Week by Week Calendar

Week 28

Your Baby’s Development:

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester, or the point at which your little one begins to prepare for life outside the womb. The next 12 weeks focus on the development of the baby’s lungs and layers of fat. Right now, he or she weighs between two and three pounds and is about 16 inches long from head to toe. He or she blinks regularly, and some studies show that babies at this stage of development experience different sleep cycles, including rapid eye movement, or REM, that occurs during dream stages.

What You Should Expect:

Welcome to the third trimester, Mom! You are on the home stretch now, and delivery is imminent. A common complaint during this trimester is sciatica, or a condition in which the baby puts weight on the sciatic nerve located in your lower spine. Those shooting pains that travel from your back through your buttocks and into your legs will disappear after you give birth, but in the meantime try different sitting and sleeping positions to alleviate extra pressure.

Week 29

Your Baby’s Development:

Right now your baby is about the size of a butternut squash and from this point forward, your little one will gain two to three ounces per day until he or she is born. Between now and week 40, the time of your baby’s due date, he or she will triple in weight! Their permanent teeth start developing around this time, so make sure you give your bundle of joy plenty of calcium.

What You Should Expect:

Although you might feel happy that your baby is healthy and growing, your cramped uterus may not give you much joy at all. In fact, chances are good that you feel lots of jabs and kicks these days and you may even take a few punches to the bladder. Your baby will most likely be showing some stronger kicks and movements and your doctor may recommend “kick counts” at this stage, which indicate your baby’s overall well-being. Expect this intense movement trend to continue for the next 10 weeks, too.

During this time, many women develop varicose veins in their legs and lower abdomen as a result of swollen blood vessels. These veins, while often genetic pregnancy symptoms, are due to a combination of increased blood volume and pregnancy hormones which cause the veins to relax.

Week 30

Your Baby’s Development:

By week 30, your baby weighs around three pounds and is the size of a large cabbage. He or she is still packing on the pounds rapidly and his or her lungs are still a work in progress. Your baby’s little brain is growing rapidly and the lanugo, or the fine hair that covers his or her body, is starting to disappear as fat cells begin to regulate the body’s temperature. His or her bone marrow produces the red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout his or her body at this point, which makes it possible for baby to eventually thrive outside of your body.

What You Should Expect:

By week 30, you may notice an increase in heartburn. To avoid unnecessary discomfort, try to avoid spicy and deep fried foods or foods that may cause digestive discomfort. In addition to heartburn, many women experience Braxton-Hicks contractions at this point in their pregnancies. These are often painless, but you may notice your uterus tightening, specifically after any physical activity. To distinguish Braxton-Hicks contractions from preterm labor, have a tall glass of water or juice and then lie on your left side for 30 minutes. If the contractions stop, you are not in labor. If they continue, contact your obstetrician for further advice.

Week 31

Your Baby’s Development:

Your baby weighs anywhere from three to four pounds now and he or she is about 16 to 18 inches long. Space is tight now, but he or she still needs another three to five pounds of fat before making the big debut. In addition to regular kicks and movement, you might start to notice well-defined sleeping patterns now, too. He or she has longer periods of sleep and restfulness, and ultrasounds may even show your baby sucking his or her thumb in preparation for feedings.

What You Should Expect:

Your body continues to prepare for your new bundle of joy to arrive and if you haven’t noticed before, by this week you may notice that your breasts are leaking some colostrum, also known as “premilk.” This is perfectly normal as your body prepares itself for breastfeeding. Grab some nursing bras or nursing pads to insert into your current bra to protect your clothing.

You might also find yourself winded more often these days and for good reason. Your fundus, the medical term for the top of your uterus, extends four inches above your belly button. All of your organs, including your lungs, get pushed out of the way to give your growing baby more room. Shortness of breath is common at this point, but if you feel particularly uncomfortable, you can try standing upright, raising your arms above your head and taking a few deep breaths.

Week 32

Your Baby’s Development:

Your baby really starts to tip the scales this week as he or she surpasses the four-pound mark. In fact, your baby may already be at his or her full birth length—somewhere between 19 and 21 inches long, or roughly the length of a half-gallon of milk. He or she has a fully-formed digestive system and his or her eyes are ready to take in the world. However, your little one still needs some time in the womb since his lungs are still in development. During this week, your baby will begin to turn to a head-down position if he or she isn’t there already, giving him or her more room in your uterus.

