28 Weeks Pregnant


Welcome to the very beginning of your third trimester! Your entire pregnancy journey is divided into three chunks called trimesters. And you have made it through the first and second round, you have now reached the final trimester.

Over the next few weeks, you will start feeling a bit more uncomfortable and out of energy, but keep your eyes on the prize and your mind off the time, before you know it you will have a beautiful baby in your arms and all of the uncomfortable symptoms will gradually disappear.

Your little baby is now able to blink, his eyes were completely shut up until now. He can now open and close his eyes with some beautiful fluttering eyelashes. Not only that he can blink now, but he is also able to dream! He is now experiencing REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, this means that it’s possible your baby is dreaming. 

Your baby is now able to make faces and even stick out his tongue, no one knows why they do that at this stage, but it’s possible he is trying to taste the amniotic fluid. 

Changes Happening in Your Body by Your 28th Week

You are now at the very beginning of your third trimester, within the next few weeks you will start feeling less comfortable as your baby is growing bigger and bigger and so does your uterus, you are having less and less free space in there and due to this rapid growth, this entire extra weight rests on your sciatic nerve in the lower part of your spine. 

When this happens, you start feeling a shooting pain, tingling, or even numbness in that area starting with the buttocks and radiating down to the back of your legs. This is a common symptom pregnant women experience during their third trimester due to the baby changing positions as he settles into his final birth position. 

You can decrease the impact of sciatica pain by using a heating pad, doing some stretches, or even having a warm relaxing tub.

You might be experiencing some skin irritation. As you go through your third trimester, your skin becomes more sensitive than they were before as some parts of your body react due to dryness.

Other women experience skin irritation due to external products even if it was the same product they have used for years before.

Your pregnancy hormones are making you more sensitive to things you were never affected by, such as sunlight, certain foods, heat, detergents and chlorine. 

You can decrease the itchiness and the skin discomfort by rubbing a dab of calamine lotion on the affected areas. If the irritation lasts longer than a couple of days then you should consult your doctor. Try avoiding products with plenty of fragrance, additives or dyes as they can make it worse. 

Symptoms of the 28th Week of Pregnancy

As you have now started your third trimester, you will be experiencing some different symptoms such as indigestion or nosebleeds.

Your 28th week of pregnancy symptoms might include:

  • Sleeping problems
  • Snoring
  • Backache
  • Headaches
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Random pain around muscles
  • Dizziness
  • Tiredness 
  • Sore breasts
  • Leg cramps
  • Stretch marks
  • Thicker hair
  • Swollen gums
  • Urine infection 
  • Bloating or constipation
  • Spotty skin
  • Feeling too warm
  • Greasier skin
  • Piles
  • Vaginal infection
  • Thicker hair

Your Baby’s 28th Week Development

Photo by Tommy’s

Your baby has been growing so nicely and soon he will be out to meet the new world. Right now your baby is about 37.7cm in length and weighs about 1kg. He is now about the same size of a big sugar bag. 

Your baby’s heart rate is continuously changing. Back in week five or six when you heard it for the first time, it was about 110 beats per minute, then it increased to 170 beats when your baby was about nine or ten weeks. The rate then slowed down to 140 beats and it will keep on going down till it reaches 130 beats by the time for birth. 

Your baby’s heart rate is way faster than yours, which would be around 80 to 85 beats per minute. One of the main reasons this happens is because babies’ hearts are much smaller than ours and they can’t pump much blood, but they make this up by going faster.

Their fast heart rate helps keep them warm. You can hear their heartbeat by using a stethoscope. You can have your partner listen to the heartbeat by putting his ear to your bump, it might be tricky to find the right spot but rewarding once you hear that tiny beat.

This Week’s Tips

Know Your Rh Status

If you do not know your Rh status, you need to find out around this week. If your Rh status is negative and your baby is positive, then you will need to take an injection of Rh-immune globulin, also known as RhGAM. Knowing the Rh status earlier helps to prevent any complications. 

Monitor Your Breast Changes

Throughout your pregnancy and all the way through your third trimester, you might find an occasional breast lump, it might be scary to find all of a sudden, but no need to worry as it is very unlikely to have breast cancer while you are expecting especially if you are under 35.

Many changes are happening to your breasts during the entire pregnancy period and it is normal to feel more lumpy or to feel heavier than you are used to. 

Tender lumps are quite common during the third trimester but they shouldn’t be ignored if they felt too painful or too swollen. Make sure to contact your doctor to do the required checks to make sure you are on the right track. 

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