Heartburn in pregnancy: why it happens and what helps
Why your stomach burns in pregnancy, what to change about meals and sleep, why bicarbonate of soda is not the answer and when heartburn needs a doctor.
3 min read
Third trimester
Week 33 of pregnancy
Your baby is the size of a melon. The bones are hardening, except the skull, which stays soft to make the birth easier.
Your baby is the size of a melon
- Length, head to heel
- ≈ 43.7 cm
- Weight
- ≈ 1.9 kg
Your baby this week
- The bones harden, but the skull bones stay separate and soft so the head can pass more easily during the birth.
- Antibodies pass from you to the baby that protect it in the first weeks after birth.
- The baby has less room, but its movements should carry on as usual.
Your body this week
- Swollen feet and ankles, backache and poor sleep are common.
- Numbness or tingling in your hands may carry on.
- You may feel slower and need to rest more often.
Follow your own pregnancy week by week
Enter your due date and we will show you your week every time you visit, and email you each new week as it arrives. Free.
Not sure of your due date? Work it out Already have an account? Sign in
Read more for this stage
Signs of labour: how to tell it is starting
Contractions, your waters breaking and the other signs that labour is starting, when to call the maternity unit and when to call straight away.
4 min read
General information written by the mam.al editors. Every pregnancy is different and sizes are averages; it does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife. Sources include the NHS week-by-week guide to pregnancy. NHS. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.