Pregnancy Symptoms By Week-Weeks 28 thru 40

Although you can probably see the finish line, you may be starting to struggle to see your feet or at least you will by the end of this trimester! The good news is that you are almost there and the pregnancy symptoms by week 28 are all too familiar you to you right now. Oh but don’t worry, you may have some new pregnancy symptoms by week 40 to join you. Depending on your health and your OBGYN’s practice, if that little bundle of joy doesn’t show up by week 40 they may let you go to week 42 before inducing labor. Depending on how far along you are at this point, you are probably not in the mood for jokes (I know I wasn’t). So I will just get right down to it

Weeks 28 thru 31- The Seventh Month

If you have experienced this already, this month your body may be practicing going into labor by giving your practice contractions. Those contractions are called “Braxton Hicks.” You may not even feel them internally, but might have noticed that your stomach has gotten hard for a few/several seconds and then released. However, you can feel them and they may be painless to uncomfortable. These practice contractions are irregular and can last anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. They can happen at anytime and for no reason. I noticed they happened to me when I got excited or when I would laugh. As if you already weren’t, just pay close attention to your body and Braxton Hicks contractions so you are sure when the real contractions start.

How are your bowels doing these days? Depending on your GI tract functions, you may be experiencing diarrhea, IBS, and constipation. If you are one of those suffering from constipation, hemorrhoids are common, albeit annoying, but normal during this stage of pregnancy. Even without constipation, hemorrhoids happen during pregnancy because of pressure created by your every growing uterus. So be sure to get your fiber and drink plenty of water to help things move smoothly.

Even with a couple new symptoms on the scene, you might be feeling pretty good this month. If you haven’t done so already, now might even be a good time to take that baby moon or just a romantic weekend with your partner before the baby arrives. Depending on your whether you are high risk or pregnant with multiples, you may still be able to fly. Just be careful of sitting too long whether it be a car or plane because of swelling. Also, you may have to pee quite often! However, take time to do something nice for yourself. You have made it a long way. Here is what you might be feeling throughout these weeks:

• Braxton HicksHeartburn
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Increased discharge
• Growing breast
• Gasiness
• Frequent urination
• Sleepiness
• Dizziness
• Backache
• Leg cramps
• Prominent veins
• Bleeding gums
• Swelling
• Stuffy nose
• Headache
• Nose bleeds

Weeks 32 thru 35- The Eighth Month

You are moving along beautifully! You might be noticing that your equilibrium feels a little off making you a little more clumsy these days and you are right. Due to your growing belly, it is normal for your balance to be off and for you to bump into things so be careful. Once getting out of my car, I shut the car door while my stomach was still partially sticking in the car. Everything and everyone was okay. I just didn’t realize how far my belly was sticking out there!

Another new symptom for this trimester is shortness of breath. Your growing abdomen is pressing against your organs and making it harder to breath. You might also notice you aren’t able to eat as much as you were before due to this very reason. You are literally running out of room. By the end of this month your baby is approximately the size of a pineapple or honeydew melon. Depending on which fruit you like more.

While the possibility of preterm labor can be very frightening, a baby born at 32 weeks has about a 98% survival rate according to LIVESTRONG. As you progress in pregnancy, the chances of survival increase. Thank you technology! Feeling like you are leaking or have the need to change your panty liner more often than normal? That is okay too. I think I went to the L&D a couple times thinking I was leaking amniotic fluid just to be told “nope, it’s just pee!” Better safe than sorry, I say. The truth is, there is a lot going on down there. As you get closer to the finish you may have an increase in discharge and/or you may occasionally pee your pants. Just always keep a spare pair in your car.

Here are the pregnancy symptoms for this month:

• Clumsiness
• Shortness of breath
• Braxton Hicks
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Increased discharge
• Growing breast
• Gasiness
• Frequent urination
• Sleepiness
• Dizziness
• Backache
• Leg cramps
• Prominent veins
• Bleeding gums
• Swelling
• Stuffy nose
• Headache
• Nose bleeds

Weeks 36 thru 40- The Ninth Month

Your bags are packed and you are ready to go! You have probably noticed that those cute little baby kicks are actually not so cute anymore. Now you are experiencing the baby rolling around as there is less room and perhaps feeling your soon to be son or daughter pressing up in your ribs or riding your bladder like the mechanical pony in the grocery store. Like many women in this last month, you might have looked up ways to bring on “natural labor.” If you have, you probably ran across nipple stimulation.

Nipple stimulation releases a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is causes the uterus to contract which in turn can bring on labor. However, if you or your partner have been stimulating your nipples and you notice something leaking it is likely colostrum. Yes, it is possible to leak colostrum at this stage of pregnancy, but sometimes it doesn’t happen until after you give birth. So don’t freak out. It is quite alright! Another symptom or pregnancy side effect to make an interest is more discharge (our favorite).

As you are approaching labor, your discharge will contain more mucous as your mucous plug begins to loosen to let baby make an entrance. Some women don’t lose their mucous plug or get blood streaked discharge (I didn’t). If you do lose your mucous plug, labor can still take up to two weeks to start.

Does your stomach look like it is hanging lower? If so, it probably is. As your baby is getting ready to make his or her grand entrance, he or she will (hopefully) turn head down and make his or her way to your pelvis. This creates more pressure and you are sure to pee yourself (just kidding)! With the dropping of your stomach, you may notice that it is easier to breath and possibly eat more. Eat while you can girl!

You may be getting excited, as if you weren’t excited already, and have bursts of energy and feel like cleaning up. This need to clean is what is called “nesting.” It is a completely normal instinct to have and who can blame you? You want everything to be perfect when your baby arrives. You may find that you are cleaning simply because you can no longer sleep easy at night!

The increased weight and pressure in your stomach might make sleeping or getting comfortable at night impossible. My doctor recommended the occasional Benadryl to help get some sleep through the night. As with all medication, please consult your doctor before taking anything. If the size of your stomach wasn’t enough to keep you up, just the mere thought of bringing a new baby home may keep you up at night and that is completely normal too. Just know you are doing a great job and be kind to yourself you deserve it. Here is a quick rundown of the symptoms in case you forgot as forgetfulness is also a pregnancy symptom:

• Leaking colostrum
• Losing mucous plug
• Baby dropping (that doesn’t sound very good)
• Pelvic ache or pain
• Nesting
• Sleeplessness
• Forgetfulness
• Clumsiness
• Shortness of breath
• Braxton Hicks
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Increased discharge
• Growing breast
• Gasiness
• Frequent urination
• Sleepiness
• Dizziness
• Backache
• Leg cramps
• Prominent veins
• Bleeding gums
• Swelling
• Stuffy nose
• Headache
• Nose bleeds

The Third Trimester

This concludes the symptoms of pregnancy by weeks. Perhaps you felt only a few of them, or maybe you felt them all! Hopefully you feel that the symptoms are or were all worth that beautiful baby you are growing inside of you. It takes a lot to grow a baby and you are amazing for doing it. My mother always said that it was a miracle and considering that not every woman is able to do this or make it this far, it is a miracle in my book. Maybe you had a rough pregnancy, or maybe your pregnancy was smooth and perfect. However, nothing will be as perfect as the moment when you get to meet your angel for the very first time.

Thank you for reading and good luck to you. If you have or had symptoms that aren’t on my list, please feel free to leave them in the comments and I can update the post. Take care!

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