Know when to go in
Go to your hospital or birth center if: your waters break, you have contractions 5 minutes apart lasting 1 minute each for 1 hour (the 5-1-1 rule), or you notice reduced fetal movement. When in doubt, call your provider.
How your baby is developing
Your baby now weighs approximately 2.7 kg and is around 47 cm long. Most babies are in a head-down (cephalic) position by this week, though some will turn later. The lungs are nearly mature.
The baby is continuing to gain weight — about 28 grams per day at this stage. Fat deposits are filling out the face and limbs. The skull remains soft and flexible to allow passage through the birth canal.
- Lungs nearly mature
- Baby gaining ~28 g per day
- Most babies head-down by now
- Skull bones remain soft and flexible
Group B Strep screening
Between weeks 35–37, most providers screen for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) — a bacteria that can be present in the vagina or rectum without causing symptoms. If positive, antibiotics during labor reduce the risk of passing it to your baby.
A positive GBS result is not cause for alarm — it simply means antibiotics will be part of your labor plan.
Signs of labor to know
As you approach full term, it's worth knowing the early signs of labor: regular contractions that grow stronger and closer together, your waters breaking, and a 'bloody show' (a small amount of blood-tinged mucus).
Braxton Hicks contractions — irregular, painless or mildly uncomfortable tightening — are common and not a sign of labor. The difference is regularity and increasing intensity.
Tips for this stage
Know your route
It's a good idea to know your route to the hospital or birth center and have a rough plan for getting there at different times of day. Make sure whoever will drive you knows the plan too.
Finalize your birth preferences
A birth plan doesn't need to be long — a single page outlining your main preferences (pain relief, delivery position, cord clamping, skin-to-skin time) is enough. Discuss it with your provider this week.
Week 36 checklist
Frequently asked questions
- Is week 36 considered full term?
- Week 36 is 'late preterm.' Full term is 39–40 weeks, with 37–38 weeks considered 'early term.' Babies born at 36 weeks usually do well but may need extra monitoring.
- What if my baby isn't head-down at 36 weeks?
- Some babies turn after 36 weeks. Your provider will discuss options including ECV (external cephalic version) to help turn the baby, or plan for a cesarean birth if the baby remains in a breech position.