How Big Is My Baby? // Third Trimester Weeks 29-40

So, you’ve made it to the home straight with only the third trimester to go before you meet your little one. Hopefully you’re feeling pretty good although some of those nasty first trimester symptons have been known to raise their ugly heads again towards the end.

Your baby is going to be going through some major growth spurts over the next few weeks in preparation to be born, here’s your breakdown…

Week 29 – Butternut Squash

Baby is busy using up their energy to increase their brain activity as well as soaking up plenty of calcium to harden their bones.

Week 30 – Cabbage

Your babies vision is still getting stronger although it will still be developing even after they are born. If you shine a torch on your belly you may even feel their head turn to look at it. Your amniotic fluid levels are about to peak and will start to decrease as you get closer to your babies due date.

Week 31 – Coconut

As baby starts to getting better their wrinkled skin starts to smooth out and the thin white hairs start to disappear. With less room you move around as they get bigger you may feel that the kicks are different but the pattern of awake and asleep should remain about the same. Your baby can also taste and smell the foods you eat through your amniotic fluid as their taste buds are becoming more and more developed.

Week 32 – Kale Leaf

Baby may start to move into a birthing position about now, with their head pointing downwards. If your baby hasn’t turned yet, don’t panic there’s plenty of time.

Week 33 – Pineapple

As a layer of white fat starts to build up under the skin your baby starts to look more white than red as they would have previously. Skin tone can take several months after birth to fully develop, this is especially the case if you’re having an African-Caribbean or mixed race baby. The plates of your babies skull also won’t fully harden until they are about 18 months old, these plates will need to slide over each other to allow your baby to pass through your birth canal without causing them damage and once born you will be able to feel small soft areas on their head where the plates have not closed yet.

Week 34 – Cantaloupe Melon

Your voice is now so familiar to your baby that they may be able to recognise songs that you sing. It is thought that if you sing to your bump the same songs should soothe and calm your baby once they are born.

Week 35 – Honeydew Melon

As baby continues to grow you may be able to see them rolling over in your belly, or see an arm or foot poking you. As space in your belly becomes limited you might find that these movements are more uncomfortable than they were before.

Week 36 – Romaine Lettuce

Your midwife is likely to check your babies position at your next appointment, she may find that baby has dropped low into your pelvis and adopted the ‘engaged’ position ready for birth. If this has happened you may have noticed that you have more room around your ribs and it’s easy to take a full breath. Your bump might also look like it has dropped lower. Don’t get too excited though, this doesn’t necessarily mean that baby will be coming early.

Week 37 – Stalk of Swiss Chard

Congratulations! You’re now considered full term! This means your baby is ready to be born whenever they’re ready. It’s super important at this stage to keep an eye on baby’s patterns of movement, if you feel like they have changed you need to contact your midwife or hospital to get checked out. Whilst baby is ready for birth now, they will continue to grow and grow right up to the moment you go in to labour.

Week 38 – Leek

It might now be possible for your midwife to give you an indication of whether you’re likely to have a large or small baby based on some measurements of your bump. Excited to see your baby’s eye colour? Don’t forget that it can change within the first few weeks of life as the natural sunlight can adjust the pigment in the iris.

Week 39 – Mini Watermelon

Baby’s organs are now fully developed and his lungs are getting ready to take in the first air as they breath after birth. I can take newborns a few minutes to establish a breathing pattern when they’re born so don’t be alarmed if they take a pause and are breathing in short cycles.

Week 40 – Small Pumpkin

It’s due date time, although baby may be too cost in your belly to make their appearance as quickly as you would like. Almost all of their development is complete now but their hair may continue to grow and get thicker. Once born your baby will already have some of the key survival skills needed, they will know how to search for your nipple to feed and how to grasp to something placed in their hand.

If your baby doesn’t arrive straight away don’t worry, some babies don’t want to leave the sanctuary you have created for them and it can take up to 42 weeks before labour starts. Just think of it as your baby’s way of telling you that you’re a super safe place and they don’t want to leave you just yet.

I hope you have found this series of posts helpful. I will be trying to put together some other information posts for you so keep your eyes peeled.

Good luck with your pregnancy and all the best for the safe arrival of your little baby.

Rachel xx