Month 7 · Weeks 25–28
Month 7 of pregnancy: weeks 25 to 28
The last third begins. From here the pregnancy is less about milestones and more about watching, and the thing you are watching is movement.
Symptoms in month 7 of pregnancy
What tends to arrive or intensify now:
- Sleep becoming genuinely difficult
- Heartburn, often worse at night
- Backache and pelvic pressure
- Shortness of breath climbing stairs
- Swelling in the hands, feet and ankles
- Practice contractions, painless and irregular
- Leaking colostrum from the breasts
- Restless legs at night
The baby in month 7
By week 26 "all parts of your baby's eyes are developed," and between weeks 27 and 30 "your baby's eyelids can open and close." They have been closed since around week 14.
The lungs are the organ still under construction. The respiratory system, though immature, now produces surfactant, the substance that lets the lungs inflate. That is the single most important thing happening in the next three months.
Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
Movement, and when to call
By now you know your baby's rhythm. That knowledge is the point of it, because from here a change in the pattern is the thing that gets acted on.
The NHS instruction is unambiguous. Call your midwife or maternity unit immediately if your baby is moving less than usual, if you cannot feel movement any more, or if there is a change to the usual pattern.
Immediately means immediately. Not in the morning, not after a cold drink, not after lying down to see whether it improves. Maternity units expect these calls and would far rather receive one that turns out to be nothing.
Source: NHS
What's common
- Sleep becoming genuinely difficult
- Heartburn, often worse at night
- Backache and pelvic pressure
- Shortness of breath climbing stairs
- Swelling in the hands, feet and ankles
- Practice contractions, painless and irregular
- Leaking colostrum from the breasts
- Restless legs at night
When to call a doctor now
Call your maternity unit if any of these happen, at any hour.
- Your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel movement any more, or the usual pattern has changed. Call immediately, at any hour. Do not wait to see if it improves.
- Regular contractions before 37 weeks
- A gush or trickle of fluid from the vagina
- Vaginal bleeding
- A severe headache, blurred vision, or sudden swelling
- Severe itching, particularly of the hands and feet
Reduced movement is a call you make at 3 a.m.
Nawah's kick counter shows your baby's usual rhythm week by week, so a change is something you can see rather than something you are second-guessing. The father gets the alert too, so you are not the only one watching. Arabic and English, free.
Get Nawah on Google PlayCommon questions
Do babies move less as they run out of room?
No, and this belief is dangerous. The character of movement changes, from kicks to rolls and pushes, but the amount should not decrease. Reduced movement is always a reason to call, at any stage.
What are these painless tightenings?
Usually practice contractions. They are irregular, do not get closer together, and ease if you change position. Contractions that become regular, get stronger, or come every five minutes are a different thing, especially before 37 weeks.
I cannot sleep. Does that harm the baby?
Poor sleep in the third trimester is close to universal and does not harm the baby. It does make everything else harder, so it is worth raising with your doctor rather than treating as something to endure quietly.
Sources
- Fetal developmentMedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine · retrieved 2026-08-21
- Your baby's movementsNHS · retrieved 2026-08-21
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It does not replace a doctor, and it knows nothing about your particular pregnancy. If something feels wrong, contact your doctor instead of waiting for the next scheduled visit.