35 weeks pregnant: colostrum and pain relief options
35 weeks pregnant is a stage at which, the NHS says, the baby is around 46.2 cm long from head to heel, about the size of a honeydew melon, and getting chubbier (NHS, 2026). This page sets out what the NHS and ACOG say about week 35, including movements and the pain relief options for labour.
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Medically reviewed by Dr Mary Davidson, Reproductive endocrinologist, checked on
Seek help now if you have any of these symptoms
Bleeding and cramping are common in early pregnancy and often do not mean miscarriage. The symptoms below, however, need to be assessed straight away.
- Soaking two or more sanitary pads per hour, or passing large clots
- Severe lower abdominal pain, especially on one side
- Pain at the tip of the shoulder
- Dizziness, fainting, or collapse
- Signs of shock — pale, clammy, rapid heartbeat, breathlessness
- Pain on opening bowels, or bladder or bowel changes
- Feeling very unwell, or feverish
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How the sources describe development around 35 weeks
- Size and shape, NHS
- The NHS week 35 page in its week-by-week guide (NHS, 2026) gives the baby as around 46.2 cm long from head to heel and compares it to a honeydew melon. It says the baby is getting chubbier, which will help them to stay at the right temperature when they are born.
- Movement, NHS
- The NHS says it is getting rather cramped in the womb now, but the baby should still be moving around and you should feel movements as strongly and regularly as in previous weeks (NHS, 2026).
- Development, ACOG
- ACOG’s list for weeks 33 to 36 includes bones that harden while the skull remains soft and flexible, fingernails that have grown to the end of the fingers, limbs that begin to look chubby, and a fetus that may turn into a head-down position for birth (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). It describes the third trimester, 28 weeks 0 days to 40 weeks 6 days, as the time when the fetus’s weight increases and the organs mature so they are ready to function after birth. The list is not broken down week by week.
Weeks are counted from the first day of the last menstrual period, so about two weeks of the count come before conception (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). This page covers 35 weeks 0 days to 35 weeks 6 days.
A normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, so at 35 weeks about 5 weeks remain to the estimated due date (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). Your own due date depends on your last period or a scan, not on the week alone.
If movements change
The NHS says that if the movements change or stop you should talk to your doctor or midwife, or call NHS 111 (NHS, 2026). NICE guideline NG201 says that after 24 weeks 0 days women should contact maternity services at any time of day or night if they have any concern about the baby’s movements (NICE, 2021).
Your body at 35 weeks, as the NHS describes it
The NHS says yellow stains in your bra are probably colostrum, an early milk rich in antibodies that some pregnant women start to make weeks or even months before the birth, and that around 3 to 5 days after the birth your milk will come in. It says group B strep is a common bacteria that up to 2 in 5 people have, and that you can talk to your midwife or visit the Group B Strep Support website for more information (NHS, 2026).
Pain relief options for labour, as the NHS lists them
The NHS says there are lots of effective ways of managing pain during childbirth and that you do not need to pick just one. It lists self-help and relaxation techniques, gas and air (Entonox), pethidine or sometimes diamorphine, an epidural, a water birth, a TENS machine and complementary methods such as acupuncture, aromatherapy and homeopathy, and notes that there is no strong evidence that the complementary methods work. It says to discuss your ideas with your midwife, doctor and partner, and that you can change your mind on the day (NHS, 2026).
Work out which week you are in
The Pregnancy week calculator takes your last period, conception date, scan or IVF transfer and shows how many weeks and days pregnant you are today.
Sources
- NHS Best Start in Life. Week 35 of pregnancy (week-by-week guide to pregnancy). nhs.uk, 2026.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Antenatal care (NG201). NICE, 2021.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy (FAQ156). ACOG, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the baby at 35 weeks pregnant?
The NHS says around 46.2 cm long from head to heel, about the size of a honeydew melon (NHS, 2026).
Should I still feel the baby move at 35 weeks?
The NHS says you should feel movements as strongly and regularly as in previous weeks, even though it is getting cramped, and that if the movements change or stop you should talk to your doctor or midwife or call NHS 111 (NHS, 2026).