8 Months of Pregnancy: What to Expect (2024)

As your pregnancy progresses, it is natural to wonder what changes you can expect. This stage of pregnancy may include symptoms like heartburn, leg cramps, and more. In addition, your birthing professional may wish to see you more frequently for prenatal checkups.There is still quite a bit of change when you are 8 months pregnant — both for you and your fetus — but the final countdown is on.

Continue reading to learn more about what to expect at 8 months of pregnancy.

There is some discrepancy in which actual weeks comprise the eighth month of pregnancy. This is because pregnancy begins on the first day of your last menstrual period, a few weeks before conception, in people who have regular 28-day menstrual cycles. Pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, which doesn’t fit neatly into 9 calendar months.

The third trimester generally falls into weeks 29–40 Trusted Source Office on Women's Health Governmental authority Go to source, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

During your eighth month of pregnancy, it is vital to continue caring for yourself and the fetus. This can include the following:

• Getting a good night’s sleep: You might find it hard to get comfortable enough to sleep, but getting a good night’s rest is essential during these last months of pregnancy.
• Keeping stress levels down: As your due date approaches, it can be easy to get caught up in worrying about the delivery or feeling anxious about taking care of a newborn. To help keep stress levels down, find some relaxation techniques that work for you. These could include listening to soothing music, reading a good book, taking a walk, or meditating.
• Pampering yourself: As your fetus grows, your discomfort can start to increase, and your body may feel a bit unusual. Take time to pamper yourself to help reduce that discomfort. For instance, get a manicure, pedicure, or have your hair styled. Many spas also offer prenatal massages. Just remember to get your doctor or nurse midwife’s approval before any type of massage (including feet), and make sure your massage therapist is experienced in prenatal massage.

You may experience various symptoms while you’re 8 months pregnant. These could include symptoms you have already experienced or brand-new ones.

• Shortness of breath: As the fetus grows and the uterus enlarges, it can put pressure Trusted Source Office on Women's Health Governmental authority Go to source on your lungs, making it more difficult to breathe.
• Hemorrhoids: As your blood circulation increases around the rectal area, blood veins could swell and create hemorrhoids, which can be painful or itchy.
• Varicose veins: Increased blood circulation could lead to varicose veins, which are raised, bluish or reddish veins in the legs.
• Braxton-Hicks contractions: These are irregular contractions that do not occur in a pattern or get any stronger.
• Leaking of colostrum from your breasts: Colostrum is the fluid that will feed your infant in the first few days after birth until your milk comes in.
• Heartburn: As your uterus grows, it can crowd your stomach. Eating multiple small meals throughout the day can help you stay more comfortable.
• Leg cramps: The additional weight from carrying a fetus can stress your leg muscles and impact blood circulation.
• Constipation: The increased levels of progesterone that your body produces during pregnancy can slow digestion due to relaxed muscles and lead to constipation.
• Fatigue: Between the hormonal, physical, and potentially emotional changes your body undergoes to help the fetus grow, fatigue is a common symptom throughout pregnancy.

At 8 months, your fetus will put on a lot of weight. Fetuses in their third trimester typically gain approximately one-half pound Trusted Source Office on Women's Health Governmental authority Go to source (lb) each week. Your bump can become more pronounced as the baby grows. In addition, it may be easier to identify your fetus’s hands, feet, and elbows as they push on your uterus.

Learn more about weight gain during pregnancy.

Your fetus will continue to undergo several changes while you are 8 months pregnant. These include:

• The lanugo — the delicate, soft hair covering the fetus’s body — will start to fall off Trusted Source Office on Women's Health Governmental authority Go to source.
• For babies assigned male at birth, the testes will start moving from the abdomen down into the scrotum.
• Rapid brain growth continues.
• Fingernails reach the tips of the fetus’s fingers.
• Hair on the head may start to grow.
• Your fetus’s bones, excluding the bones in its head, begin to harden. The bones that form the skull remain flexible and don’t fuse until after birth.
• Your fetus’s senses become more developed.
• Your fetus has developed regular wake and sleep cycles.
• Your fetus’s skin becomes less wrinkled.

While you’re 8 months pregnant, your fetus will start to move into position for the birth. In most cases, this means your fetus will turn, so the head is down, above the cervix. This is known as the vertex position, and it can sometimes happen before the eighth month.

It is possible your fetus could be in the breech position, which means the fetus’s feet or bottom is above the cervix. If this is the case, your birthing professional can suggest ways to encourage your fetus to turn.

If the fetus has not turned its head down by around 36 weeks Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health Go to source, your nurse midwife or doctor may discuss the possibility of an external cephalic version (ECV) to help turn your fetus into the head-down position. To perform an ECV, your birthing professional will place their hands on your abdomen and apply pressure to try and maneuver the fetus into the vertex position.

If the fetus remains in a breech position, your birthing professional might discuss having a cesarean section (C-section) to ensure a safe delivery for you and the fetus.

During your eighth month of pregnancy, diet and exercise continue to play a key role for both you and your fetus.

• Eating a healthy diet: Your fetus continues to grow a lot during the final months of pregnancy, so eating a balanced diet can provide the nutrients your fetus needs for development. In addition, fatigue likely will play a bigger part in your eighth month, so eating a nutritious diet can help provide the energy boost you need. Talk with your doctor or nurse midwife about what to include in your diet.
• Exercise and mobility: With the increase in fatigue and pregnancy weight, exercising may feel like the last thing you want to do, especially if it involves bending over. However, taking a walk each day or performing certain stretches or yoga poses can help ward off discomfort or pain. Some research Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health Go to source suggests that remaining active throughout pregnancy can reduce the risk of some health complications and contribute to easier labor and birth.

Due to discomfort and decreased mobility, traveling when you are 8 months pregnant may be difficult. However, if you feel OK or travel cannot be avoided, it is possible to travel during your eighth month of pregnancy.

• Driving: When traveling on a road trip, take time to stop often so you can get out and move around to improve circulation. Wearing compression socks can also help improve circulation. Remember to stay hydrated and eat nutritious snacks during a road trip. When buckling up, tuck the lap belt of your seatbelt underneath your belly.
• Flying: Flying is not recommended during the last month of your pregnancy. If you must fly, talk with your doctor or nurse midwife before the trip for specific instructions based on your personal circ*mstances. Also, check with your airline to ensure they will allow you to fly. You may need a note from your doctor. As with driving, wear compression socks and move around at regular intervals to improve circulation — sitting in an aisle seat can help. Make sure to stay hydrated and eat healthy snacks.

When you are 8 months pregnant, you will likely start to see your nurse midwife or doctor every 1–2 weeks Trusted Source Office on Women's Health Governmental authority Go to source for prenatal checkups. Your birthing professional will check your weight, blood pressure, and urine for unexpected changes. They will also check the fetus’s heartbeat and movements and ask you what movements you have felt from the fetus.

Learn what to expect at your pregnancy doctor visits.

If you experience any of the following in between appointments, seek medical care as soon as possible:

• headache
• blurry vision or seeing spots
• decrease in fetal movements
• cramps or stomach pain
• dull backache
• bleeding from your vagin*
• excessive fluid from your vagin*
• stronger and more frequent contractions

Learn more about typical discharge during pregnancy.

When you are 8 months pregnant, you and your fetus will continue to experience many changes. Your prenatal appointments will likely become more frequent to closely monitor changes in you and the fetus.

You will continue to follow a healthy routine to care for yourself and the fetus. This can include eating a nourishing diet, exercising, and getting a good night’s rest.

If you experience unusual symptoms such as headache or bleeding, contact your doctor or nurse midwife right away to get checked out.