Your pregnancy - third trimester

Exhaustion and breathlessness, leaky boobs and endless trips to the loo… the final three months of pregnancy might not be the most comfortable, but they are certainly the most exciting! Soon you will get to meet your baby and begin your life as a mum.

“I got quite bad heartburn in the last trimester. My midwife recommended I stopped eating spicy foods, which helped. But I couldn't wait to eat a curry after Abi was born!“ Miriam Smythe, mum to Abigail, 5 months

Month 7 - carrying more weight

You: As your baby grows, your bump gets bigger and you may find you have a sudden increase in weight. The skin on your belly becomes very stretched and stretchmarks might become even more prominent on your thighs and tummy. Moisturising your tummy and legs in the morning and evening can help to reduce these. Meanwhile, your boobs may have started to produce colostrum (sometimes known as “first milk”), a watery substance that provides your baby with important nourishment in the first days after he is born. 

Your baby: Now 14 to 17 inches long and weighing almost 1 kilogram (2-3lb), your baby is putting on much-needed body fat and his lungs are developing. He has started to distinguish light from dark and if you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn his head – researchers believe that this indicates that his optic nerve is working.

Don’t worry if you feel his movement less. This is because there is less room in the uterus now, so his wild kicks and flurries will now feel like smaller movements. At about 28 weeks, your baby will start to turn his head down, so you may notice the shape of your bump change.

Month 8 - practice contractions

You: You may find it increasingly difficult to get a good night’s sleep as your growing womb presses down on your bladder, making you need to go to the loo more frequently. It’s a good idea to invest in a breastfeeding support pillow as this will not only help you later on if you are breastfeeding, but can also help to make your sleeping position more comfortable now.

At this stage in your pregnancy, “Braxton-Hicks” or practice contractions are common. These contractions are caused by irregular tightening of the uterus and are thought to help tone the uterine muscle and promote blood flow to the placenta. They can last for one to two minutes and, unlike real contractions, do not become more intense or more frequent. Although they shouldn’t really hurt, they may be slightly uncomfortable, so try taking a warm bath to ease the discomfort. It is usually very easy to tell “real” from “practice” contractions, but if you find your Braxton Hicks becoming stronger and more persistent, consult your midwife as you might be in labour.

Your baby: He is now between 16 and 18 inches, and around 2 kilograms (4-5 lb) he wakes and sleeps, can respond to sounds and knows your voice. Space is getting very tight for him now and so he may begin to prod harder with his elbows. From this point, red blood cell production is done by your baby’s bone marrow. His irises can now dilate and contract in response to light, and he will be able to open and close his eyes whenever he wants.

Your baby’s weight will have increased a lot at this stage – he will have put on around 2lb of mostly fat and muscle tissue since last month. So you will certainly find moving and carrying that extra weight a bit more strenuous.