Pregnancy Week By Week : 28 Weeks Pregnant - What To Expect
Dear mommy! You have made it to the end of your second trimester. You definitely deserve big congratulations. Your baby is slowly settling i...
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Dear mommy! You have made it to the end of your second trimester. You definitely deserve big congratulations. Your baby is slowly settling into the birthing position to pop out in just a few more weeks. It is a great feeling and your body is showing signs of motherhood quite clearly. If you want to find out the developments this week, keep reading.
Baby Development
Gearing up for birth
By this week, your tot is gradually getting ready for birth. It is settling into the position that will aid its birthing process. Its head faces downwards toward the exit of the uterus. During your check-up, your gynecologist can detect and feel the position. If it has still not settled in that position, don't panic. By the end of this week or beginning of the next week, things will fall into place, quite literally.
Mastering life skills
With the organs almost fully developed, your tiny baby is practicing and mastering skills that will be required after birth. Your baby starts blinking with its pretty eyelashes. This skill will help keep the foreign objects at bay when it opens its eyes to see the beautiful world. Other skills your baby is learning include sucking, breathing, hiccupping and even coughing.
Baby dreams
If you thought your baby just sleeps inside your womb all day long, you are highly mistaken! You will be surprised to know that your baby's brain waves demonstrate different stages in the sleep cycle. Its brain while sleeping goes through the phase of rapid eye movement – or the phase of dreaming. So it is evident that your baby will dream when it enters the REM sleep cycle.
Sticking out the tongue
This is indeed an amusing antic of your baby. The exact reason behind this action has not been fairly established. However, with developing taste buds, your baby is possibly trying to taste the amniotic fluid.
Baby's size
If you are at a vegetable market, pick up a really big cucumber. That's how big your baby is right now. Your little one is about 2 and a quarter pounds and stands at an amazing 15 inches, more or less. It is steadily gaining both height and weight and will be nice and bonny by the time you hit the last week of your pregnancy.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Strange tingling in the legs (Sciatica): There is a nerve called the Sciatic nerve that resides in the lower portion of your backbone. As you enter the third trimester, your baby also gets into the birthing position and its head may end up resting on this particular nerve. Also, your really big uterus creates a lot of pressure on the lower part of your spine giving you a sharp pain. This shooting pain can turn into a tingling sensation or numbness that begins at the buttocks or hips and spreads to your legs. This painful condition is known as sciatica.
Lumpy breasts: Do you feel the presence of small lumps in your breasts? Your body at this stage is rapidly preparing the mammary glands for milk secretion. Hence the development of lumps in your breasts is quite common. However, it is best to get them checked by your practitioner to avoid the chances of anything unusual.
Dizziness: Remember the lightheadedness you felt during the first couple of weeks of your pregnancy? You may have a similar feeling of dizziness during your third trimester. With your uterus putting pressure on your blood vessels, the blood flow decreases in your body and hence your brain may sometimes not receive enough oxygen. This results in dizziness and therefore you should keep yourself hydrated at all times to prevent fainting or blackouts.
Skin pigmentation: If you notice a grayish or bluish hue on certain areas of your skin, it can be due to hyperpigmentation. You may also notice the appearance of moles and freckles across your body, especially in the facial zone. These are all cause due to the pregnancy hormones in your body. Most dark patches fade once your pregnancy term is over and you have given birth. But in the case of persistent pigmentation, you may have to consult a dermatologist.
Health Tips
Image Source: 1, 2
Baby Development
Gearing up for birth
By this week, your tot is gradually getting ready for birth. It is settling into the position that will aid its birthing process. Its head faces downwards toward the exit of the uterus. During your check-up, your gynecologist can detect and feel the position. If it has still not settled in that position, don't panic. By the end of this week or beginning of the next week, things will fall into place, quite literally.
Mastering life skills
With the organs almost fully developed, your tiny baby is practicing and mastering skills that will be required after birth. Your baby starts blinking with its pretty eyelashes. This skill will help keep the foreign objects at bay when it opens its eyes to see the beautiful world. Other skills your baby is learning include sucking, breathing, hiccupping and even coughing.
Baby dreams
If you thought your baby just sleeps inside your womb all day long, you are highly mistaken! You will be surprised to know that your baby's brain waves demonstrate different stages in the sleep cycle. Its brain while sleeping goes through the phase of rapid eye movement – or the phase of dreaming. So it is evident that your baby will dream when it enters the REM sleep cycle.
Sticking out the tongue
This is indeed an amusing antic of your baby. The exact reason behind this action has not been fairly established. However, with developing taste buds, your baby is possibly trying to taste the amniotic fluid.
Baby's size
If you are at a vegetable market, pick up a really big cucumber. That's how big your baby is right now. Your little one is about 2 and a quarter pounds and stands at an amazing 15 inches, more or less. It is steadily gaining both height and weight and will be nice and bonny by the time you hit the last week of your pregnancy.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Strange tingling in the legs (Sciatica): There is a nerve called the Sciatic nerve that resides in the lower portion of your backbone. As you enter the third trimester, your baby also gets into the birthing position and its head may end up resting on this particular nerve. Also, your really big uterus creates a lot of pressure on the lower part of your spine giving you a sharp pain. This shooting pain can turn into a tingling sensation or numbness that begins at the buttocks or hips and spreads to your legs. This painful condition is known as sciatica.
Lumpy breasts: Do you feel the presence of small lumps in your breasts? Your body at this stage is rapidly preparing the mammary glands for milk secretion. Hence the development of lumps in your breasts is quite common. However, it is best to get them checked by your practitioner to avoid the chances of anything unusual.
Dizziness: Remember the lightheadedness you felt during the first couple of weeks of your pregnancy? You may have a similar feeling of dizziness during your third trimester. With your uterus putting pressure on your blood vessels, the blood flow decreases in your body and hence your brain may sometimes not receive enough oxygen. This results in dizziness and therefore you should keep yourself hydrated at all times to prevent fainting or blackouts.
Skin pigmentation: If you notice a grayish or bluish hue on certain areas of your skin, it can be due to hyperpigmentation. You may also notice the appearance of moles and freckles across your body, especially in the facial zone. These are all cause due to the pregnancy hormones in your body. Most dark patches fade once your pregnancy term is over and you have given birth. But in the case of persistent pigmentation, you may have to consult a dermatologist.
Health Tips
- Check your Rh status: If your baby and you have different rhesus or Rh in your blood, you need special attention. If you are negative and your baby is positive, it is essential for you to take a Rh-immune globulin, a vaccine-like injection. Ask your doctor for RhoGAM. This injection will not let antibodies develop in your baby's blood to combat your negative Rh.
- Get high on iron: Does this tip sound similar to the first-trimester health tips? It is a fact that by the third trimester your baby will absorb most of its iron from your body. This particular nutrient is essential for its sustenance and blood formation. Therefore, you need to boost your iron intake. In addition to the iron supplements prescribed by your health care practitioner, you also need to have an iron rich diet that includes beans, spinach, chicken, tofu etc.
- Indulge in a couple's getaway: If you are feeling stressed out with all the discomforts of pregnancy such as fatigue, dizziness, and pain, why not pamper yourself with a weekend retreat with your partner. Share some quality time together to keep the stress at bay and express your concerns and anxieties about the future that will change with the arrival of the newest member of your family. A cozy babymoon can work wonders for your mood. Tell your partner that a happy mommy means a happy baby and therefore you deserve a couple's getaway soon before you can hardly waddle with your huge belly.
Image Source: 1, 2
