Community28 Weeks Pregnant
Your Pregnancy Week by Week
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Your Baby at 28 Weeks
Size: 14.80 inches (37.6cm) - crown to heelWeight: 2.22 pounds (1005 grams)
Now packing around 2 to 3 pounds of body fat, your baby is the size of a Chinese cabbage and is beginning to plump up and take on the appearance of the newborn you have pictured. Covered in a fine, downy hair known as lanugo, your baby is warm and happy in his or her watery home. This week, your baby will see the light as the once-fused eyelids open to reveal a fully-formed eye. The eyebrows and eyelids are very well formed.
Though still extremely premature, babies born during this week have the potential to survive with intensive care that could last weeks or even months. Your baby is continuing to practice his or her breathing movements, strengthening their muscles by kicking, rolling and stretching and getting ready for their life outside. Scores of developing neurons in the brain are sending signals - giving your baby a heighted sense of awareness and processing ability than ever before.
Mom at 28 Weeks Pregnant
While this week is not ideal for your baby's delivery, keep in
mind that anything can happen. He or she would be very small if born right now, but your baby's chances
of survival could still be positive with intensive care.Doctor visits should be every two weeks now, as they continue to monitor both yours and your baby's progress.
If you have a negative blood type, you will receive a Rho-gam injection this week to help prevent your body from creating antibodies that might endanger your pregnancy.
If your doctor has not already completed a glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes, you may expect to have that completed during your 28th week. This test may be conducted in a variety of ways, which include either a finger stick or a complete blood draw from your arm after you drink a highly concentrated, sugary liquid. If your test is abnormal for any reason, your physician may order an additional screening of the same type before diagnosing you with gestational diabetes. Remember not to eat or drink anything on the morning of your test.
Thanks to the increasing weight of your uterus on the blood vessels of your lower extremities, you may be struggling with hemorrhoids, varicose veins and leg cramps. If any of these are interrupting your day (or your night), talk with your doctor about options to relieve your discomfort.
Your expanding uterus is now pressing up against the diaphragm or the muscle that helps you breathe, and many women experience shortness of breath because of this. If you find yourself huffing and puffing, take more breaks and pace yourself.
Weight Gain:
Your weight gain should be between 17 and 24 pounds overall, and these final months usually bring on an overall weight gain of about 11 pounds or so. There are many women who are far below, or far above this average and research has proven that women who gain too little weight are more likely to deliver a low birth weight or preterm baby. Women who gain too much weight may struggle with the prolonged or difficult labor.
Tips/Advice:
Start your search. This may be a good week to begin considering a pediatrician for your baby. If you anticipate that your baby may have any special needs such as a genetic or birth defect, it would be especially important for you to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician before your baby's delivery to talk about any special needs or care that may be required. Make sure to ask if the pediatrician you select has privileges to care for your baby in the hospital you will be delivering in. If not, realize that another physician will care for your baby in the hospital and you can pick up care with the provider of your choice after discharge.
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