Baby is growing up so fast! Your baby is 17-19 inches tall, the size of a cauliflower blossom, and weighs between 4 and 5 lbs. At this point in pregnancy though, there is a large variation in size from one baby to the next, and it’s harder to give an estimate for how big Baby is getting. As long as your healthcare provider says they’re on track, it’s safe to assume that your little one’s growth is just perfect for them.

Your baby is beginning to keep their eyes open while they’re awake, and before too long you’ll get to see those eyes look right into your own! Baby’s bones are still forming, and though relatively soft, they keep hardening. And your little one’s brain is developing more and more every day. 

Is Baby still causing a ruckus in there? While their movements should have become more regular now, counting them is as important as ever, as it can go a long way in helping you monitor your baby’s health. So it’s a good idea to pick a moment each day to count those kicks and wiggles.

What’s new with you?

Your growing body may increasingly make some of your normal activities harder and more uncomfortable. So take care as you move through your days — take your time getting in and out of bed, cars, or up from seats. Be careful moving in crowded spaces as you might accidentally bump your belly into furniture or lose your balance. Just be patient and forgiving with yourself as you do your usual activities with an amazing body that’s still changing every day. 

Many folks also experience insomnia during their third trimester, which you can blame on a restless mind, shifting hormones, dancing babies and trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep in. Getting enough rest is very important though, so try to get as comfy and cozy as possible so that you can sleep as much as possible. And if you haven’t started using a pregnancy pillow yet, this may help you get comfortable and feel more supported so that you can get in those zzzs. If you’re being kept up at night by prolonged or severe feelings of sadness or extreme worry and you think you might be experiencing anxiety or depression, talk to your OB provider. You have lots of options for care, and there are so many benefits to seeking support now.

As for sex, it’s as true now as it was a few weeks ago, sex is completely normal and healthy right up until labor. You may have to make some creative adjustments to find positions that are comfortable for you, but — unless your provider tells you otherwise — go for it if you’re in the mood! 

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Reviewed by Ovia Health Clinical Team

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As Baby gets closer and closer to being born, they now measure in at 17-18 inches, are the size of a pomelo, and weigh about 4 pounds. Your little one’s head also may have a coating of fuzz this week. Baby is still a little ways away from their first mani-pedi, but they already have a full set of fingernails and toenails. In fact, one of your baby’s favorite activities right now is sucking their fingers, which is not only cute but actually improves their coordination and familiarizes them with their body. 

Baby is really practicing for the big stage, breathing and “swimming” like crazy. Your baby is also probably in the head-down position, with their head moving closer to your pelvis as they prepare for birth.

What’s new with you?

You know your unique symptoms pretty well this late in your pregnancy. Symptoms are different for every pregnant person, but one of the most common symptoms of the third trimester is the increased need to pee. There is so much pressure on your bladder it can be tempting to cut down on hydration. But drinking enough water is so important. Hemorrhoids, flatulence, and constipation might continue as well. And you’ve probably reached a peak in the increased blood flow that’s, by now, been contributing to any number of symptoms. That extra 50% of blood does have a purpose, though — currently, it’s helping to keep Baby snug and safe, and it’s also going to help make up for the blood you lose during birth and postpartum. 

It’s time to start thinking more about your hopes and plans for labor, birth and postpartum, including thinking about if you may want to use any pain management. Talk to your provider, or ask during a hospital tour, about your options and what makes most sense for you. Epidural anesthesia is among the most common pain management options, though many opt for other IV or inhaled medications or elect to have medication-free births. It is also possible to labor without medication for pain but need other labor medications like pitocin and/or antibiotics. It helps to go into labor with an understanding of your options and keep in mind that you can always ask more questions when in labor and change your mind based on the circumstances. Everyone’s desires and needs are different, and your provider and care team will help you do what’s best for you. 

It’s also essential to prepare for life after Baby is here as the newborn period can be extremely busy!

If you’ve finished with some of your baby prep basics — Crib? Check! Diapers? Check! — you could get a headstart on babyproofing. Although Baby won’t be mobile for some time, you may have furniture that’s easier to secure to the wall now or pets you need to make contingency plans for. Have a cat who might crawl into a crib? You’ll need to cat-proof Baby’s bedroom. Have a dog who loves to lick aggressively? You may want an elevated and safe space to put Baby down while you’re in the restroom or have your hands full making a meal. A little bit of extra planning can save you the work when you’re in full newborn mode.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

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Baby might now be 16.5-17.5 inches tall, the size of a head of lettuce, and weigh 3-3.5 pounds, though they should still have time to grow about 3-5 pounds more in the coming weeks. Your baby is gaining flexibility in their joints and neck, allowing them to do much more moving around in your womb, like turning their head with ease. 

