Your week 34 guide

The fingernails now reach close to the fingertips. They have been growing since the first trimester and continue right up to birth, and some babies scratch their own faces in the first days. The toenails are a little behind and usually do not reach the ends of the toes until closer to term.

Lanugo is fading while the protective vernix layer thickens. The vernix is at its heaviest around now, which is why babies born at this stage often arrive coated in it. It protects the skin during the final weeks and has properties that help the newborn skin adapt after birth.

Reproductive structures continue to mature. In boys the testes are usually descending into the scrotum around this stage, a journey that begins in the abdomen months earlier. In girls the ovaries already contain all the immature eggs they will ever have.

Pelvic pressure and frequent urination can increase as your baby moves lower. This dropping, sometimes called lightening, often makes breathing easier while making walking and sitting less comfortable. It can happen weeks before labour or not until labour begins, so it is not a reliable countdown.

Blurry vision, swelling, itchy skin and Braxton Hicks tightenings may occur. Mild, gradual swelling of the feet and ankles is expected at this stage. Sudden swelling, particularly of the face or hands, a severe headache, new blurred vision or other visual changes, or pain below the ribs can each be a warning sign of pre-eclampsia. Contact your maternity team immediately if any occurs; you do not need to have several symptoms together, and you should not wait for your next appointment.

You may see a foot, elbow or knee press visibly against your bump. It is one of the strangest and most memorable parts of late pregnancy, and gently pressing back sometimes prompts a response. If a limb is lodged painfully under your ribs, changing position or leaning forward often shifts it.

Confirm directions, contact numbers and transport to your birth location. Work out what happens if your usual driver is unavailable or the car will not start, because a plan with a single point of failure tends to fail at the worst moment. Save the maternity unit's number in your phone and your partner's.

Ask your clinician about your baby's position and what your remaining appointment schedule looks like. If your baby is breech, this is the point where options such as attempting to turn the baby are usually discussed. Knowing the plan reduces the sense of everything being decided at the last minute.

Focus on the essentials and accept the help that feels right for you. Many purchases can wait or be borrowed, and an offer to help can become something specific, such as collecting supplies or doing a load of washing. You can also decline help that feels uncomfortable. Your needs may change, and it is fine to ask again later or make a different arrangement. Alhamdulillah for help that respects your wishes as well as your needs.

Notice your own triggers: Rich, fatty, spicy or highly caffeinated foods and drinks worsen heartburn for some women, but the triggers are genuinely individual.

Notice whether a particular food repeatedly causes trouble before cutting it out. Avoiding many foods unnecessarily makes it harder to keep your diet varied at a point when you need it. Speak to a pharmacist, midwife or doctor if dietary adjustments are not enough, since there are safe treatments.