What to Expect During Your Third Trimester

Congratulations you are at the beginning of your third trimester.

“Babies weigh about 2.2 pounds by the start of the third trimester. They can blink their eyes, which now sport lashes. And their wrinkled skin is starting to smooth out as they put on baby fat. They’re also developing fingernails, toenails, and real hair (or at least some peach fuzz), and adding billions of neurons to their brain. Your blossoming baby will spend his or her final weeks in utero putting on weight.”

Week 28

This week your baby is settling into the proper position for birth, with his/her head facing downward. He/she is also busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccupping, and taking practice breaths.

Your baby is now the size of an eggplant.

Week 29 

Your baby weighs about three pounds now and measures about 17 inches long. Can you believe your baby will triple in weight before birth? As he/she grows, the room in your stomach will get tighter making it hard to feel the baby kicking as much.

Your baby is now the size of an acorn squash

Week 30 

Up until now your baby has had soft hair called lanugo covering his/her body to keep them warm. This week your baby learned to regulate his/her own body temperature, allowing him/her to shed that hair.

Your baby is now the size of a zucchini.

Week 31

Your baby’s getting so big, he or she’s probably crowding your lungs, which is why you might find yourself winded on a normal walk up the stairs. He/she is now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He’s also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you’re probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness/movement and resting times.

Your baby is now the size of a bunch of asparagus.

Week 32

Your baby has been building more fat and working on skills needed once out of the womb – from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking.

Your baby is now the size of a squash.

Week 33

Antibodies are being passed from you to your baby as he/she continues to develop their fetal immune system. This week you may also notice that your baby’s kicking is a little sharper. Your amniotic-flued level has maxed out leaving less fluid to help cushion the blow.

You baby is now the size of a head of celery.

Week 34 

With less than two months until go time, baby weighs in at about 4.7 pounds and measures about 17.7 inches long.  In addition, those tiny fingernails have grown to reach the tips of his/her fingers by now. Also, you’re only about six weeks away from becoming a mom!

Your baby is now the size of a butternut squash.

Week 35 

At 35 weeks pregnant, your baby measures about 18.2 inches. From here on out, he or she won’t get much longer, but will keep growing at an amazing pace. As your baby’s brain grows — the skull — remains soft, allowing your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal.

Your baby is now the size of a pineapple.

Week 36

This week your baby weighs about 6 pounds. You baby will finish shedding the remaining hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his/her skin during your pregnancy. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered “early term.” Full term is 39 to 40 weeks.

Your baby is now the size of a papaya.

Week 37

Your baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his or her thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side. Your baby is gaining about half an ounce each day. Also, you’ve got just three weeks until your due date!

Your baby is now the size of a head of romaine lettuce.

Week 38  

You baby is about 19.6 inches long and his or her head is about the same circumference as the abdomen. He/she is also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in your baby’s lungs from sticking to one another once he/she starts to breathe

Your baby is now the size of a winter melon.

Week 39

Your baby’s skin has now turned from pink to whitish. His/her head may have dropped into your pelvis by now, which makes your breathing easier but walking a little harder. Your 39-week fetus measures about 20 inches long and weighs about 7.3 pounds. And baby just keeps growing, despite being so crowded inside your 39 weeks pregnant belly. 

Your baby is now the size of a pumpkin.

Week 40 

Congratulations! You have completed nine months of pregnancy, and have reached your due date. If you haven’t delivered yet – try not to stress, and rest. You baby will arrive when he or she’s ready—and your body will give you the right signals when it’s time. 

Your baby is now the size of a watermelon.

Week 41

You are 41 weeks pregnants. Fewer than 5% of babies are born on their actual due dates — and around 50% are born after their due date. The average 41-week baby is 20.4 inches long and weighs 7.9 pounds. 

You baby is now the size of a watermelon—a bigger watermelon than last week.

Week 42

At 42 weeks if you haven’t delivered yet, your practitioner will likely monitor your baby through non-stress tests (you’re hooked up to a fetal monitor to measure your baby’s heart rate and movement) and amniotic-fluid checks. The average 42-week fetus measures 20.3 inches and weighs 8.1 pounds.

Congratulations! You made it through your pregnancy! Curious about trimesters 1 & 2? Read What to Expect During Your First Trimester and What to Expect During Your Second Trimester 


Source: The Bump, Pregnancy Week By Week, First Trimester Weeks, https://www.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week