Your months 7, 8, and 9
In these last 3 months, some health issues will diminish while others will intensify. A few new issues will appear, but most of them have to do with your increasing size.

• Your uterus will become very large and hard.
  
  
• You will feel contractions of the uterus, and will feel an occasional tightening there.
  
  
• The need to urinate will become more frequent and urgent, and you might find there is some leakage. Your muscles are relaxing and smoothing out to get your body ready to "stretch" for the delivery. The relaxed muscles make you want to urinate often—every 5 minutes or so toward the end of the trimester.
  
  
• You may become increasingly short of breath because your lungs are working to supply both you and the fetus.
  
  
• As your weight and size increase, you may become more awkward and uncoordinated.
  
  
• Backaches and leg pains may become more frequent because of your changes in size and shape.
  
  
• You may not be able to find a comfortable position in bed, and sleep will become more difficult. Anxiety about becoming a mother may also keep you awake. Lack of sleep may lead to fatigue.
  
  
• By the last month, you will feel a lightening. Your uterus has been growing upward toward your lungs to make room for the fetus. But around the week 36, the uterus grows even more to get ready for labor and delivery. There is more room for the fetus, and the head drops a little, making it easier for you to breathe.

Baby's months 7, 8, and 9
As the third trimester begins, the fetus is considered capable of sustaining independent life outside the womb. A baby born at this point may have some difficulty breathing and staying warm, but has a very good chance of survival with the aid of modern medical facilities. This is the trimester of rapid growth and weight gain, when the fetus changes from wrinkled and slender to smooth and rounded.

By week 32, your developing baby's proportions are pretty much what you'd expect in a newborn. He or she will probably be positioned with head down toward your pelvis at this point and will weigh about 1.6 kg (3 1/2 lb).

At week 36, the fetus fills the uterus and is settling into the birth position. The irises (colored portion of the eyes) are blue, and soft nails have grown to the ends of the fingers and toes. Fetal weight has now reached about 2.5 kg (5 1/2 lb).

Finally, at around week 40, your baby is ready to be born. When baby is awake, the eyes are open and can discern light. Fingernails and toenails are so long that they will need to be cut shortly after birth. The average fetus now weighs about 3.4 kg (7 1/2 lb).

Seventh Month

Eighth Month

Ninth Month