Third Trimester
Week 28 and beyond is considered the third trimester of pregnancy. While the due date is determined by the end of the 40th week, your baby can be born and considered full-term anytime from the 37th to 42nd weeks of your pregnancy. This flexibility can be difficult for moms-to-be to accept, as physical and emotional challenges of pregnancy can take their toll. The growing fetus can make daily activities and sleeping uncomfortable, and it is easy to become impatient after waiting nine long months to meet the baby. Strong relationships with partners, friends, and healthcare provider, as well as physical and mental preparation for the big day, will minimize stress and help expectant mothers enjoy these final stages of pregnancy.
For the baby, the third trimester is a time to fortify, grow, and prepare for birth. The fetus will grow physically larger and the organs already in place will fully mature and become operational, including additional lung and brain development. The fetus will become so large that movement within the uterus will become difficult, and toward the end of the third trimester the baby will shift to a head-down position in the mother?s pelvis, in preparation for his or her entrance into the world.
