Here you are: the home stretch! In some ways it probably feels like your pregnancy is passing at warp speed; in other ways, it seems like it?s never-ending. Your body and your baby continue to grow and change in important and amazing ways throughout your third trimester. Here?s a closer look at what might be in store for you in your final months of pregnancy.
When does the third trimester start" When does it end"
Your third trimester begins at week 28 and lasts, well, until you deliver your baby. An average pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks?if you deliver before 37 weeks, it?s considered preterm, and 39 or 40 weeks is full-term. Some pregnancies go into 41 or even 42 weeks, and at that point your healthcare provider will talk about options for inducing labour. What are some of the pregnancy symptoms in the third trimester"
Breast changes
Prolactin, the hormone that stimulates your breasts to get ready for milk production, increases steadily in your third trimester?it?s 10 times higher at the end of your pregnancy than it was at the beginning. At 32 weeks and beyond, you may leak a bit of colostrum, which is the ?liquid gold? nutrient-rich fluid that your body makes before your breastmilk fully comes in. If you?re breastfeeding, this will be your baby?s first food, and this is just practice for the big event. You may notice stretch marks or broken capillaries on your breasts because they?ve grown so much fuller during your pregnancy (these may fade in time, but t...