The third trimester of your pregnancy really becomes exciting. As your due date gets closer, your anticipation and anxiety levels rise considerably. You may even be a bit scared. This is all perfectly normal. When you get to week twenty-nine of your pregnancy, your baby's head will be in proportion with the rest of the body. Also, the brain can now control the baby's temperature as well as primitive breathing. During the next few weeks, the infant will change positions so that the head is at the bottom. This is to prepare for birth! As you get to week thirty, your baby will weigh almost three pounds! During this time, the baby will spend lots of time practicing closing and opening their eyelids and can even produce tears! The brain is growing larger and larger so be sure you talk to your baby as well as expose them to music and literature. When you get to week thirty-one, the physical growth rate of your baby will slow down. However, he will still gain a lot of weight as the pregnancy goes on. Studies have shown that babies during this period will often move to the rhythm of music and actually prefer certain types of music already. The average baby is 16.2 inches long now and weighs 3.3 pounds. When you get to week thirty-two, you might notice that your baby isn't moving around as much as before. This is perfectly normal. It's just that there isn't much room left in the womb to move around. All five of your baby's senses will now be working which will be very fascinating to the infant. The average baby weighs 3.75 pounds now and is 16.7 inches long. During week thirty-three, your amniotic fluid will be at the highest level of your entire pregnancy. Your baby will now start to take intermittent breaths of water! This will exercise the muscles and get the infant ready to breathe air. If you have a boy, his testicles will drop into his scrotum now. The average baby now weighs 4.23 pounds and is 17.2 inches long. As you get to week thirty-four, your baby will start to have a more regular sleep pattern and will also have their eyes open when awake and closed when sleeping. Your baby has also learned to blink and can see more clearly. Most babies are about 17.7 inches long now and weigh about 4.7 pounds. When you get to week thirty-five, your baby's hearing will be completely developed. Talk to your baby as much as you can. Some studies show that babies like higher pitched voices better. This may be why people seem to automatically talk to young children in higher voices. Most babies weigh about 5.3 pounds now and are 18.2 inches long. As you get to week thirty-six, the only organ left to mature in the baby is the lungs. Your baby may drop down in to the birth canal now. This will make it easier to breathe for the mom. The average size of a baby is 5.78 pounds and 18.66 inches long. Week thirty-seven is when your baby is officially considered to be full term. However, every day the baby stays in the womb makes him healthier. Your baby will develop a definite daily activity cycle. You will also want to get yourself on a regular schedule to get your baby used to this. If you don't do things on a schedule, your baby may get his days and nights mixed up after he is born. When you get to week thirty-eight you may notice that your baby is hiccupping a lot. Because they are breathing water, fluid gets into the windpipe causing these hiccups. Your baby might have a full head of hair now. It can even be over an inch long! The average baby weighs about 6.8 pounds now and is 19.6 inches long. As you get to week thirty-nine, your baby's lungs will be maturing and preparing for birth. You infant weighs about 7.25 pounds and is about 19.9 inches long. Week forty is when you are due to deliver. Any day you will be meeting your son or daughter for the first time. Your baby continues to grow and develop each day. This is one of the most exciting moments of your life. Be sure you cherish it. |
