The weeks so far would have brought in a lot of changes. Starting from experiencing sleepless nights to having to frequently urinate, the change is a lot to understand, but the best part is actually to sit down and understand what happens to you when you are 28 weeks pregnant. Once you know this, it will be easier for you to grapple with the changes the body begins to show.
At first, it all begins as an irregular shape of flesh without a heart or even a heartbeat for that matter. The early days of pregnancy are generally regarded as the toughest, especially for a first try at motherhood. The following months see you easily slipping into your new shoes as you slowly get the hang of the matter.
Table of Content:
- What to Expect || Symptoms || Baby Development || Belly ||
- Baby Position || Activities || Diet || Exercises ||Baby Movement ||
- How To Overcome Stress || Medical Treatments and Checkup ||
- Tips and Precautions || Checklist || Risks ||
28 Weeks Pregnant, What to Expect:
Emotions are haphazardly strewn all around you. From a sudden fit of happiness, the world might seem gloomy when you know you can no more tag along with your friends for a girl’s night out. The next moment you think about the responsibility you are carrying inside you. The new flesh you are about to give life to. Such is the charisma of pregnancy this week.
See More: 27 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms
28 Weeks Pregnant is How Many Months?
You are now entering the third trimester. You are six months into your months and you have about 12 more weeks for delivery. This means, it is best you start mentally digesting the fact that you will go through a lot.
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28 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms:
Here is the mother’s update this week.
1. Mask of Pregnancy:
With your pregnancy rolling into the 28th week, for some, there might be a warm glow of motherhood and for the others, there will be lots of acne on the face and the back followed by soft brown splotches on the skin or maybe bad dry hair. The formation of stretch marks in special places like the hips or breasts or more certainly in the abdominal region will be eminent. This is usually called the mask of pregnancy. The best to do is to rough it out and bear with it. If things get out of hand, do make sure to talk to your doctor about your growing discomfort. The mask can be soothed by using face masks as the doctor advises.
2. Fatigue:
Your baby now weighs a good 2 pounds which is probably why your baby bump has gained more weight than before making you a bit messy and shuffling on your feet. At around this time, slight dizziness along with enormous exhaustion is expected. Be careful not to stand up or climb stairs while you feel dizzy. Along with fatigue, a strong sense of breathlessness affects you as well. To overcome the problem, most of what you need is rest and water of course. Limit your stress level, and that will go a long way in making you feel more energetic.
3. Stretch Marks:
In the 29th week, the weight around the stomach increases more than normal, which leads in stretching of the elastic muscle under the skin leading to stretch marks. These stretch marks are not harmful. Signs of stretch marks, itching can be noticed around the area, usually, in the stomach, breast region where the growth of the body part is more. The original skin can be regained after pregnancy if proper diet is maintained.
4. Braxton Hicks Contractions:
This is an intermittent uterine contraction that occurs in pregnancy. This type of contraction is not usually felt during the early stages. The good part of it is these are painful and does not cause any side effects. During the third trimester, this type of contraction is felt more. Some women may think it is true labour. Tightening and relaxing of the uterus groin area is generally experienced and usually don’t cause pain. When this discomfort occurs, follow these steps: Drink water to reduce dehydration, change in position or activity, breathing exercise which helps to cope with the discomfort.
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28 Weeks Pregnant Baby Development:
Usually, the 9 months of pregnancy is summed up in 40 weeks due to the frequent doctor visits and monitoring of the baby. This is why these 40 weeks are further divided into three trimesters. The first trimester showcases the formation of the baby and the second and third trimester is responsible for the development of the baby with the passage of time. The closer you edge to your final day the more development rate speeds up.
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28 Weeks Pregnant Belly:
A 28-week pregnant belly will experience some pain from the pressure exerted on your ribs and on the upper stomach. You might start to feel that your ribs are stretching from inside out, but this doesn’t happen. The best way to slowly feel easy is to eat a smaller portion of meals frequently. This way, the fullness will not give you discomfort.
28 weeks pregnant baby size is that of a coconut, weighing roughly about 2-1/4 pounds. The total measured from head to toe will be 38cms.
