Healthy pregnancy: your third trimester guide
Understand the final milestones of prenatal development, as well as how to prepare for delivery.
Jan, 2026
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You’re in the last three months of pregnancy, but there’s still plenty of growing to do. Get the facts on the third trimester, including how your body is preparing for delivery.
If you have what’s considered a high-risk pregnancy, you’ll probably have seen a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist in addition to your regular healthcare provider (HCP). This may be because you are older than 35, have a history of preeclampsia) a pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and fluid retention), or have conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.
Written byTaylor Dahl.
Medically reviewed byJoanne Perron, MD.
Sources: National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Fetal development. Review date July 13 + 8
- National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Fetal development. Review date July 13, 2021.
- Mayo Clinic. Pregnancy week by week. High-risk pregnancy: Know what to expect. January 18, 2022.
- Cleveland Clinic. Fetal Development: Stages of Growth. Last reviewed April 16, 2020.
- Public Health England. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Accessed November 16, 2022.
- Mayo Clinic. Pregnancy week by week. Fetal development: The 3rd trimester. June 3, 2022.
- BabyCenter. Pregnancy Week by Week. Accessed November 16, 2022.
- Parents. How Big Is My Baby This Week? Here’s a Baby Fruit Size Chart. Updated on May 17, 2022.
- Mayo Clinic. Preeclampsia. April 15, 2022.
- Mount Sinai. Preeclampsia. Accessed November 16, 2022.
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