Baby is also working on some final preparations prior to birth. Their senses are now intact, they continue to add on baby fat, and their immune system is nearly ready to fight and prevent illness all on its own—although this protection certainly takes time on the outside to fully develop and mature.

Your little one’s brain and nerves also continue to develop. The bones that make up their skull are not yet fused together. This is so that your baby can pass as easily as possible through the birth canal. These soft spots, or fontanelles, won’t close until Baby is about two years old, allowing for a lot more rapid brain growth.

What’s new with you?

Baby is getting so big now that they’re really crowding your lungs, which can make it more difficult to breathe. But if this difficulty is persistent or accompanied by chest pain, you should mention it to your doctor. 

Some folks may notice a bit of yellowish fluid leaking from their breasts. Whether it’s dripping in the shower or making your bra stick to you – it’s normal. This is one sign that your breasts have already started to produce colostrum. Colostrum is designed to be Baby’s first super-food, packed with all kinds of crucial nutrients and antibodies that can help give their immune system a massive boost. If you want to protect your shirts for the next few weeks, consider investing in some breast pads or lined nursing bras. If you haven’t noticed any leaking, that is completely normal too. 

You may also keep feeling those Braxton-Hicks contractions, which might last about 30 seconds. These random contractions are normal, particularly in the third trimester, and they’re your body’s way of preparing for labor and birth. But if you have more than four painful contractions in an hour, this could be a sign of premature labor, so call your healthcare provider right away. Other signs of early labor are leaking fluid or vaginal bleeding, lower back pain, and increased pressure in your pelvis. 

And since Baby will be joining your family sooner than you think, it is a great time to think about packing your hospital bag! This should include clothes, toiletries, and anything else you may need for a short stay at the hospital or birthing center.  Check out our hospital bag checklist in the app if you need some inspiration! This is also a good time to see if the facility where you plan to give birth requires or allows pre-registration. Pre-registration can help you cut out time spent filling out paperwork while you’re in labor. Keep readying yourself for the big day — it’s now just a few weeks away!

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Even though Baby is 15-16 inches tall, the length of a small pineapple, and pretty close to birth height, your little one only weighs about 2.5 pounds. Baby’s muscles and lungs continue to mature this week, but your baby still has a lot of fat to develop in the next eleven weeks. So keep up with a nutritious diet eating a range of foods that help you feel good. And be sure to continue to include protein, Vitamin C, and iron in the mix so your baby’s growth stays steady, strong, and on track.

Baby will still be moving and grooving in your womb, so keep paying attention to their movements! You may notice your little one’s movements becoming less abrupt and more regular as they grow and have less room to wiggle. You may even see some movement or stretching from the outside! Kick counts can be a useful tool if you’re ever worried Baby isn’t moving like they normally do.

What’s new with you?

There are many discomforts you might be dealing with right now that are, for better and for worse, a totally normal part of pregnancy. Your body is releasing hormones that relax your muscles and ligaments in preparation for delivering Baby. This can slow your digestion.  For some folks, this means you could be feeling the effects of acid reflux. Your growing uterus, and the pressure it can put on your abdomen, aren’t helping either. There are a lot of things you can do to limit the impact acid reflux has on your life, from switching to smaller, more frequent meals than you’re used to, increasing your water intake, avoiding carbonation and lying on your left side when you sleep. But you should let your healthcare provider know if your indigestion is persistent, and, as always, you should check with your healthcare provider before taking any over-the-counter medication to treat heartburn while pregnant. 

This slowdown may also mean you’re experiencing constipation, so try to drink plenty of water and eat enough fiber to stay as regular as you can. Frequent bouts of constipation can increase the risk of hemorrhoids.

Varicose veins are another issue that plague a lot of folks during their third trimester. They can appear on your legs or vulva, and elevation, compression, and changes in activity are usually your best bet for treatment.

The third trimester can also cause some unexpected forgetfulness and brain fog as your body works overtime to grow your little one. A good way to manage these symptoms is to get enough rest and stay hydrated. Give yourself lots of grace during this phase, and have your partner, family and friends take over any of the mental load and tasks that they can. Headaches can also pop up for some people. If frequent or intense headaches make it difficult to complete your daily routine, talk to your healthcare provider about safe ways to treat them. And because headaches can be a sign of preeclampsia, a situation that can be dangerous for both you and baby, be sure to let your provider know if you’re dealing with any headaches that don’t respond to your usual treatment. 

