Pregnancy For Dummies
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If you’re having twins, you should be well prepared for their arrival by week 33, because on average, twins deliver at about 35 to 36 weeks. During this time, you may be feeling lots of rhythmic fetal movements, which are really the baby hiccupping, a normal occurrence. These hiccups can continue even after the baby is born.

The following considerations come into play now:

  • Get a culture taken for GBS (group B strep). Your doctor tests for these common bacteria that can be found in the vagina or rectum. If your GBS culture is positive, your doctor will place you on antibiotics during labor to prevent the baby from contracting the infection. There isn’t any point in treating it earlier, because it can just come back again.

  • Continue to pay attention to the baby’s movements. Even though you’re used to feeling kicks and punches, it’s normal for the intensity of these movements to decrease during these last weeks of pregnancy. It’s the number that is important, though, rather than the intensity.

The top of your uterus is a couple of inches below your sternum. At or just after 36 weeks, your doctor will see you at least once a week until you deliver. Your baby weighs about 5 pounds, 2 ounces (2.3 kg) and is almost 18 inches (45 cm) long.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Joanne Stone, MD, and Keith Eddleman, MD, are Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and are Associate Professors at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

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