Parent guides · Weeks 28 to 31
Your seventh month of pregnancy, day by day
Days 196 to 223: the third trimester, the eyes open, surfactant, kick counting, the Tdap and RSV vaccines, Rh and the glucose results, leave and the plan, with one thing to try every day.
Days count from the first day of your last period, the way your provider counts them, so conception is day 14 and your due date is day 280. Every note cites public health sources (the NHS, the CDC, the NIH, and the Office on Women’s Health), and a scan can move your dates: read each day as “around now”, and let your own provider’s read of your pregnancy beat any note.
← Your sixth month of pregnancy, day by day (days 161 to 195)Your eighth month of pregnancy, day by day (days 224 to 251) →
Week 28: the third trimester
Eyes that open, the lungs' surfactant, and the vaccines of the third trimester.
Day 196Ten kicks in two hoursTwenty-eight weeks: the third trimester. From now on you count your baby's movements once a day, and today is the first count.Try: Ten kicks in two hours- Day 197Rh, and the 28-week shotTwenty-eight weeks and one day. One line on your blood test result decides whether you need a shot around now. Today you find that line.Try: The RhoGAM question
- Day 198On your side from nowTwenty-eight weeks and two days. From 28 weeks, sleeping on your side is safest. Tonight you build a pillow setup that keeps you there.Try: The side-sleep pillow
- Day 199Two pulsesTwenty-eight weeks and three days. Your heart beats about 80 to 85 times a minute; your baby's about 140. Today you count yours and see the gap.Try: The two-pulse count
- Day 200Where will the baby sleepTwenty-eight weeks and four days. Crib, bassinet, or play yard: today you decide where your baby will sleep, and what goes in it (almost nothing).Try: The sleep-space decision
- Day 201Feet upTwenty-eight weeks and five days. Puffy ankles are common now, especially in the heat. Tonight you put your feet up for an hour, on purpose.Try: The feet-up hour
- Day 202Every two weeks nowTwenty-eight weeks and six days. Your checkups speed up to every two weeks. Today you take one question to the next one: what newborn screening covers.Try: The newborn-screening ask
Week 29: kicks you can count
The nervous system takes over, movement patterns, and when to call.
Day 203The birth plan, page twoTwenty-nine weeks. Your baby is fully formed. Today the birth plan gets its second page: what your birth partner does, and what you'd rather avoid.Try: The birth plan, page two- Day 204The vaccine checklistTwenty-nine weeks and one day. Some vaccines in pregnancy protect your baby for months after birth. Today you list four and tick what's done.Try: The vaccine checklist
- Day 205Up in the night, againTwenty-nine weeks and two days. More trips to the bathroom at night, and a baby who wakes when you lie down. Tonight you light the way.Try: The night-light path
- Day 206Housing, money, the relationshipTwenty-nine weeks and three days. The NHS puts money, housing and relationship worries on the list for your midwife. Today you write yours down.Try: The practical-worries list
- Day 207Eleven weeksTwenty-nine weeks and four days, with about eleven weeks to go. Today you turn the time left into one line per week, so nothing lands in the last fortnight.Try: The eleven-week list
- Day 208The routeTwenty-nine weeks and five days. Today you learn the way to the hospital, the entrance you'll use, and the numbers to keep handy, before anyone needs them.Try: The route rehearsal
- Day 209Preterm signs, refreshedTwenty-nine weeks and six days. A five-minute refresher on the signs of early labour, with the numbers that tell you to call, while everything is calm.Try: The preterm-signs refresher
Week 30: fat and sleep
Weight gain, the belly's size, short of breath, and sleeping on your side.
Day 210Strange dreamsThirty weeks. Vivid, unsettling dreams are common now, fuelled by hormones and worry. Today you write one down, then say it out loud to someone.Try: The dream journal- Day 211Twenty centimetresThirty weeks and one day. Your baby's eyes can focus now, and after birth they'll see a face about 20 to 25cm away. Today you measure that distance.Try: The face-distance measure
- Day 212The three stagesThirty weeks and two days. Labour has three stages, and knowing their shape takes some of the fear out. Today you read them once and write three questions.Try: The three-stages read
- Day 213First clothesThirty weeks and three days. You don't need a wardrobe yet. Today you put together a small basket: going-home clothes, a few first outfits, a receiving blanket.Try: The first-clothes basket
- Day 214The RSV decisionThirty weeks and four days. An RSV vaccine in pregnancy can protect your baby through their first months. Today you find out which one, when, and whether it fits you.Try: The RSV decision
- Day 215The COVID questionThirty weeks and five days. The AAP and the CDC pages describe the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy differently. Today you write one question for your provider.Try: The COVID-vaccine question
- Day 216Stress, said out loudThirty weeks and six days. Stress gets smaller when someone else hears it. Today you spend fifteen minutes saying the loudest worry out loud.Try: The stress talk
Week 31: preparing
Rhythmic breathing practice, the birth plan, and the car seat question.
Day 217Head down, or not yetThirty-one weeks. Your baby may be head down or head up right now, and both are normal at this point. Today you ask which way, and write it down.Try: The position question- Day 218TighteningsThirty-one weeks and one day. Your bump may tighten for half a minute and let go. Today you time one, so you know what practice feels like.Try: The tightening timer
- Day 219The mattressThirty-one weeks and two days. A borrowed crib can be a fine crib, but the mattress matters most. Today you check it fits snugly and stays very firm.Try: The mattress fit test
- Day 220How you'll feedThirty-one weeks and three days. Your baby is practising sucking. Today you and your partner talk through how you'd like to feed, with no verdicts.Try: The feeding conversation
- Day 221The slingThirty-one weeks and four days. A sling is easier to learn before there's a baby in it. Today you try one on with a rolled towel, and check the fit.Try: The sling practice
- Day 222Hello, every dayThirty-one weeks and five days. Your baby will start recognising voices from outside the womb. Tonight your partner starts a one-minute evening hello.Try: The daily hello
- Day 223The bag, round oneThe last day of your seventh month. The hospital bag doesn't need packing yet, but it needs a place. Today it goes open on a chair, with five things inside.Try: The hospital bag, round one