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How’s Baby?

Baby is measuring in at about 14.2-15 inches, about the length of a bunch of bananas, and weighs just over two pounds. And your little one is now opening and closing their eyes with ease! Baby’s brain continues to develop at a rapid pace, preparing to control their body and movements once they’re born. Their brain is starting to control their lungs and regulate their body temperature! And because Baby can hear you now, if you haven’t done so already, try talking or singing to your baby! It never hurts to familiarize them with your voice — they’re already your biggest fan.

What’s new with you?

We know that most pregnant folks can engage in exercise and movement right up until they give birth, but staying active, with all of the pregnancy body changes and symptoms, like aches, pain, and increasing immobility — can become increasingly difficult. Here are some options that might sound good to you! Swimming, or other aquatic exercise, can be a good way to stay active while also momentarily taking some of the pressure off of your body. Yoga can help with things like back and hip pain. Aerobic exercises and light weight lifting can help boost both your mood and your strength for the major workout of labor and birth. Pregnancy-specific exercise classes can also be a great way to connect with other soon-to-be parents!

It can also be helpful to get started on some of the more practical details of getting your home and life ready for Baby, like getting a crib, car seat, and other baby-related necessities. Getting Baby’s nursery or sleep space set up or figuring out how to install a car seat can be a great way to get your loved ones more directly involved in preparing for Baby’s arrival. And keep in mind that sometimes this preparation can be hard or frustrating (think confusing crib instructions or a car seat not fitting the way it should), This is why starting now can be so beneficial, as it leaves you plenty of time to troubleshoot and get expert support. Nobody is born knowing how to be a parent or how to build a crib — there’s always a learning curve!  In terms of other practical prep work, this may be the time you want to look into adjusting any insurance policies as you see fit in order to best protect your family.

Your skin, hair, and nails could be getting brittle at this point. Stronger, thicker hair and nails are the pregnancy symptoms that get the most press, mostly because they’re fun, but between all the hormones in your body and the extra demand for nutrients that your growing baby needs, plenty of folks experience the opposite. This is totally normal, and it doesn’t last forever. If you experience any major changes to your hair and nails, they should go back to how they were a few months after you give birth. In the meantime, you can combat some of these less-than-stellar changes to your nails by keeping your hands well-moisturized and wearing gloves when getting your hands wet.

There’s also a chance you might develop symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) or pelvic girdle pain, a disorder caused by the many physical changes of pregnancy, in which the pregnancy hormone relaxin that makes your pelvic joint particularly unstable. SPD won’t hurt Baby, but it could definitely make things more uncomfortable. There are treatments available, so if you start to experience pain around your pubic bone, lower back, or perineum, check in with your healthcare provider so they can determine if it’s SPD and discuss possible treatments.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

How’s Baby?

Your little one is now 13-14 inches long, the size of a cabbage, and weighs about 1.7 pounds (785 grams). Baby’s hair is thickening, just like yours. And even if you can’t see it, they probably have a hair color by now, though this can sometimes change after your baby is born. Baby’s nostrils are starting to open and the air sacs in lungs continue to develop, priming them to breathe air in just a couple of short months.

What’s new with you?

As you approach the third trimester, this may be when some more unsavory symptoms of pregnancy begin to manifest, including gas, constipation, and hemorrhoids. 25-35% of pregnant women experience hemorrhoids because of their uterus pressing down on veins in the rectum. Kegels and avoiding constipation through exercise, hydration, and adequate fiber intake may help to prevent them. Gas is common, and may be harder to control than it normally would be, because pregnancy tends to slow down your gastrointestinal tract because of all the extra progesterone in your system and because your larger uterus has now grown to put more pressure on your abdominal cavity. Gas is inevitable for a lot of pregnant folks, but paying attention to your diet could help a bit — you may want to avoid fried foods, carbonated drinks, or any foods that you notice to be a particular trigger for you. You should also take care to hydrate, eat slowly, and chew thoroughly.