What You Should Expect:

Baby is really growing now and so are you. By now your blood volume has increased about 50 percent since the start of your pregnancy to accommodate for you and your baby’s needs. Your belly continues expanding to some amazing proportions, and the more you grow, the more likely you will notice some lower back pain and those Braxton-Hicks “practice” contractions. You may notice your baby’s movements slowing down a bit at this point, but this should not alarm you. He or she simply has less room to move. Keep tracking your kick counts and call your obstetrician if you feel concerned about anything.

Week 33

Your Baby’s Development:

This is the time when your baby’s immune system starts ramping up for the big day. You pass antibodies to your baby that will help him or her avoid sickness outside of the womb. Your little one is able to differentiate day and night with eyes that open and close with his or her sleep cycles. The bones in the skull aren’t fused together yet, making it easier to fit through the birth canal. However, the rest of his or her bones continue to harden. At this point, he or she weighs more than four-and-a-half pounds and is between 17 and 19 inches in length.

What You Should Expect:

By the 33rd week, three out of four pregnant women experience insomnia. Many different things contribute to this including anxiety regarding childbirth, hormones, aches and pains and even the frequent need to empty your bladder. Although it feels frustrating, it is actually great practice. Your baby will need you every three to four hours around the clock for the first three or four months of his or her life, so you will undoubtedly experience more than one sleepless night.

Week 34

Your Baby’s Development:

At the 34th week, your baby may continue to attempt to settle his or her head into the birth canal if it isn’t there already. He or she is approximately the size of a small melon now, and if it is a boy, his testicles will descend. Your baby’s brain continues to develop, forming trillions of connections for him or her to begin to learn while inside the womb. He or she weighs upwards of five pounds and his or her nails on both fingers and toes have fully developed. In fact, your baby may need a birthday manicure!

What You Should Expect:

As baby drops lower into your abdomen, he or she puts pressure on your bladder. Because of this, you may need to relieve yourself more often than ever from now until he or she comes into the world. You may also find that your eyesight also feels off this week. This is due to pregnancy hormones and an increase in the amount of fluid behind the lenses in your eyes. This fluid may stretch and distort the lenses, causing blurry vision. Don’t worry, this is only temporary and your vision will return to normal shortly after delivery.

Week 35

Your Baby’s Development:

At week 35, your baby may weigh as much as six whopping pounds, but he or she will keep gaining weight rapidly until his or her delivery date. His or her skull is still quite soft in order to make room for the growing brain, but this soft skull also allows your baby’s head to pass through the birth canal more easily. Although your little bundle is getting ready to make an entrance, and most of his or her physical development is complete, he or she still needs a few more weeks to grow.

What You Should Expect:

By the 35th week, many women find themselves increasingly uncomfortable. Tasks that you once took for granted, such as tying your shoes or even getting up off the sofa by yourself, suddenly become incredibly difficult. You may feel fatigued, in pain and downright irritable sometimes. After all, you have a six-pound baby in your abdomen. Creating life is enough to make anyone feel tired and grumpy after a while. Take this time to do what you can to relax and try to catch some extra sleep. You’ll be wishing you had these extra minutes once your baby is born.

Week 36

Your Baby’s Development:

With only five or so weeks left to go, your baby is still packing on fat and his or her lungs are almost finished developing. Your baby is beginning to shed the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protects the skin from amniotic fluids. Surfactant, a natural combination of fats and proteins, lines the inside of the lungs in greater amounts this week; this chemical compound makes the individual air sacs in the lungs more stable, which prevents his or her tiny lungs from collapsing from breathing air instead of amniotic fluid.

What You Should Expect:

Aches and pains are nothing new to you by now and they might continue to increase in severity until your baby is born. Remember to rest up often; after all, once you meet your bundle of joy, you will not get to enjoy an uninterrupted night’s sleep for some time. Be sure to change positions frequently to prevent stiffness and pain, take short walks frequently to keep your muscles toned and be sure you are drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Week 37

Your Baby’s Development:

If your baby were to be born during the 37th week of gestation, your obstetrician may no longer consider him or her premature. He or she weighs roughly six-and-a-half to seven pounds and is about 20 inches long, roughly the size of a large cantaloupe. The lungs are ready to breathe air and the digestive system is ready to handle breastmilk and/or baby formula. For the next few weeks, your baby will continue to gain weight in the womb until he or she is ready to make her debut.

