Third trimester · 12 weeks to go
| Fact | Week 28 |
|---|---|
| Days of pregnancy | 190–196 since LMP |
| Gestational age span | 27w0d to 27w6d |
| Trimester | Third trimester (weeks 28–40) |
| Pregnancy month | Month 3 (weeks 9–13) |
| Average length | 14.8 in (crown to heel) |
| Average weight | 2.22 lb |
| Size comparison | an eggplant |
| Weeks remaining | 12 (40-week due date) |
Week 28 opens the third trimester. Eyes can open and close, rapid-eye-movement sleep means dreaming, and brain grooves deepen. The baby could now smile, or at least practice the muscle pattern for one.
Fat layers are filling out fast, and lanugo starts to loosen. Lung surfactant production continues. The baby is over two pounds, and from here gains roughly half a pound a week on average.
Gestationally, week 28 means you are 27 weeks and 0 to 6 days pregnant, day 190 to day 196 counted from the first day of your last period. This is week 1 of the third trimester (weeks 28–40). Appointments step up to every two weeks from week 28. Week 32 brings the Tdap vaccine window (27–36 weeks) winding down. From here the baby gains roughly half a pound a week on average, which is why the third trimester feels measurably heavier by the day. Every number on this page is an average across pregnancies; your own scan dates and your baby's measurements are what actually describe your week 28.
Begin daily kick counts: pick a time daily and note how long 10 movements take. Same pattern tomorrow is the goal.
Weeks of pregnancy don't map cleanly to calendar months, but the common division puts week 28 falls in month 3 of pregnancy (weeks 9–13). Week 28 is part of the third trimester, which runs from week 28 to birth. Gestationally, week 28 means you are 27 weeks and 0 to 6 days pregnant.
At week 28 the baby averages 14.8 in long and weighs about 2.22 lb, roughly the size of an eggplant. Sizes come from fetal growth charts (crown-to-heel length from week 20), and normal variation week to week is wide; your ultrasound measurements always outrank a chart.