"I think I am completely ready now. I still don't have the desire to come out yet, though."
28 Weeks Pregnant
The Baby Your baby has reached the magical mark of 28 weeks. The proportion of head to body is correct and if he were to be born now, he would be completely developed except for the extra fat that keeps him warm outside of the womb. That does not mean that all of his organs are working that well. It is also not very pleasant for him to have to trade in his warm nest for that scary incubator. He is still really small and vulnerable: he's just over a foot long (35 centimeters) and he weighs approximately 2 pounds (900 grams). For this reason, it's better if he stays nicely in your abdomen for now so that he can grow further.
The skeleton of your baby is changing. The cartilage is slowly ossifying into firm bones. The ossification continues until his birth. The skull bones remain the softest so that the skull can compress enough to slip gently through the pelvis and birth canal.Typically, boys will be about 2.2 to 2.6 pounds and girls will weigh between 2 and 2.4 pounds at 28 weeks gestational age.
Your child will develop more and more of an individuality and personality of his own. If this is your second or third child, perhaps you can already feel a difference from the previous pregnancies. This one might be very busy whereas the previous baby sat quietly in your abdomen. Each pregnancy and each baby is unique.
Ask your health care provider (HCP) what position your baby is in inside your uterus. It will help you visualize the baby and understand which parts of him are kicking you where. Also, it will help you to figure out which place in your abdomen is best to hear the heartbeat.At this point, most babies will still be in a breech position with their head up and butt down.96% of babies will be in the optimal birth position with their head down by the time mom goes into labor.
Mother Now that your abdomen is getting heavier, you may experience strange pains and a pulling feeling in the groin. What could that be? The first time it scares you when it pulls at the bottom of your abdomen. It can't be a contraction can it? During your first pregnancy it's hard to know what to expect. Everything is new -- how does a contraction feel? You simply decide to wait. If it doesn't happen again that day, you will be reassured; it wasn't a contraction. But during your swimming hour you feel it again. The pain recedes quickly, but nevertheless...
What you feel is ligament pain. You have to imagine that your uterus is attached to the pelvis with ligaments, like a trampoline. The ligaments, in conjunction with the lower pelvic muscles, make sure that uterus stays in place and does not drop. Normally they hold a uterus as large as a pear, but now they have to hold a bag that contains a pretty heavy pumpkin. At the end of the pregnancy, it's a bag measuring 16 inches (40 centimeters) holding between 11-14 pounds (5-6,5 kilos) of baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid inside.
The ligaments of the uterus have a lot to endure. When you're resting, you won't notice it as much but if you exercise just a bit too hard, pull and stretch when you clean the windows or walk just a bit too long - you will definitely notice that the 'suspension' gives you ahard time. The way to deal with it is to take it a bit easier and try your pelvic tilt (cat-cow) yoga stretch.It is a normal phenomenon and it is completely harmless. Many pregnant women have more difficulty during times that the baby grows a lot. The ligaments cannot keep up with the increased growth. Ligament pain has nothing to do with contractions or the onset of labor. You do not have to be scared of the discomfort because it goes away quickly. Ligament pain is experienced mostly in the first three months and in the last months of the pregnancy. As always, talk to your HCP if you have serious concerns of questions.
It may feel good and reduce your accidental peeing if you support your belly when you sneeze, cough, laugh or bend. Use your hands to push up your lower abdomen or just hold it still.
If ligament pain gives you a lot of trouble, take it easy for a little while. Don't move too much for a while, don't do heavy chores and don't walk for too long. If you need to carry something, squat and use the strength in your legs.If you can, pick up small objects from the floor with your toes, then you don't even have to squat down!
Take a relaxing warm bath or shower when you have ligament pain. A hot water bottle on the spot that hurts is also nice.Some moms experience relief from chiropractic care or a good pregnancy massage.
If your baby is continuously kicking in the same place and that spot feels sore, push your little one firmly to another spot in your abdomen.
Brother / Sister
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Mommy has back pain. She can no longer bend over easily. That means that you guys often have to help out. This makes you feel very grown up, but also a little worried - are you going to have to do extra chores forever?Daddy is also at home. You must be very quiet so that mommy can rest. You don't think it's very nice of Timmy to do this to mommy. But perhaps the baby can do nothing about it and the back pain has nothing to do with him.
In the meantime, the attic is almost ready. Luckily, because you don't like all that junk lying around in the house. Next week you can sleep in the new rooms, Daddy said. Exciting!
Do you know what else is neat? Daddy and Mommy have come up with something really special. They have made some sort of birth book on the computer from our drawings of Timmy. How cool! If the baby is here and they know what his name will be then Papa will make it for real and then everyone will get a copy of this book with our drawings. He'll make as many as a hundred and fifty and we can distribute them at school, Papa said.
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contains a pretty heavy pumpkin. At the end of the pregnancy, it's a bag measuring 16 inches (40 centimeters) holding between 11-14 pounds (5-6,5 kilos) of baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid inside.
