Trimester Three

The third trimester lasts from week 28 until the birth of your baby. During this time, your baby is growing rapidly and as a result, you may feel more tired and sleeping may become more difficult.

You will continue to notice changes to your body as your baby develops - your skin and ligaments continue to stretch to accommodate your growing baby. You may experience heartburn and/or breathlessness as the baby grows larger and puts more pressure on your organs, including your lungs.

In the later weeks, your baby will eventually move down to engage, or drop into your pelvis to prepare for birth. You may also experience Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are a tightening of the muscles of the uterus that last around 30 seconds, are irregular and not painful. These are not labour contractions, and not a sign that labour has begun. In the last few weeks of this trimester, your body may begin to prepare for labour. The cervix will start to soften and you may notice a ‘show’ - a release of the mucous plug that sits within the cervical canal during pregnancy, and is an indication that labour will soon begin. 

Important nutrients for the third trimester include:

• DHA

• Choline

• Calcium

• Magnesium

• Protein

• Glycine

• Iron