We continue on this exciting journey of pregnancy week by week, and it is the turn of the 28th week of pregnancy, which begins the third and last trimester, the final stretch of pregnancy.
The seventh month of pregnancy begins, and in this month's medical check-up they will control the mother's weight and blood pressure, the height of the uterus, the heartbeat of the fetus, its position and its size and any symptoms that the mother have.
In addition, urine tests can be performed to detect sugar and albumin, a glucose test if they have not been done before, and blood tests to detect possible anemia. However, there may be variations depending on the needs of the mother and the protocols followed by the doctor or the hospital.
The baby in the 28th week of pregnancy
During this third trimester, the baby continues to grow and gain weight at an accelerated rate, although at the end of pregnancy this growth slows down.
The baby already measures about 26 centimeters from the crown to the buttocks (about 36 centimeters in total) and weighs about 1100 grams. He would already have high chances of surviving in case of premature delivery (95% of premature babies born after week 28 survive), although his lungs that begin to function are not yet prepared to breathe air and the regulation of their body temperature would be deficient.
The folds and fissures of a developed brain are in formation and the amount of their tissues increases considerably. Brain growth During this month it is spectacular, the baby feels more and more stimuli from inside and those that get dimmed from outside.
The temporary hair that covers the baby's body (lanugo) begins to peel off, although it remains on the back and shoulders. In the head hairs begin to emerge and there are already eyebrows and eyelashes. The nails have grown and almost reach the tips of the fingers and toes.
The mother in the 28th week of pregnancy
In this week the uterus reaches approximately 28 centimeters from the top of the pubic bone (about 8 centimeters above the navel). It continues to gain weight and fatigue begins to be more evident, so do not neglect physical exercise and rest.
It is also necessary to continue taking vitamin supplements, calcium for bone development, omega-3 for the brain ... and take care of food. Maybe at this point the stomach does not accept too much food, so the portions will be reduced especially before going to sleep, while still making healthy and complete meals.
The discomforts that we talked about in the 26th week of pregnancy may intensify, some new ones appear, or hopefully disappear.
The most common at this point are benign edema or swelling of the feet and ankles due to an excessive accumulation of fluid in the tissues. 75% of women experience this swelling at some time during pregnancy. Remember to stay well hydrated and maintain circulation by practicing exercise such as walking.
Sciatica is also common at this point: rest and heat application, as well as the practice of exercise such as swimming, can be used to mitigate pain.
The movements of the baby in the belly
As we have been saying for several weeks, fetal activity is more intense and more frequent, the baby shows more and more strength in his kicks, clearly visible by the mother and even with a movement visible sometimes from the outside with bulges and movements of the belly.
There is recent research that suggests that from the 28th week of pregnancy it is convenient for mothers to check fetal movements a couple of times each day, for about ten minutes on each occasion (or until ten movements are counted).
At this point in pregnancy, this activity can be more relaxing than checking the health status of the fetus (which is not bad, since we need a lot of rest), but with the passing of the weeks the second function is acquiring more importance.
In this way, in the morning and in the afternoon or evening, kicks, rocking, shaking, ripples are controlled ... and the mother gets an idea of the pattern of her baby that, yes, will descend in the last weeks of pregnancy because the fetus has less space to move. During these weeks we will probably write about ten movements in ten minutes.
Although every woman is a world, in general this is what you can expect from the 28th week of pregnancy. We hope you continue to accompany us on our journey through pregnancy week by week. We will return shortly with all the details about the 29th week of pregnancy.
Next week: pregnancy week 29
Photos | iStockphoto and molly_darling on Flickr-CC
In Babies and more | Pregnancy week by week, Pregnancy month by month: seventh month, Pregnancy calendar: from week 25 to week 28
