Your Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Week 27 of Gestation Until Birth

During the third trimester of pregnancy, your body accelerates its preparation for birth of your baby.

Your prenatal visits will be every two weeks from the 28th week until 36 weeks. After that, things really start to pick up!

Your visits will be every week until your baby's birth.

It's time - if you choose - to finalize your birth plan.

Your blood volume continues to increase and it should peak around 30 weeks. Again, we will repeat that this is very important. For more information on your blood volume during pregnancy go to the second trimester. These last few months before your baby's birth are critical.

This is no time to diet!

A baby with a healthy placenta will continue to grow until birth and he or she will be better equipped to handle labor.

The baby is now easier to palpate. Palpation is a hands-on approach that a midwife uses to feel your baby through the wall of your uterus. When she palpates, she will be able to feel the size and position of your baby without exposing your baby do what some call damaging ultrasound waves.

If you are a first-time mom - and sometimes even if you are not - your baby will "drop" into your pelvis during the last 4 to 8 weeks of your pregnancy. This process is called lightening.

Lightening will put more pressure on your bladder and rectum so once again you may feel more frequent urges to pee. You will be up more at night. We know it is not fun, but on the bright side it means it won't be long now before you meet your new baby!

You will feel some pulling and twinges in your abdominal and groin area. This is very normal.

Your cervix - the opening of your uterus - will start to go through some changes:

effacement - this is when its length shortens and thins out

dilation - this is when your cervix opens up.

And while this is good news, please know that no one can - from these changes - tell you when your baby will be born. That's right, contrary to popular belief, dilation does not really give you much information except for the fact that your body is gearing up for labor! Remember...everyone does it differently.

You may have mild contractions - also called Braxton-Hicks - and that is normal.

These tonic contractions will become stronger as time draws near. When the contractions become stronger AND come closer together...

...your labor has begun.

You are about to meet your new baby!

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