Pregnancy Calendar: Third Trimester
Fetal growth and maturation continues throughout the third trimester. Already existing organs continue to develop and prepare for life outside the womb. Early in the third trimester, the expectant mother will feel frequent movement as the fetus? response mechanisms and brain function advance. The baby?s vision, hearing, and involuntary reflexes are developed in the third trimester.
As the weeks go by, the fetus gains weight as fat reserves build up. Fetal movement becomes more limited, as its growth fills all available space within the uterus and the mother?s abdominal cavity. When delivery nears, the fetus will position itself head-down in the mother?s pelvis, facing the birth canal. By his or her birthday, the fetus is roughly 19 to 21 inches long and weighs an average six to nine pounds.
For a week-by-week report on your baby?s growth and development during this period of pregnancy, click on the links below that correspond with the weekly happenings inside the womb.
Select your week of pregnancy:
