Third trimester · 4 weeks to go
| Fact | Week 36 |
|---|---|
| Days of pregnancy | 246–252 since LMP |
| Gestational age span | 35w0d to 35w6d |
| Trimester | Third trimester (weeks 28–40) |
| Pregnancy month | Month 3 (weeks 9–13) |
| Average length | 18.7 in (crown to heel) |
| Average weight | 5.78 lb |
| Size comparison | a head of romaine |
| Weeks remaining | 4 (40-week due date) |
Week 36 means weekly appointments and, for many first babies, lightening: the baby drops into the pelvis, easing the ribs and pressing the bladder. Cheeks plump with sucking muscles ready for feeding.
The baby's grasp is firm, and meconium continues accumulating. Lung development is essentially finished for most babies. The uterus is at its highest point, just under the ribcage.
Gestationally, week 36 means you are 35 weeks and 0 to 6 days pregnant, day 246 to day 252 counted from the first day of your last period. This is week 9 of the third trimester (weeks 28–40). Appointments are weekly from week 36 until delivery. Week 37 brings early term. 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 36.
Review the signs of labor versus false labor: real contractions get longer, stronger, and closer together. Confirm your route and plan for the drive.
Weeks of pregnancy don't map cleanly to calendar months, but the common division puts week 36 falls in month 3 of pregnancy (weeks 9–13). Week 36 is part of the third trimester, which runs from week 28 to birth. Gestationally, week 36 means you are 35 weeks and 0 to 6 days pregnant.
At week 36 the baby averages 18.7 in long and weighs about 5.78 lb, roughly the size of a head of romaine. 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.