42 weeks pregnant
At 42 weeks you are in the third trimester, and your baby measures about 52 cm from head to heel and weighs about 3.7 kg, roughly the length of a carry-on suitcase. Induction by 42 weeks is standard in Australian public hospitals, with extra monitoring of the baby and the fluid if you choose to wait longer.
Weighs about 3.7 kg, like an average house cat. Averages from standard growth tables; your scan gives your baby's own numbers.
Your baby at 42 weeks
Post-term. Most babies have turned head-down by now and have little room left to move.
How you might feel
Most people have been induced or given birth by now; if not, you will be seen frequently for CTG monitoring and fluid checks.
Induction by 42 weeks is standard in Australian public hospitals.
Call the maternity unit today for any change in your baby's movements, bleeding, fluid loss, a severe headache or vision changes. 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) in Queensland; 000 in an emergency.
What's due this week in Australia
Induction of labour window
If labour has not started, induction is offered between 41 and 42 weeks.
Checklist for the week
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Questions about 42 weeks
How many months is 42 weeks pregnant?
About nine and a half months; 42 weeks is post-term.
What trimester is 42 weeks?
Week 42 is in the third trimester. In the Australian guidelines Hello Bub follows, the first trimester runs to 13 weeks, the second from 14 to 27 and the third from 28 weeks.
What happens if I go past 42 weeks?
Very few pregnancies do. If you decline induction, the hospital offers CTG monitoring and ultrasound fluid checks twice a week and reviews the plan with you at each visit.
Written by the Hello Bub team; medical schedule follows the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines; last reviewed 3 November 2026.