29th week of pregnancy: how the fetus develops and what happens in the body

There is only one week left before maternity leave, which means it’s time to start preparing for it: draw up various documents and have time to finish the things you started earlier. But try not to be zealous and not work too hard, so as not to weaken your health. The main thing now is to overcome laziness, fatigue and gather strength to make it through the last working week. 

29 weeks of pregnancy - what happens to the baby

Despite the fact that there are still about 2.5-3 weeks before the birth itself, the baby is taking active measures to prepare for this significant event.  He has developed immunity and heat regulation, the baby’s blood already has its own stable composition, and the bone marrow perfectly performs its main tasks. The digestive system is ready to start and can already digest incoming food. The kidneys, which pass through about two glasses of amniotic fluid every day, do not lag behind the general development. The mucus plugs have been removed from the nasal passages, so now amniotic fluid enters the baby’s body not only through the mouth, but through the nose.

Now it’s hard to believe it, but the baby can already taste and smell, distinguish between light and sounds, he fully feels the mood and general state of the mother, and can focus his gaze on one thing.

Outwardly, the little one is already beginning to resemble a newborn baby: his skin brightens and evens out, the lanugo gradually begins to disappear, and the amount of lubrication is minimized. There is more subcutaneous fat and the closer to the date of birth, the more cute folds form on the baby’s body. The cheeks gradually become rounder along with other parts of the body. Since the genital organs have formed quite well, an ultrasound session can accurately determine the sex of the baby.

Every day the child’s body begins to function better and better, turning into a harmonious, well-functioning system. Now the baby is growing more rapidly and is also gaining weight. Its height is about 38 cm, and its weight reaches 1.2 kg. Ligaments and muscles continue to improve and strengthen, which is felt by the force of the shocks.

Considering that there is much less room for somersaults, every turn from head to toe and vice versa will be clearly felt by mommy.

29th week of pregnancy - what happens to mom

It’s good if by this time you have already started attending special courses for expectant mothers. They teach all the necessary skills that will be useful not only after childbirth, but also at the very moment of its onset. Proper breathing and the ability to control your body will come in handy.

Nowadays, a large belly is becoming especially uncomfortable, which interferes not only with normal active movement, but also with breathing and lying down. All this together leads to fatigue and is very exhausting. It is possible that cramps occur, which more often occur in the legs, due to the constantly increasing load. Many mothers note other “symptoms” of the third trimester, which include:

• increased appetite;
• frequent urge to go to the toilet;
• an increase in the size of the nipples, discharge from the breast (colostrum);
• increased activity of the baby, which often becomes painful;
• Some women experience urinary incontinence during periods of coughing, laughing or sneezing.

Under the growing uterus, other organs begin to collapse more and more, which leads to digestive problems and the appearance of heartburn. Absent-mindedness and irritability may return. If you have urinary incontinence, there is no need to panic; this is a completely natural process, since the uterus puts pressure on the bladder. But this cannot be ignored either. Since this also indicates weakness of the vaginal muscles. Special people will come to the rescue Kegel exercises. Some courses for expectant mothers practice similar activities, but they can also be done at home, on your own. Trained muscles “there” will significantly facilitate childbirth, minimize, or even prevent ruptures and help to recover faster after childbirth. However, it is important to know that such exercises can affect uterine contractions, so before starting, you should definitely consult a doctor so as not to inadvertently cause premature labor.

Back pain, disturbances in respiratory function and digestion, of course, if everything is within reason, are considered completely natural and go away immediately after childbirth. Now the volume of blood in the body of the expectant mother is seriously increasing, which under normal conditions would threaten a stroke or heart attack. But being in a “position” the body protects itself on its own, simply by lowering blood pressure a little. In this regard, veins may appear on the legs and arms, which show an increased amount of blood, which is also normal.

You need to pay more attention to your diet and fill it with foods that contain a sufficient amount of iron. Since this and the following week there is a high risk of diagnosis anemia. Pain in the abdomen and back can also be explained by training contractions, which, unlike real ones, are chaotic.

To minimize the manifestation of “symptoms”, be more attentive and caring to yourself, do not overload yourself either at work or at home. Try to rest more often and go out into the fresh air. Try to delegate household chores to your loved ones.

29th week of pregnancy: video