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28 Weeks Pregnant Baby Position:
Your baby is also prepping up for the D-day as much as you are. He/she is now diagonal and the head is probably facing the left thigh and face must be facing your buttocks. This position is known as the right occiput anterior.
What About The Other Changes?
1. Sight:
At the earlier stages you baby is not fully aware of the usage of his/her eyes, but with the passage of time, the baby slowly opens eyes to the new world inside the mother’s stomach. The iris develops a bit later, but by the 28th week, there is a significant change in her eyes. She has now developed sensitivity in her eyes and can blink properly. One says if during ultrasound your flashlight to the mother’s belly you can see your baby squinting or looking away from the light.
See More: 29 Week Pregnancy Care
2. Familiarity:
During the earlier weeks inside the cozy nesting area, the baby has developed a sense of hearing or words and sentences, music and voices. Now starting this week the doctor’s say the baby will be able to recognize the familiarity of the sound. Maybe favourite music will do the trick if the baby is getting bored inside the stomach. Your child now can hear and recognize familiar voices and can judge surroundings based on past experiences.
3. Dream Come True:
All this time you were dreaming about how your little one will look, who will he resemble, exactly how small his hands will be against yours and a whole lot of many other dreams. In this week you will notice that your child too is now developing the capability to dream. Often during an ultrasound, the doctors say that if you are lucky you can catch your child dreaming in his sleep maybe making facial gestures like smiling.
4. Proper Breathing:
With the passing days, your baby’s heartbeat is growing stronger and stronger. From a faint throb to a strong beat, now your child is focusing on his air sacs or lungs. There are various vessels that form the interior of the lungs where we use the oxygenated blood to channel through these vessels before travelling to the required spaces. Even though he is not yet breathing in the fresh oxygen, the oxygen from the mother’s blood is now channelizing itself to the newly-formed vessels this week. Once he is exposed to outside air, the oxygen will fill his lungs and continue on its due course through the vessels.
5. Surfactant:
Often there is a substance that separates the two lung sacs from sticking together. This surfactant is now developing in the baby this week.
6. Reproductive System:
Reproductive system development starts during the fifth week with the formation of a gonadal ridge. Male fetus’ testicles drop into the scrotum and with female fetus’ clitoris is relatively prominent. When Y chromosome fertilizes the egg then it’s a male, and when its X chromosome fertilizes the egg then it’s a female.
7. Kidneys:
Development of kidneys or nephron genesis. The nephric structure develops in steps: Pronephrons, mesonephros and metanephros. Kidney helps in the maintenance of a stable environment with cellular and tissue metabolic activity.
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28th Week Activities:
For the 28th week, you are well ahead into the third trimester now. This week activities might make it seem like everything is in place. You might feel more tired of course, but that is about natural. A few things however that need to be monitored are blood sugar level and haemoglobin percentage. Aside from that, the constant change in weight and pressure in your case should be kept in check throughout. Now that your baby is growing, his heartbeat and your overall health will be checked as well. You have nothing to worry your symptoms, as long as all seems well.
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Diet and Exercise for the 28thWeek:
28 Week Pregnancy Diet:
1. Folate-rich Foods:
Much like the first few weeks, the last few are crucial for your baby’s blood cell development and iron supplements all by itself will not be enough. Try to consume food like eggs, bananas, spinach, and papaya.
2. Water:
Water is an important source of getting our body hydrated and for pregnant women, it is very important since they need to balance the water content in the body. Fruits like watermelon, Citrus fruits or through soups water can be taken. One thought is that “dehydration can promote the release of anti-diuretic hormone from the kidney to preserve water excretion, which in turn promotes oxytocin, leading to premature contractions.
3. Smoothies:
Your food cravings must have died down by now, but the health benefits of smoothies have not. Every time the same old fruits can be turned to smoothies, your baby might be in for a surprise. You never know if he might kick to let you know his approval.
