Welcome to the Final Stretch
You’ve made it to the third trimester — the home stretch of one of the most extraordinary journeys a human body can take. Weeks 28 through 40 bring their own unique mix of excitement, anticipation, physical challenges, and yes, a whole lot of preparation.
If you’ve been putting off the baby prep, now is the time to get serious. If you’ve been nesting furiously since week 30, this checklist will make sure you haven’t missed anything. Either way, consider this your complete, practical, no-fluff roadmap to the final trimester.
The goal isn’t to stress you out with an overwhelming to-do list. It’s to help you feel organized, informed, and genuinely ready — so that when labor begins, you’re not scrambling. You’re ready.
A Week-by-Week Roadmap for the Third Trimester
Rather than dumping every task on you at once, it helps to think of the third trimester in three phases. Here’s a broad framework to guide your timing:
Build the Foundation
Focus on prenatal appointments, setting up the nursery, registering for childbirth classes, and reviewing your health insurance coverage. This phase is about information and infrastructure.
Pack, Plan, and Prepare
Pack your hospital bag, finalize your birth plan, install the car seat, and sort through baby essentials. This is also the time to line up your postpartum support network.
Rest, Monitor, and Wait
Your baby is full-term — any day now. Focus on rest, staying on top of fetal movement, keeping your hospital bag by the door, and wrapping up any remaining tasks without overdoing it.
1. Medical Appointments and Health Monitoring
The third trimester brings more frequent prenatal visits, additional tests, and important conversations with your healthcare provider. Staying on top of these appointments is one of the most important things you can do right now.
Medical Checklist
10 items
2. Create Your Birth Plan
A birth plan is a written document that communicates your preferences for labor and delivery to your healthcare team. It’s not a contract — birth is unpredictable — but it’s a valuable tool for expressing what matters most to you and starting important conversations with your provider.
Think of your birth plan as a communication tool, not a script. The goal is to help your medical team understand your values and preferences so they can support you as well as possible when the time comes.
Birth Plan Checklist
12 items
Consider Hiring a Doula
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support during labor. Research consistently shows that having a doula present during labor is associated with shorter labors, lower C-section rates, and higher satisfaction with the birth experience. If you’re considering a doula, start looking in the second trimester — good ones book up early.
3. Pack Your Hospital Bag
Most experts recommend having your hospital bag packed and ready by week 35–36. Babies sometimes come early, and the last thing you want is to be frantically stuffing a suitcase while contractions are 5 minutes apart.
Pack three categories: one for you during labor, one for postpartum recovery, and one for baby. Here’s exactly what to include:
For Mom — During Labor
11 items
For Mom — Postpartum Recovery
10 items
For Baby
8 items
4. Set Up the Nursery
The nursery doesn’t need to be Pinterest-perfect. It needs to be functional and safe. Here’s what to prioritize — and what can wait.
Nursery Setup Checklist
14 items
Safe Sleep: The Non-Negotiables
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends placing babies on their back, on a firm, flat surface, in a clear sleep space — every time, for every sleep. This means no pillows, no loose blankets, no crib bumpers, no sleep positioners, and no soft toys in the sleep space. Room-sharing (but not bed-sharing) for at least the first 6 months is also recommended.
5. Car Seat Installation
You cannot leave the hospital without a properly installed infant car seat — it’s not just a recommendation, it’s the law. The car seat is arguably the single most important piece of baby gear you’ll buy, and it needs to be installed correctly before labor begins.
Car Seat Checklist
7 items
6. Childbirth and Parenting Education
Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools you can have going into labor. The more you understand about the process, the more confident and less fearful you’ll feel — and fear genuinely does affect labor. Enroll in classes early; they fill up fast.
Education Checklist
8 items
7. Postpartum Preparation — Don’t Skip This
Most checklists focus heavily on getting ready for the birth and the baby — but they underestimate how much preparation the postpartum period requires. The first 6–12 weeks after birth can be physically demanding, emotionally intense, and sleep-deprived in ways that are hard to fully anticipate. The more you prepare now, the better that transition will go.
Postpartum Prep Checklist
13 items
8. Financial and Administrative Tasks
The paperwork side of having a baby isn’t glamorous, but it matters. Getting these administrative ducks in a row before baby arrives will save you significant stress later.
