As you look down at your baby bump, take a moment to reflect on the wonderful pregnancy journey you’ve been on. You might be dealing with aches and pains and you’re not sure how much longer you can wait, but before you know it, you’ll be gazing into your little one’s eyes. Inside, your baby is getting ready to meet you too as they finish developing. Here’s how your baby will grow in your third trimester.
Week 28
It’s probably hard to believe how tiny your baby was seven months ago. Now that you're in your third trimester it’s as big as a head of lettuce.1 Speaking of heads, there’s a lot going on inside your baby’s head. Their brain tissue is increasing, and they’re sleeping longer and more consistently.2 They might even be dreaming about you!2
Week 29
These last remaining weeks of your third trimester your baby is going to double, if not triple their weight.3 You can blame it on the fat they’re growing. The fat they were growing up until now kept them warm.3 The new fat you’re seeing will give them energy (and babies can have a lot of energy).3
Week 30
Your baby has no more need for the soft peach fuzz on their body anymore. Now that their body can regulate its own temp, that peach fuzz will disappear in most places.4 Another change taking place is that your baby’s spleen is passing off the job of making red blood cells to the bone marrow, which is important because that’s how your baby’s tissues get oxygen.5
Week 31
Thanks to all that baby fat they have, your baby is as big as a coconut.6 Their body is hard at work making billions (yes, billions) of nerve cells in their brain. This will help them process all the things they’ll see, sound, smell, taste and touch once they’re here.6
Week 32
With weeks left to go of your third trimester, you’re likely going through your pregnancy checklist making sure you have everything you need for your baby’s arrival. If you haven’t thought about it yet, there’s still plenty of time to bank your baby’s cord blood, which contains a valuable source stem cells that can be used to treat nearly 80 different diseases.* And with ongoing research in clinical trials in regenerative medicine, there’s potential for even more treatment using cord blood stem cells in the future.
Week 33
Another part of your baby that’s done growing in your third trimester is their bones.8 Help keep them strong and hard by getting as much calcium as you can! It might come as a surprise, but parts of their skull won’t harden until up to a year after they're born to make for an easier delivery.8
Week 34
You still have a few weeks to go before welcoming your baby into the world, but sometimes they have other plans in mind. Their lungs aren’t done growing yet, but they’re developed enough that if they come early, they’ll work the way they’re supposed to.9 Your baby is also getting ready by growing a waxy white coating on their skin.9 It helps with the delivery and acts like a shield – it keeps their skin from getting dry and protects their immune system.9
Week 35
With all that weight your baby is gaining, they’re now the size of a spaghetti squash.10 Find it hard to believe? They still have a lot of weight to gain – up to 7 more pounds to go before they’re due.10 Their kidneys are done growing, and now they’re starting to look like an actual baby at this point.11
Week 36
Only 3 weeks left of your third trimester! You probably feel (and look like) you’re about to pop! Your baby isn’t going to grow too much more now that they’re mostly done developing.12 One system that won’t work until they’re born is their digestive system. How come? Your baby gets their essential nutrients from the umbilical cord, so they really don’t need their digestive system to work until they’re on the outside.12
Week 37
Practice makes perfect. Your baby is getting familiar with their body, grabbing with their hands, stretching their arms and legs, sucking their thumb and switching from side to side.13 Depending on the day, you might notice they’re settling in different places. If you’re waiting to find out if you’re having a boy or girl, make some guesses with family and friends based on their weight. Here’s a little secret - boys are more likely to be heavier than girls.13
Week 38
It probably feels like you have a small watermelon inside, and you do – it’s your baby!14 Now that you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy, there aren’t as many changes happening. Areas like their lungs and nervous system are still being fine-tuned and will be ready for when it’s time. 14
Week 39
Congratulations! Your baby just reached one of many milestones to come – they’re full term.15 While not much else is growing, the size of your baby’s brain isn’t stopping anytime soon. You can expect their brain to grow up to three years after they’re born.15 That’s a lot of knowledge they’re soaking in!
Week 40
If you’ve made it to week 40, the day you’ve been waiting for will happen anytime now and you’ll soon be holding your little one in your arms. Their skin might look a bit red or purple, but that will change as skin pigmentation kicks in.16 Their eyesight is still developing too so you might look a bit blurry to them for a while.16 Now that they’re out of your tummy, all this space seems a bit foreign to them and they’re not used to it. Comfort them with a swaddling technique you learned while you were pregnant.16 You waited so long for this day to come and now you can relax and bond with them as you begin the next journey of parenthood.
Disclaimer: Banking cord blood does not guarantee that treatment will work and only a doctor can determine when it can be used. PerkinElmer and ViaCord do not endorse or make recommendations with respect to research, medications or treatment. All information is provided for informational purposes only.
References:
1, 3-4, 6, 10, 12-15. Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week. (2020, April 02). Retrieved August 04, 2020, from https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/
2, 7-9, 16. Pevzner, H. (2020, June 25). Your Pregnancy Week by Week. Retrieved August 04, 2020, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/pregnancy-your-week-by-week-guide-4159265
5. What Is Bone Marrow? (n.d.). Retrieved August 04, 2020, from https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/what_is_bone_marrow/
11. Pregnancy Week by Week. (n.d.). Retrieved August 04, 2020, from https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-week-by-week