Your hormones may be acting up again, which could leave your whole body aching. These aches can be hard to avoid entirely, but there are some ways to limit them. Like a lot of things about pregnancy, when it comes to feeling good, sticking with the basics can really help: like eating a range of nutritious foods that help you feel your best, including fruits and vegetables, exercising or engaging in movement that you enjoy, and getting the rest that you need. It’s also time to start bending with your knees and engaging your core muscles instead of leaning over at your waist when you lean down to pick things up, because even simple motions like this can put a lot of extra strain on your back. And try to relax as much as you can. Maybe take a warm bath, listen to a meditation or favorite album, or ask a partner or loved one to give you a gentle massage — anything you can do to help yourself have a calm and relaxed pregnancy.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

How’s Baby?

By the end of this week, Baby is probably about 12.5-13 inches long, the size of an eggplant, and weighs 1.5 lbs!

Baby is starting to develop taste buds, which means that before too long, your little one will be able to taste some of the stronger flavors of the things you eat through the amniotic fluid they still swallow regularly. According to various studies, this could impact their food preferences later in life. You’re already getting Baby used to your favorite family meals, and it might mean you’ll have an easier time introducing your toddler to new dishes in less than a year.

Baby’s lungs are developing significantly after all of the practice breathing they’ve been doing. They’re now making cells that will produce surfactant, a material that will help them breathe and get the oxygen they need once they’re born. Surfactant is a liquid that helps keep the tiny air sacs in the lungs, the alveoli, from sticking together and collapsing when a baby breathes air.

Your growing baby gained about a quarter of a pound last week (110 g) in bones, muscle, and fat, so they’re finally beginning to really fill out. Even though Baby’s eyebrows, lashes, and hair are coming in, they still lack pigment and appear white. Your little one’s skin is beginning to glow a bit pinker now, due to the appearance of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. And their ears and fingernails are also fully formed now.

What’s new with you?

Between the linea nigra, stretch marks, and an itchy belly, your skin might be driving you nuts this week. Topical creams meant for stretch marks or dry skin may help reduce the itchiness. Check with your provider about the best and safest options for you. Using unscented, mild lotions and soaps can help, too, as can avoiding baths and showers that are too hot, which can dry out your skin.

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, you’ll likely take or retake a glucose challenge test (GCT) to screen for gestational diabetes. This is a really important test because the complications of gestational diabetes can be serious for you and Baby, and even people with no risk factors can end up with it. It’s a simple test to take and requires no preparation beforehand. Just drink your small special beverage and have your blood drawn an hour later.

Your ankles and fingers might be swollen due in part to fluid retention and the pressure of your growing uterus on your veins. For relief, try elevating your feet or soaking the swollen areas to alleviate some of the pain. Stretching and gentle massage can also feel great! Sudden and severe swelling over the course of a few days can be a sign of something more serious. Sometimes, these symptoms — swelling, headaches, and vision changes — can be serious for you and your baby. So, if you experience any of these symptoms, be sure to tell your healthcare provider right away. They can help you determine if you’re dealing with normal symptoms or something more serious.

Baby is now just under a foot long — about the size of an ear of corn — and weighs just over a pound (478 grams). 

When Baby isn’t sleeping the day away (which at this point is 12-14 hours a day), they’re trying to touch anything they can. Whether it’s their face, body, or umbilical cord, your baby is working on their physical abilities and motor skills by practicing movement and getting a feel for things. Your little one’s inner ear is also developing their sense of balance. While Baby may not be using that sense of balance on any gymnastics equipment yet, the more their ears develop, the better the chance that your baby is hearing you when you talk, and learning your voice, so that when they arrive, they’ll recognize you!

Their eyes are still developing, and right now your little one still lacks pigment in their iris, so doesn’t have an eye color just yet. And their pancreas is already busy creating its own hormones, which helps alleviate all of the hormonal heavy-lifting you’ve been doing.

What’s new with you?

Your feet and hands may be some of the next places to feel pregnancy’s side effects, as some swelling is not uncommon during these months. You might notice that any rings you wear on your fingers might start to feel tighter, and your feet could grow a whole size bigger. Wearing maternity compression stockings may help improve your circulation and reduce swelling in your feet and legs, in addition to helping with varicose veins if those have been an issue for you. 

And your expanding womb may have turned your “innie” into an “outie” by now. Don’t worry, it’ll go back to normal after you give birth. Your newly out-facing belly button might be a little sensitive, especially as it rubs against your clothes, but that’s generally nothing to worry about. If, on the other hand, it’s causing you pain, talk to your healthcare provider to make sure that you’re not dealing with an umbilical hernia. 

Really, as any strange symptoms or discomforts pop up for you, be sure to ask your provider about it. Even if there’s nothing wrong, it never hurts to know exactly what’s going on in your body, and it can help you feel better knowing that whatever’s going on is normal.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team