Financial and Admin Checklist
11 items
9. Physical Comfort and Self-Care in the Third Trimester
Your body is doing something remarkable right now, and it deserves to be treated with care. The third trimester brings its own physical challenges — back pain, swollen ankles, sleepless nights, and frequent bathroom trips are par for the course. Here’s how to take care of yourself during this final phase.
Sleep Strategies
By now, getting comfortable in bed has become a project. Sleeping on your left side with a full-length body pillow between your knees and under your bump is the most recommended position. It improves circulation to the placenta and reduces pressure on your back and hips.
Swelling and Edema
Mild swelling of the feet and ankles is normal, especially later in the day. Elevating your feet, staying hydrated, wearing compression socks, and avoiding long periods of standing can help. Sudden or significant swelling — especially in your face or hands, accompanied by headache or vision changes — is a warning sign and warrants immediate contact with your provider.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
These irregular, painless “practice contractions” are common in the third trimester and are your uterus rehearsing for the real event. They typically don’t follow a regular pattern and go away with rest or position changes. True labor contractions are regular, get closer together, and don’t ease with movement.
Pelvic Girdle Pain
The hormone relaxin loosens your joints in preparation for birth, which can cause pain and instability in the pelvis and hips. A pelvic support belt, prenatal physical therapy, and gentle movement can make a significant difference. Don’t just push through this pain — ask your provider for a referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist if needed.
Self-Care Checklist
9 items
Warning Signs to Know in the Third Trimester
⚠️ Contact Your Provider Immediately If You Experience:
- Regular contractions before 37 weeks (possible preterm labor)
- Sudden severe headache, especially with blurred vision or seeing spots
- Significant swelling in your face, hands, or feet that appears suddenly
- Decreased fetal movement — fewer than 10 kicks in 2 hours after week 28
- Heavy vaginal bleeding (more than spotting)
- A gush or steady trickle of fluid (possible rupture of membranes)
- Severe abdominal pain or tightening that doesn’t ease
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations
- Pain or burning during urination (signs of UTI or kidney infection)
When in doubt, call. Your care team would always rather reassure you than have you wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your provider will give you specific guidance, but the general rule for first-time moms is the 5-1-1 rule: contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour. For moms who’ve given birth before, you may be told to go in sooner. Always follow your provider’s instructions and go immediately if your water breaks or you have heavy bleeding.
Absolutely. The third trimester fatigue is real and it’s different from first-trimester fatigue — it’s driven by the physical demands of carrying a full-term baby, disrupted sleep, and your body’s preparation for labor. Rest as much as possible. This is not the time to push through exhaustion.
Many women work up until 36–38 weeks with no issues, while others need to stop earlier for physical or medical reasons. Talk to your provider about your specific situation and listen to your body. Also review your employer’s pregnancy accommodation policies — in many countries, you’re legally entitled to reasonable adjustments.
Around 3–4% of babies are still in a breech (bottom-down) position at full term. Talk to your OB about your options — these may include an external cephalic version (ECV), where a doctor manually tries to rotate the baby from outside, or planning a C-section. Most providers will have this conversation with you around weeks 35–36.
The mucus plug is a thick, gel-like plug that seals the cervix during pregnancy to protect against infection. Losing it (often called a “bloody show” when tinged pink or red) typically means your cervix is beginning to soften and dilate. This can happen days or even weeks before active labor begins, so it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to the hospital today — but it does mean things are moving in the right direction.
It might be a dramatic gush or it might be a slow trickle that you mistake for discharge or urine. A key sign: amniotic fluid is clear and odorless, while urine has a distinct smell. If you’re unsure, put on a pad and lie down for 20 minutes — if the fluid continues or you feel a trickle when you stand up, call your provider or go to the hospital.
The Final Word: You Are More Ready Than You Think
There is no checklist long enough to make you feel “completely ready” for parenthood — and that’s okay. The truth is, some of the most important things you’ll learn can only be learned by doing. Every parent figures it out, one day at a time, one feed at a time, one nap at a time.
What this checklist can do is reduce the logistical and practical stress so that when labor begins, you’re not mentally scrambling. You’ve packed the bag. The car seat is in. The freezer is stocked. The pediatrician is chosen. The birth plan is written.
That’s a lot. Give yourself credit for it.
Now, go put your feet up. Rest. Eat something good. Talk to your baby. Watch something silly. The most extraordinary moment of your life is just around the corner — and you are absolutely ready for it.
