28 weeks pregnant: doubts? All you need to know!

Welcome to the third trimester, which is 28 weeks gestation  that is known for its lack of sleep . If you find yourself in the middle of the night, do something relaxing. This is not the time to vacuum the house from top to bottom even if you feel the urge to do so at some point. (It’s called nesting. You’ve probably heard of it.) Instead, read a book, drink chamomile tea, or listen to soothing music. So go back to bed and try to get some rest!

Each week of pregnancy can be different due to the evolution of the fetus. When we are pregnant in our womb, wonderful things happen every day. 28 Weeks of Gestation is quite advanced, there is still time, but the road traveled has been immense.

How big is the baby at 28 weeks pregnant?

At 28 weeks of pregnancy  the baby is the size of an eggplant. Putting on layers of fat, your baby now measures about 14.8 centimeters from head to toe and weighs about 2.2 pounds.

28 weeks gestation is how many months?

When you reach the 28 week mark , you are six months pregnant  . This week, you are embarking on your seventh month and third trimester.

Symptoms:

As your body becomes increasingly crowded with your 28 weeks  pregnant baby and begins to prepare for its arrival, you may be noticing some new pregnancy symptoms.

1. Trouble sleeping:

As you get closer to your due date, you will likely have more and more trouble getting to sleep. It could be hormones or nerves or both! causing her inability to snooze at 28 weeks gestation .

2. Shortness of breath:

The 28-week-pregnant  baby continues to fill her lungs and diaphragm, making it harder to catch her breath. Give yourself permission not to push too hard and take breaks.

3. Pains:

The third trimester can be very uncomfortable due to hormonal fluctuations and the toll pregnancy is taking on your body. (We’re especially talking to you moms who are 28 weeks pregnant with twins !) To cope, do yoga, stretch, swim, walk and or get a prenatal massage. Try wearing a maternity support belt if you’re standing up a lot. It’s not sexy, we know, but it can relieve some of the pressure that’s making you so sore.

4. Braxton hicks contractions:

These practical 28 weeks pregnancy  contractions may be getting stronger, more noticeable, or more frequent as your body prepares for labor. Keep an eye on it and make sure the contractions are only occasional. If they are regular and keep coming closer, and don’t stop when you change positions, you may be in preterm labor and should call OB ASAP! Your breasts may already be producing your baby’s first food, a yellowish substance called colostrum. It is surprise! Some of them can actually come out before the baby!

Changes in your body:

At 28 weeks pregnant , your belly is getting bigger. At this time, your kidneys filter a liter more of blood than usual and release excess water and waste, causing you to increase your need to drink. The uterus , moreover, by putting pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor, can cause you to experience the stimulus to urinate more frequently, and perhaps it can cause you to have urinary incontinence.

If your Rh negative, most likely over the course of this week you will receive an “anti-D” injection to prevent your body from producing antibodies against the baby’s blood cells if your baby is Rh positive. As the pregnancy progresses, the growth of the uterus tends to displace the stomach and intestines. This small displacement favors the passage of gastric juices from the stomach to the esophagus. Therefore, it is very common that at this stage of 28 weeks of pregnancy , you start to experience heartburn.

It is possible that at  28 weeks pregnant  stretch marks may be showing on your belly right now. If you’ve avoided them so far, don’t be alarmed. There’s nothing you can do to stop them from graduating. Although they start out red and very noticeable, within a year or so they will turn white and not be as noticeable.

Baby development:

The 28-week-gestating fetus has completed most of its features. It weighs over a kilo and measures about 40 cm. Your nervous system is in full development and your brain has increased in volume. Brain activity can be perceived through your sleep patterns . In addition, it can be said that he is already trained to regulate his body temperature. In this sense, experts conclude that thermoregulation is already mature.

The tympanic membrane continues to grow. On the other hand, the eyes have reached their full development. While the respiratory system continues to produce surfactant. This substance is crucial when the 28 weeks gestation baby is ready to be born. When the amount of surfactant is complete, the work moment is generated.

The fetus is already starting to accumulate fat under the skin, which is why its body becomes more rounded. When it is a male, at 28 Weeks of Gestation, the testes descend into the scrotum, where they close. In addition, at 28 weeks of gestation, the production of red blood cells begins to be done by the bone marrow. Before that, the spleen was in charge. Other notable aspects of 28 Weeks of Pregnancy are as follows.

• The digestive system develops more activities;
• Start having hiccups;
• Its secretions produced by the digestive system, the kidneys and the lungs, contribute to the increase in the volume of amniotic fluid;
• There is a gas exchange due to the production of surfactant;
• Nails, hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are already starting to grow. Also, most of the light hair that grows on its body comes off; at birth it only covers the back and shoulders.

Diet for women:

Growing your baby inside you requires a lot of energy which you must supply through the placenta. For this reason, at 28 weeks of pregnancy , carbohydrates should be the mainstay of your diet, as they provide immediate energy. They are found in pasta, rice, whole grains, vegetables, potatoes and fruits, but your diet should be varied and include all three nutrient groups: carbohydrates, proteins and fats . Also, you must provide the necessary minerals and vitamins at 28 weeks of pregnancy .

Also, don’t forget to include yogurt in your 28 weeks gestation diet , as it is a great source of calcium and is generally better tolerated than milk thanks to fermentation. In yogurt , lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus bacteria remain alive and therefore yogurt protects and regulates the intestinal flora. The transformation of lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid gives yogurt its characteristic texture and flavor.

Tips:

It’s important at this  28 week pregnancy  that, at night, if you wake up, try not to think about things you have to do because keeping your mind busy causes you to go astray. We know how desperate the tingling in your legs and this desire to move can become, but you must breathe and try that this situation does not take you out of your tranquility.

From now on, with 28 weeks of pregnancy,  visits to your doctor will be more frequent, try not to go to them alone, it is recommended that your partner goes as often as possible, as they can plan from that moment what type of delivery want to have, you can also ask grandparents, uncles or friends who accompany you and thus become familiar with the baby.

You can also search from this point on to take a prenatal or birth preparation course, they are good for knowing what it will be like when your child arrives, and the experiences and advice of other parents-to-be.