You're now in your third trimester – the finish line is slowly coming into view.
Your belly is growing rapidly, and your baby is becoming stronger and more active. This is a phase where many parents become more aware of what’s ahead: childbirth and parenthood. In the coming weeks, we’ll help you prepare—physically, emotionally, and practically.
In this module:
- How you and your baby are changing
- Partner: Your role during this period
- What we will do for you
- Checklist: your to-do’s
How You and Your Baby Are Changing
What’s happening with your baby?
Your baby is now in the “finishing phase” of pregnancy. Growth is rapid: by the end of week 33, most babies are about 43 cm long and weigh around 2 kilos. More fat is being stored under the skin, making your baby look rounder and less wrinkled.
The lungs and brain are developing quickly. The brain is forming more folds and connections—essential for breathing, feeding, crying, and sleeping after birth. The immune system is also starting to prepare for life outside the womb. If your baby were born now, they would usually have a good chance of recovery with medical support.
Many babies settle into a head-down position around this time. If yours hasn’t yet, don’t worry—there’s still time and space for them to turn.
What’s changing in your body?
Your belly is likely very present by now—beautiful, impressive, but also heavy at times. Your uterus is growing well above your belly button, putting extra pressure on your lungs, stomach, and bladder. Shortness of breath, needing to pee more often, heartburn, and difficulty sleeping are all common in this phase.
Your body continues to work hard. Your heart rate is higher, your blood pressure is monitored regularly, and you may feel more tired or dizzy. Take your symptoms seriously and honour your limits—even if work, household tasks, or social life feel relentless.
You might also be mentally focused on the upcoming birth. How will it go? Where do you want to give birth? What if things don’t go as planned? These are all normal thoughts. This is a great time to write down your wishes and discuss them with us. A birth plan doesn’t have to be perfect or complete—it’s simply a good tool for communication.
You may also be diving into practical matters now: arranging your maternity kit, planning leave, setting up the baby’s room. Take it at your own pace—nothing needs to be done by week 34. What matters is that your choices feel good to you.
Partner: Your role during this period
Now the due date is really starting to come into view. Your partner might be feeling more tired, more focused, or more emotional. You may also notice a strong urge to get everything ready – the nursery, baby gear, the checklist, the birth plan. This ‘nesting’ phase is common, and can come with a sense of urgency. Maybe you don’t feel the same pressure – and that’s okay too. Try to talk about it and agree on what needs to happen now, and what can wait. Making a shared plan helps avoid stress later.
This is also the ideal time to sign up for a birth preparation course – and yes, you should definitely come too. Let your partner know that you want to be involved, and choose a course that fits you both. There are options with breathing techniques, practical tools, partner roles – and you’ll walk away better prepared for one of the biggest days of your life.
Start thinking about practical arrangements too: leave planning, support after the birth, and what kind of help (if any) you might want from family or friends. The more you prepare now, the more space there is later to focus on what really matters.
What We Will Do
In this module, we’ll dive deeper into childbirth—your support team, comfort and pain relief options, medical scenarios, and handy checklists.
At 30 weeks, we’ll check your iron levels with a finger prick at our clinic. If more extensive bloodwork is needed, we’ll refer you to a lab.
We’ll also schedule a longer (40-minute) appointment to talk through your birth preferences. We’ll plan this together when you’re ready.
Before that appointment, we ask that you watch our online birth information session—it’s our minimum recommended preparation for childbirth.
Checklist – Your To-Do’s
- Read the articles in Module 5
- Watch our online birth information session—this is your basic birth prep
- After watching it, write a Birth Plan if that feels helpful for you
- Learn about the heel prick test, hearing test, and RS virus vaccination for your baby in the first week after birth
- Attend an online breastfeeding information session, offered by maternity care providers or certified lactation consultants
- Start thinking about maternity leave.
- In employment? Read Pregnancy while employed
- Freelancer (ZZP)? Read Pregnancy as a freelancer
- Receiving benefits? Read Pregnancy while on benefits
- Government agencies may ask for a pregnancy declaration. We can provide this—ask us during your next check-up
- Thinking about sending birth announcements? Now’s a good time to start planning
Want to see what’s coming up in the next few weeks? Check out the full Pregnancy Checklist.