The protective waxy coating that's covering your baby's body, the vernix, now gets thicker, although much of the fine covering of hair on their body is now disappearing. Instead, the hair on your baby's head is now getting thicker and their nails grow stronger and longer. Some babies are actually born with long nails and needs immediate trim because they are rather sharp.
Your baby continues to lay down fat all over their whole body and this is to help them stay warm once they're born. This fat plumps up their skin and removes the skin wrinkles they've had up to this point. Not only can they open and close their eyes, but they can now sense light changes through the wall of your abdomen. They react to the light by moving around and changing position.
Your baby's bones are now fully developed but they remain soft. The bones in their head are not completely joined and this allows them to cross over each other during birth making the process easier and safer. As well as sucking their thumb, your baby can also make a variety of reflex movements. They can startle, grasps and even make swimming movements. Rapid brain development is occurring and billions of neurons are being developed, waiting for life on the outside.
At the beginning of the 3rd trimester, your baby will be very active and don't you know it? Some of those kicks can hurt! However, you'll be aware that they're alternating between periods of activity and periods of stillness and rest. By the beginning of the 9th month, your baby will most likely settle into the head down position for birth, although they're still capable of changing positions. However, as they reach their full size in the last month, there is little room to roll around.
Now your baby's lungs are developing in preparation for breathing and even if they are not yet fully mature, rhythmic breathing movements do occur. Your baby is also now acquiring antibodies from you. Which will provide them with temporary immunity between some diseases while their own immune system is developing. During the 3rd trimester, your baby will grow from 33 centimeters to about 50 and their weight increases to round about 7 pounds.
What Happens to Your Baby in the First Trimester?What Happens to Your Baby in the Second Trimester?What Happens to Your Baby in the Third Trimester?
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