causes strep throat but it can cause urinary tract infections in some women.

Your health care provider will have to swab your vagina and rectum to determine if you have Group B Strep. This test is done in the office and takes about twenty seconds.

Group B Strep can cause serious infections in a newborn. Normally, an infected baby will get symptoms within a day. These infections include sepsis (a blood infection), meningitis, and pneumonia.

If you test positive for Group B Strep then you will given intravenous antibiotics when you go into labor to prevent the streptococcal bacteria from being passed on to your newborn. The antibiotics will decrease the amount of Group B Strep in your system and also give your baby antibiotic protection.

A GBS infection occurs in about 1 in 200 babies when antibiotics are not given during labor but in only 1 in 4,000 babies when antibiotics are given.

Pregnancy Week 36: Watch Your Step

Your center of gravity is way off during your last few weeks of pregnancy. You have a basketball in front of you and you cannot see your feet. The relaxin hormone has loosened your pelvis and changed your gait. You now have more of a waddle than a walk.

Your vision is also changing because pregnancy hormones have reduced your tear production causing your eyes to be more irritated. You may also have an increase in fluid behind your eyes' lenses that can blur your vision. You need to pay more attention to your immediate surroundings in order to avoid tripping.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:
Pregnancy Week 32

Pregnancy Week 33

Pregnancy Week 34

Pregnancy Week 35

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Personal Experience

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx