Trimester means 3 months. A normal pregnancy is around 9 months and has 3 trimesters.
Your health care provider may talk about your pregnancy in weeks, rather than months or trimesters. The third trimester is from week 28 through week 40.
In your third trimester, you will have a prenatal visit every 2 weeks until you are 36 weeks. After that, you will see your doctor or midwife every week.
The visits may be quick, but they are still important. It is okay to bring your partner or labor coach with you.
During your visits, your doctor or midwife will:
At the end of each visit, your doctor or midwife will tell you what changes to expect before your next visit. Tell your doctor if you have any problems or concerns. Speak up, even if you do not feel they are important or do not relate to your pregnancy.
There are no other routine lab tests or ultrasounds that will be ordered for every pregnant woman in the third trimester. Certain lab tests and [tests to monitor the baby-60-485] may be done for women who:
In between your appointments, you will need to keep an eye on your baby’s movement. As you get closer to your due date, and your baby grows bigger, you should notice a different pattern of movement than earlier in your pregnancy.
Watch for patterns in your baby’s movement. If you notice that, all of a sudden, the baby is moving less, eat a snack, then lie down for a few minutes. If you still don’t feel much movement, call your doctor or midwife.
As a rule of thumb, call any time you have any concerns or questions. Even if you think you are worrying over nothing, it is better to be on the safe side and call your doctor if you think something is wrong.
Updated by: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Bellevue, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc
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