4. Fibre:
Fibre-rich food helps in prevention of glucose intolerance, a condition which leads to gestational diabetics and proper bowel movement for the mother. Consumption of whole wheat bread, whole grain biscuits, Quinoa which has got less glycemic index when compared to rice, wheat bread which has got high GI value, which increases the sugar level.Fibre-rich nuts like almonds, walnut which can be eaten as a snack than popcorn or rice products
5. Salads:
It makes our stomach full easily due to high fibre content . Salads can be green salads, fruit salad, bean and grain salad,Meat and seafood salad. We can use chickpeas or soya beans along with vegetables. One important thing to be considered before consuming the salad is hygiene. All the vegetables and fruits need to be washed well as dirt can also be fatal for the fetus.
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28 Week Pregnant Exercises:
1. Yoga:
You need to keep your cool and enhance your endurance power at this stage and yoga and meditation works wonders for the same.
2. Sleeping:
Regular 8 hours of sleep is mandatory for any person and the same goes for pregnant ladies too. Undisturbed sleep is very important for the mother as well for the fetus. Sleeping posture plays an important role and lying down straight needs to be avoided, since the whole weight of the uterus is put on the spine, back muscles and arteries. This will lead to a decrease in blood supply to the body and for the baby. Recommended posture is lying on one side with knees bent and pillows can be used as support.
3. Cycling:
It is either cycling or swimming now. The 28th week is here, and that brings an extra urge to stay in shape. Roads might not be as safe as it was before, but swimming can be a preference as well.
Stomach Adjustment:As days count during pregnancy, the stomach increases in size.Proper clothing helps in less pressure on the stomach.
4.Squat:
The final movement for the body is squatting as this helps in relaxation of the pelvic muscles and the pelvic bone also gets strengthened. Relaxed sitting posture should be followed and the intermittent break between exercises.
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Sex During Pregnancy in 28thWeek:
Probably not the best week to give life to your sexual activity at this stage, with everything on your plate, but safe intercourse can be carried out only with the gynaecologist’s advice.
28 Week Pregnant Baby Movement:
So, what do you think your ultrasound will now reveal? Your baby is a big baby now. Sleeping positions are particularly difficult because of the size of the belly. However, if your partner were to place his head on your stomach, he would be able to hear the breathing very clearly.
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How To Overcome Stress During Pregnancy:
- Go out for shopping and try to bring a change in your mood with positivity. This week, you are another step closer to motherhood, and this tip will hold its place for the next few months to come.
- Now is the time to decide on names for your kid, and not to stress over these responsibilities.
- Spending time with your loved ones is very important, by which the fetus also gets good vibes needed for the development.
- Exercise well, since it might improve your mood. You can indulge in yoga and meditation as well, if your stress is severe.
- Getting enrolled in knitting classes, and learning to stitch lovely clothes for the baby. This feeling of enjoyment makes the stress factor go down.
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Medical Treatments and Checkup:
Monthly checkups and consultations are important to monitor the fetus growth and development. Periodic blood tests for sugar and thyroid should be done.
- Soreness– Acetaminophen. Don’t indulge in ibuprofen and naproxen.
- Allergy- Antihistamines and Loratadine. Shun use of pseudoephedrine and decongestants like phenylephrine.
- Cough- Dextromethorphan.
- Constipation- Metamucil. Avoid mineral oil.
- Heartburn- Antacids.
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Tips and Precautions:
- Watch each step while walking, to prevent any kind of accident and driving can be avoided since it may lead to stress.
- Interactions with medicines can be harmful in your situation. Do not forget to consult your doctor before intake of any drugs.
- Avoid any radiation exposure
- Recommended not to use any scented perfumes or creams.
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Checklist at 28 Week Old Pregnancy:
- Understand what postpartum recovery is.
- It is time you schedule your maternity leave.
- Sort out the maid issues and find someone who will be there to take care of.
What Are The Risks to Face?
The biggest risk is postpartum recovery. Talk to people you feel comfortable with, and your pregnancy will end soon and this can be slightly overwhelming. All of this can lead to unnecessary tension and anxiety.
See More: 30 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms
This period needs most of your time. Remember to take good rest and ample water. Keep yourself busy with some reading or doing things you like to do. This way you will be stress-free and also be less anxious about what will happen to you. Take care!