What You Should Expect:

You will be visiting your obstetrician weekly at this point, and he or she will start checking you for signs of labor. This involves a pelvic exam during which the doctor gently feels your cervix for effacement and dilation. Effacement describes the thickness of your cervix, which thins out as your baby puts weight on your pelvic area. Dilation refers to the size of the opening in your cervix and at the time of birth your cervix will eventually open up to 10 centimeters to allow your baby’s head passage into the birth canal. You may start thinning and dilating at any point now, but if you don’t, you should not be alarmed. Each woman is different. Your cervix may thin and open over the course of several weeks, or it may not thin and dilate at all until you are in active labor.

Week 38

Your Baby’s Development:

Your baby now weighs seven pounds on average and may be up to 22 inches long from head to toe, the size of a smaller watermelon. This week, your obstetrician considers you “full term.” If you go into labor at any point, your doctor will allow your labor to progress normally. Your baby is officially ready to meet the world now, as all of his or her organs are fully developed and ready to work outside the womb. He or she continues to shed vernix caseosa and lanugo that will not be needed once he or she is born. His or her head is probably down low in your abdomen, too, in preparation for delivery.

What You Should Expect:

You are really feeling the pressure now, Mom. Not only could your baby be born at any minute, but you also feel his or her head lying low in your pelvic region. This can certainly become uncomfortable, but it has its benefits. For one, you can probably breathe better now since your lungs have a little more room to fill and expand, and you may actually be able to enjoy a full meal once again without feeling bloated. Your breasts, if they haven’t started earlier, may begin to leak colostrum, too, which is the precursor to breast milk. The colostrum is nutrient-rich and custom-designed for your precious baby.

Week 39

Your Baby’s Development:

At 39 weeks, your baby weighs around eight pounds and is still about 22 inches long. Your baby’s skin is beginning to develop pigmentation and has changed from pink to white, regardless of the skin tone he or she will eventually have, although the final pigmentation will occur shortly after he or she is born. Your baby will not grow much more, but his or her brain is still developing. In fact, his or her brain will develop at an exponential rate for the first several years of his or her life. You can watch this in action as your baby moves through his or her developmental milestones, such as sitting, crawling, walking and talking.

What You Should Expect:

You might start noticing some of the classic signs of labor at any point now. Your pelvis probably feels incredibly heavy and your bladder may feel constantly full. The majority of women experience Braxton-Hicks contractions at this point and they will grow in frequency and strength over time. Everyone experiences labor differently, so you should not feel alarmed if your water breaks without warning. Some women also notice the loss of the “mucus plug” hours or days before the big day; this plug of mucus lines the cervix and protects the baby during pregnancy. Not every woman notices this, so do not be alarmed if you are one of them.

Week 40

Your Baby’s Development:

Your due date has arrived! Most women give birth within one week of their due dates. Very few actually give birth on the exact date given to them by their obstetricians. Your baby may weigh up to nine or more pounds by now and some babies even exceed 10 pounds at birth. He or she should be head-down in your pelvis, preparing for the big event. His or her skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to shift and overlap during birth to fit through the birth canal. Because of the shifting and overlapping, some babies appear to have a cone-shaped head when they are born. Never fear, this is perfectly normal and is only temporary.

What You Should Expect:

Pack your bags, Mom! It is time to head to the hospital! If you start noticing contractions, time them. There is some debate over when you should actually head to the hospital, but here are a couple of good rules to remember. If you are close to the hospital, many doctors recommend the “411” method. This is easy to remember, too; wait until your contractions are “4” minutes apart, last “1” minute each, and continue for “1” hour. If you live far away from a hospital, give yourself some extra time.

Beyond Week 40

For some women, the anticipated due date comes and goes just like any other day. They find themselves waiting days and sometimes up to two weeks for their little ones to make their way into the world. Remember that due dates are merely estimates and there is no way to accurately predict the date you will deliver. If you are overdue, your obstetrician will keep a close eye on you and your baby to make sure you are both healthy.

Although you may feel more than ready to evict your baby from your tired womb, rest assured that your bundle of joy will let you know when he or she is ready to make their grand entrance. Those unmistakable contractions will start soon enough, and before you know it, your 40-week journey will have ended and you will get to hold your tiny, beautiful baby in your arms.