Third trimester checklist for Singapore: tests and vaccines from week 28, what to prepare, and the admin after birth

Your third trimester checklist runs from week 28 to birth, and in Singapore it has three parts: the tests and vaccines your hospital offers, the things to prepare at home, and the admin for when your baby arrives. KKH's schedule includes a growth scan, a repeat blood count, a Group B strep swab at 35 to 37 weeks, the whooping cough vaccine ideally by 32 weeks and the RSV vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks. At home, start counting your baby's kicks, pack your hospital bag and decide on cord blood. Then register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days. These weeks matter because your baby puts on most of its weight now, and HealthHub says about 10% of women go into labour early. A printable checklist is below.

Why the third trimester matters

HealthHub's trimester guide describes what's happening: from 29 weeks your tummy feels taut, Braxton Hicks tightenings start, and your baby gets considerably heavier, while you get more tired and breathless as the womb presses on your rib cage. Near the end the baby's head moves down into your pelvis, and from 37 weeks your baby is full term and labour can start at any time. A KKH guide says a full-term baby is typically 48 to 53cm long and weighs 3 to 4.5kg. Preterm labour happens in about 1 in 10 women, HealthHub says. So it pays to finish the important jobs by about 35 weeks.

Tests, scans and vaccines from week 28

KKH says a healthy pregnancy has around 8 to 10 clinic visits in all, with your blood pressure and urine checked at every one. In the third trimester the visits get closer together. This is what SingHealth's KKH pages list for these weeks:

Our guides to prenatal check-ups and scans, Group B strep in pregnancy and flu while pregnant go into each of these.

Count your baby's kicks

From the third trimester, your baby's movements are the best daily check you have. KKH's Count-to-Ten chart asks you to start counting at 9am each day and note when you reach 10 movements. Contact your doctor immediately if your baby makes fewer than 10 movements a day for two days in a row. KKH also says to go to the hospital for a big drop in movements over 24 hours, or no movements for 12 hours. Don't wait until the next appointment for either.

Prepare at home

• Pack your hospital bag by about 36 weeks. KKH supplies some things in the ward, so our hospital bag checklist shows what to bring and what to leave.
• Install the car seat before the birth, because you'll need it for the ride home. Our car seat guide explains rear-facing seats.
• Set up a safe sleep space and wash the first clothes and swaddles.
• Decide on cord blood. KKH's pregnancy timeline lists cord blood donation or banking at 35 to 37 weeks; our cord blood guide compares the public and private banks.
• Think about contraception after the birth, which KKH lists for the same weeks.
• Write a birth plan and talk it through at a late check-up; see our birth plan guide.
• Ask family members and your helper to get a whooping cough booster if they haven't had one in 10 years, ideally at least 2 weeks before they meet the baby, as SingHealth advises.
• Save the delivery suite number and plan the trip to hospital, with a backup driver.

Admin to sort before and after the birth

For the details, see our guides to maternity and paternity leave and Baby Bonus and family support. The Baby Bonus hotline is 1800 111 2222.

Your printable third trimester checklist

When to go to hospital now

Go to your hospital's delivery suite straight away, rather than waiting for your next check-up, for any of these. KKH and SingHealth list them:

• Your baby is moving less than usual.
• Bright red bleeding, which SingHealth says can come from a low-lying placenta or the placenta starting to separate.
• A gush or steady trickle of fluid from the vagina.
• Severe headache, blurred or double vision, pain high in your tummy, or feeling dizzy and unwell, which can be pre-eclampsia.
• Regular contractions before 37 weeks, which SingHealth says is preterm labour.

At KKH, go to the Delivery Suite on Level 2 of the Women's Tower from 22 weeks. Our guides to the signs of labour and premature labour list where to go at other hospitals.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do in the third trimester?

Keep your check-ups, get the whooping cough and RSV vaccines, have the GBS swab at 35 to 37 weeks, count kicks daily, pack your hospital bag by about 36 weeks, and plan maternity leave and birth registration.

When does the third trimester start?

At week 28. HealthHub's trimester guide covers weeks 29 to 40, and your baby is full term from 37 weeks.

When should I get the RSV vaccine in pregnancy?

From 32 to 36 weeks, as one injection. SingHealth says it reduces severe bronchiolitis and hospital stays in your baby's first 6 months by about 70%.

When is the Group B strep test done in Singapore?

Between 35 and 37 weeks at KKH, for women planning a vaginal birth. If you're positive, you'll be given antibiotics in labour.

How do I count my baby's kicks?

KKH's Count-to-Ten chart starts at 9am. Contact your doctor immediately if your baby makes fewer than 10 movements a day for two days in a row.

When should I pack my hospital bag?

By about 36 weeks. KKH's pregnancy timeline lists packing it once you're full term at 37 weeks; doing it a little earlier covers an early labour.