34th week: The fingernails are complete

Weeks and days
33+0 to 33+6
Month
9
Trimester
3

This week, the fetus gains from about 2,100 to 2,310 grams, and the fingernails now reach the fingertips. In Germany, it is the last week before maternity protection. The time window for the steroid injection for the baby's lungs ends at 33+6.

A whole light green white cabbage lies on an open hand
White cabbagearound 2.3 kg, the weight of your baby at the end of the week

Week 34 of 40

Calculate your week
1st trimester2nd trimester3rd trimester

How big and how heavy is the fetus?

050100150200250300350 mm31st week267 to 27632nd week276 to 28433rd week284 to 29234th week292 to 301

292 to 301 mm

By the end of the week, the fetus weighs about as much as a white cabbage. From head to heel, it measures about 42 centimeters.

Crown-rump length according to the values from Archie et al. 2006, weight according to the WHO growth charts. A white cabbage from storage usually weighs 2.5 to 3.5 kg.

This week

Your baby

  • The fingernails reach the fingertips, and the skin becomes smooth.
  • The bones become firmer. Only the skull bones stay soft and can move against each other.
  • The lungs produce the substance that keeps the air sacs open after birth.

Your body

  • When the baby's head slips into the pelvis, you breathe more easily. In turn, it presses harder on your bladder.
  • Yellowish first milk (colostrum) may drip from your breasts.
  • Have severe itching, including on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet and especially at night, checked by a doctor.

What matters now

  • In Germany, maternity protection begins at 34+0, that is, with next week. Hand in the certificate of your due date to your health insurance fund and employer.
  • In Austria, it is the last week for the fourth Parent-Child Pass (Eltern-Kind-Pass) examination and the third ultrasound.
  • The swab for group B streptococcus is due between the 35th and 37th week of pregnancy. In Germany, health insurance only pays for it for certain reasons, such as a threatened premature birth.

Get checked right away: heavy bleeding, severe or persistent abdominal pain, fever, pain when urinating, or vomiting where you cannot keep anything down.

Gestational sacPlacentaFetus with heartbeat

On ultrasound

  1. 33+0

    Head circumference is on average about 303 mm.

  2. 33+0

    Abdominal circumference measures on average about 288 mm.

  3. 33+0

    Thigh bone (femur) measures on average about 63 mm.

In Germany, no routine ultrasound is scheduled. In Austria, the fourth ultrasound follows between the 35th and 38th week of pregnancy.

Frequently asked questions about the 34th week of pregnancy

Which month is the 34th week of pregnancy?

The 9th month of pregnancy, in the 3rd trimester. Figures such as 33+4 weeks also belong to the 34th week of pregnancy.

Can a baby survive in the 34th week of pregnancy?

Yes, a very good one. In France, 99 out of 100 babies born at 32 to 34 completed weeks survived. At first, many of them need help breathing.

Will I still get the steroid injection for the baby's lungs in the 34th week of pregnancy?

Only if premature birth is threatened and only until 33+6: two injections 24 hours apart. From 34+0, it is no longer recommended according to the guideline for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

How do I recognize lightening contractions in the 34th week of pregnancy?

Your belly drops, you breathe more easily, and you need to go to the toilet more often. This does not mean that the birth is imminent; it usually takes a few more weeks.

Sources

Updated on 30 October 2026 · Fertilio Editorial Team