Your Baby's Development: Week 29

Week 29
You are 29 weeks pregnant. Now baby's head is proportionate to the rest of her body. Your baby continues to gain weight and fat gathers under her skin. By now, the brain controls a primitive form of breathing. Her eyes are also moving inside the sockets and are able to respond to light and dark.

Your baby's adrenal glands have also started to produce the hormones including androgen and estrogen which stimulate the hormone prolactin in the mother's body. This causes her to make colostrum, a nutritious milk that feeds baby in the first few days after birth.

Feel Like a Punching Bag?
Those first few delicate flutters that you first felt way back in your pregnancy have now turned into sharp jabs and hard kicks, some powerful enough to take your breath away! Yes, baby is active now but if, for some reason, you do notice that it's been a bit quiet in there, keep count of fetal kicks. If you can't feel anything, drink some fruit juice and then lie down; this can often lead to some baby gymnastics! You should be counting about ten fetal movements each hour. If your baby starts to move less frequently, call your health care provider.

More Aches and Pains?
During the third trimester of your pregnancy, you may have itchy skin, a shortness of breath, leg cramps, indigestion and heartburn, hemorrhoids and achy muscles. Do not worry as these will soon go away. Pregnant women can also have an iron deficiency, so your health care provider may want to check your iron level by taking a blood test. If the test reveals that your iron level is found to be low, you may be prescribed an iron supplement.

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