34 weeks 
pregnant

Pregnancy symptoms during week 34

Aches and pains

It's common to feel aches and pains during pregnancy, especially at 34 weeks.

Most pregnant women experience pelvic pain and lower-back pain. The additional weight of your growing baby puts extra pressure on your joints, so you might have pain in your pelvis, groin, legs, and buttocks. Plus, your belly is pulling your center of gravity forward, stretching and weakening the abdominal muscles that support your spine and back.

Hormones can also play a role in increased pelvic girdle pain, since hormonal changes cause relaxing and weakening of joints. Pelvic pain can be very uncomfortable – and even limit your mobility.

Pregnancy often causes round ligament pain as well. This brief, sharp, stabbing pain or longer-lasting dull ache shows up in your lower belly or groin. It's generally harmless. Since your uterus is growing to accommodate your baby, the round ligaments that connect it to your abdominal wall are being stretched.

Sciatica is another common pain condition during pregnancy. This happens when the weight of your uterus and baby presses on your sciatic nerve and causes a sharp, shooting pain starting in your buttocks and travelling down the back of your leg.

Talk to your doctor or midwife anytime you're having pain during pregnancy – they can help you find ways to relieve or manage it. And be sure to call if you have lower back pain that suddenly gets worse: This can be a sign of preterm labor, especially if you didn't have intense back pain previously.

Constipation

About half of women deal with constipation during pregnancy. When you're pregnant, your body produces more of the hormone progesterone. This causes muscles to relax, including the muscles of your digestive tract. As a result, food moves more slowly down your digestive tract, and this can result in getting stopped up.

You may need to drink more water to keep things regular. Thanks to increasing blood volume, and the tendency to retain water, it becomes harder to stay hydrated as your pregnancy progresses.

Plus, as you get bigger and more uncomfortable, you might be moving less. When your activity levels decrease, constipation's often not far behind. To avoid it, stay active as much as possible, drink plenty of water, and increase your fiber intake. Don't be afraid to take an over-the-counter stool softener, but avoid laxatives. By proactively managing constipation, you can feel better – and prevent hemorrhoids during pregnancy.

Braxton Hicks

Irregular uterine contractions called Braxton Hicks began earlier in pregnancy. They're unnoticeable at first. Now that you're in your third trimester, they're probably becoming more obvious. Although they're not typically painful, these "practice contractions" may be more intense and frequent than they were earlier in your pregnancy.

Braxton Hicks don't cause notable changes to your cervix, and they aren't a sign of labor. They may feel more intense when you're dehydrated or overtired. Getting some rest, getting off your feet, and drinking some water can help.

As long as Braxton Hicks contractions remain irregular, there's no reason to be concerned that labor's starting. However, sometimes it's difficult to tell between early labor and Braxton Hicks. If you're concerned, especially if your contractions start feeling more regular, call your healthcare provider.

Fatigue

By week 34, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity as during your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning while trying to get comfortable.

Trouble sleeping is typical during late pregnancy, but if you're struggling to get enough sleep to function, check in with your provider. They can help you strategize and suggest a safe sleep medication if necessary. Also, pregnancy fatigue can sometimes point to a larger issue you may need help with, such as iron-deficiency anemia or depression.

Vaginal discharge

It's normal to have vaginal discharge whether you're pregnant or not. Called leukorrhea, healthy discharge is milk-white or clear, has a mild smell, and can be thin or thick.

Other types of pregnancy discharge are normal, too – including brown discharge. (It's brown because it contains some old blood.)

Some vaginal discharge indicates a problem. Vaginal discharge that's green, smells unpleasant, causes pain or itching, or seems unusual in any other way could be a sign of infection or another issue.

Toward the end of pregnancy, you might lose your mucus plug. If you do, you'll see an increased amount of vaginal discharge over the course of a few days, or a glob of thickened mucus that's clear, pinkish, brownish, or tinged with a bit of blood.

You may wonder how you'll be able to tell the difference between vaginal discharge and amniotic fluid if your water breaks. Here are the main things to watch for: Amniotic fluid leaks out continuously (rather than sporadically), and is usually clear or slightly yellowish, watery, and odorless or slightly sweet-smelling.

Talk with your healthcare provider about any noteworthy changes to your vaginal discharge. (And call right away if you think your water has broken.) They can guide you in next steps, whether that's monitoring for preterm labor or prescribing an antibiotic for a bacterial infection.

Leaking breasts

Your body is getting ready for the birth of your baby, and this includes preparing to feed them. For some pregnant women, this means their breasts start leaking during the last weeks of their pregnancy.

This leaking is caused by hormonal changes that regulate milk production. While not all pregnant women have leaking breasts before giving birth, it's normal and no cause for concern.

The liquid that you may see during pregnancy isn't mature breast milk – it's actually colostrum, the first food your baby will eat. Often called liquid gold, colostrum is highly nutritious, full of protein, and loaded with antibodies that will help strengthen your baby's immune system.

There's no need to pump if you're leaking, or make attempts to stop the leaking. However, if it's bothersome, you can put nursing pads in your bra to absorb the liquid.

Don't see your symptom?

Wondering about a symptom you have? Find it on our pregnancy symptoms page.