28 Weeks Pregnant

Your Baby's May Now Have Dreams While Asleep. Learn what's going on with you and your baby-to-be while 28 weeks pregnant.

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• Your Baby
• You
• 7th Month of Pregnancy Video
• Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

28 weeks pregnant, your baby's weight can now be compared to a Chinese cabbage- that's about two and one fourth pounds heavy.

The height now measures around 14.8 inches from head to heels. The body is now getting rounder, of which, 3% is composed of the body fats. Muscle tones are also starting to develop.

Aside from the ability to blink, your little one has now eyebrows and eyelashes and the eyes are now formed.

Hairs in the head are also starting to grow.

The brain has now billions of active neurons. This week is more on the baby's fetal brain activity. It is now possible for the baby to start dreaming during sleep. Brain wave activities can now be measured and may now show the different sleep cycles like the rapid eye movement phase - a stage indicating that a dream is taking place.

Other features added are the ability to cough and to suck intensively.

The lungs are now more developed than before. Premature babies born during this week have the capability to breathe. But of course, since the lungs are not fully developed yet, they will need medical support and devices.

Did you know that babies born in 27 weeks of pregnancy or more has a survival chance of over 90%? Isn't that fantastic?! If something would happen now, that would force you to give birth, the odds really are that your baby will survive.

Has DAD-to-be started to realise that your baby is soon a fact of life? Why not by him an excellent preparation book? This guide is funny for mom too. Check out "Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads"

You

Your uterus is now around 3 inches above your belly button.

Your weight gain during this point of time should range from 17 to 24 pounds, which is necessary for you and the development of your baby inside your womb.

You may experience longer periods of leg cramps than before.

You may also have itchy skin, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, heartburn, swelling, backaches, and indigestion. Yes, that's a lot to cope with!

But the good thing is you are almost there- a few more weeks to go and your little miracle will be out!

One dangerous complication that can occur during this period is gestational diabetes - rising of your blood sugar. So it is necessary to have your blood sugar level checked during this time.

Restless legs syndrome may be prominent at this time. It is a feeling characterized by an unpleasant sensation and an irresistible urge to move the body. It can also be described as an itching, tickling, or a burning sensation in the muscles. It is common in the lower legs but may also affect the arms and the torso. The cause for this is unknown but stretching and massaging the legs, and cutting down on caffeine can help minimize the aggravation of the symptoms.

Scatia, or what is commonly known as tingling leg pain, can start to worsen starting this week as the baby settles in a proper position. The head may rest in the sciatic nerve in your lower spine, causing you to feel tingling, numbness, and sharp and shooting pains in your lower back and buttocks, which would radiate down to the back of your legs. The pain can sometimes be intense but it will just disappear once the baby changes positions.

To manage the discomfort of the condition, you can apply a heating pad on the affected area. You can also have a warm bath, take stretches, and have a good best rest.

All these weird things happening with your body! If you want to have a good laugh about it, read this hilarious book from someone who's definately "been there, done that".

Believe it or not, it is time to start preparing for giving birth. You might think that three months is a looong time, but it can go fast, and also not all babies decide to stay all the 40 weeks.

Check out or articles about giving birth here. If you are at all considering natural childbirth, I can really recommend these online birth classes. You can also read my exclusive interview with Catherine Beier, the childbirth educator who has created these classes.

7th Month of Pregnancy Video

Instructions: When watching the video clips, start the videos by clicking the small arrow down to the left, not the large one in the middle of the screen. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser and the video doesn't start, try clicking twice on the small arrow.

Diary of a Daughter

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