Third Trimester Pregnancy: Week 28 – Week 40

About 3rd trimester pregnancy

The third trimester of pregnancy is quite challenging, the baby's size and position make it hard for you to stay active. You eagerly wait for the next stage. Try to stay positive as you look forward to welcome your baby which now weighs 2 ¼ pounds. He can blink eyes which now have lashes. The wrinkled skin becomes smooth as the baby puts on baby fat. She develops toenails, fingernails, hair and lots of neurons in the brain. The baby spends her final weeks in utero putting on weight gradually. In the full term, the average baby is 19 inches long and weighs about 7 pounds.

Symptoms during 3rd trimester pregnancy

Now the baby's movements become more obvious but these thrilling sensations are often accompanied by the symptoms and increasing discomfort.

You can notice the following challenging symptoms:

• Weight gain
• Continued breast growth
•     Back aches
•     Braxton Hicks contractions
•     Heartburn
•     Shortness of breath
•     Swelling
•     Frequent urination
•     Hemorrhoids, spider veins and varicose veins
•     Vaginal discharge

Weeks during 3rd  trimester pregnancy

In the third trimester, a woman reaches the stage where the tiny fertilized egg is now fully transformed into a human baby. The whole journey of the baby from conception to birth is really awe - inspiring.

Following are the final changes that occur during this last stage of pregnancy:

• 28 week of pregnancy: The weight of the baby by this week is 2 1/4 pounds and measures 14.8 inches. The eyesight develops; he can see the light that filters in through the womb. The development of billions of neurons also takes place in the brain. There is an addition of more body fat before coming to the outside world.

• 29 week of pregnancy: At this stage, the lungs and muscles become mature; the head grows bigger for proper development of the brain. Now the weight of the baby is 2 ½ pounds and to meet the nutritional demands of the baby, the mother requires folic acid, protein, vitamin C and iron. The bones soak up lots of calcium, this week about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in the baby's hardening skeleton every day.

• 30 week of pregnancy: The baby is developing very fast, now he grows about 15.7 inches long and weighs nearly 3 pounds. The baby takes up more room in the uterus as she gets bigger. There is continues development in the eyesight though it's not very keen even after the birth as the eyes are closed for a long part of the day.

• 31 week of pregnancy: At this week, the baby grows up to 16 inches long; he weighs about 3 1/3 pounds. The baby grows very fast. He can move his head. The arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat gathers under his skin. The mother can have trouble sleeping as now baby moves a lot, his kicks and somersaults keep the mother awake.

• 32 week of pregnancy: At this stage, the mother starts gaining a pound every week and roughly half of what goes to the baby. The weight of the baby is 3 ¾ pounds and grows up to 16. 7 inches long. The baby becomes fat to survive outside the womb. The skin becomes smooth and soft.

• 33 week of pregnancy: Now at this week, the baby weighs over 4 pounds and has reached 17 inch mark. He starts losing the wrinkles skin and the skeleton become hard. The bones are not fused together in his skull that allows them to move making it easy for the baby to fit through the birth canal. Due to intense pressure on the head during birth, often the baby is born with a cone head like appearance.

• 34 week of pregnancy: In this week the weight of the baby is about 4 ¾ pounds and grows up to 18 inches long. The fat layers are filling, making the baby rounder; it helps to regulate the body temperature once the baby is born. The central nervous system starts maturing as well as the lungs. If you feel nervous about premature labor, you will be happy that baby born between 37 weeks has no health issues.

• 35 week of pregnancy: At this stage, the baby is over 18 inches long and 5 1/4 pounds. The baby no more does somersaults as it is so snug in your womb. Kidneys, liver are fully developed and can process some waste products.

• 36 week of pregnancy: The baby is still putting on pounds, at the rate of an ounce a day. The weight reaches up to 6 pounds and more than 18 1/2 inches long. Now the baby swallows the waxy substance that covered her skin during the nine month amniotic bath along with other secretions that results in a black substance known as meconium that comes out during the baby's first bowel movement.

• 37 week of pregnancy: Until this week, the growth is still in progress. By the next two weeks, the lungs and brain of the baby fully matures. The baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures about 19 inches long. Many babies are born with full head of hair with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

• 38 week of pregnancy: Reaching this week, the weight of the baby is 6.8 pounds and grows about 19 1/2 inches long. The organs fully mature and become ready for life outside the womb. The color of the eyes differs accordingly, if the baby is born with brown eyes, they will likely stay brown. If the baby is born with dark blue eyes, they may stay blue or gray or green by the time the baby is 9 months old.

• 39 week of pregnancy: The baby continues to build fat layer up to this week. It helps to control the body temperature after the baby is born. He now weighs a bit over 7 pounds and measures about 20 inches, the outer layers of his skin sloughs off as new skin forms under the skin.

• 40 week of pregnancy: You cannot say how big your baby will be as soon as he is born. The average weight is about 7 ½ pounds and about 20 inches long. But the skull bones are not yet fused that allows them to overlap during labor. After birth the head may be of a cone shape, but it is normal and temporary.

Changes in your body during 3rd trimester pregnancy

After waiting for months, the due date rolls around and it can be frustrating but in common situation, you may not be as late as you think. At the end of the pregnancy, heavy vaginal discharge is common. If you saturate a panty liner within a few hours or wonder if the discharge is leaking amniotic fluid, immediately contact your doctor.