Week 28

Your Baby
Last week, your baby opened his eyes for the first time in four months, and he began to see light and shadows. This week, if you shine a bright light against your abdomen, he may open his eyes and turn away from the light, as if to say, "Hey Mum, shut that off-I'm trying to sleep in here."
Loud and clear. Your little one's sight isn't the only sense that's working. His brain wave patterns indicate that he's responding to sounds in the environment. What's he able to pick up? The sound of your voice, the growl of your stomach when you're hungry, even noises outside your body. His brain waves are also starting to show differences during sleep. These sleep cycles will become clearer and more distinct as he gets closer to his due date.
Breathe easy. This is a vital stage in your baby's lung development. Blood vessels are forming throughout both lungs. When he takes his first breath of air, his lungs will absorb the oxygen, and then send it into these vessels, which will circulate the oxygenated blood throughout his body. Your little one is also just starting to manufacture a substance, called a surfactant, which keeps the air sacs in his lungs from sticking together. The surfactant will allow him to breathe properly after birth. The bronchial tubes are also maturing, dividing into smaller and smaller branches.
Measuring up. Your baby is gaining weight rapidly now-he may weigh nearly 1 kg (2.2 pounds) now. Crown to rump, he measures 25 cm (about 10 inches) , but if you were to stretch him out he might be nearly 40 cm (about 16 inches) long.

Topsy Turvy
This sonogram's crosswise view of the baby's body shows everything intact and in working order. The heart (1) is beating regularly. The stomach (2) is processing amniotic fluid. The abdominal wall (4), the white area at the top of the picture, has come together and the backbone (3) has developed correctly. The baby is bottom down (breech) at this time, so she has some rolling and turning to do before her birth day.


Your Pregnancy
Rh follow-up. If preliminary blood tests showed that you're Rh negative, you may be given an injection of "anti-D" this week, just in case your baby is Rh positive. This will keep your body from producing antibodies to any of your baby's blood cells that may have crept into your circulation. Your baby will be tested right after birth; if she is indeed positive, you'll be given another injection of "anti-D" at that time to protect future pregnancies.

The mark of pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses, stretch marks may appear on your skin, especially on your abdomen. You may also see these pink, red, or white streaks on your hips, breasts, buttocks, or thighs. Many creams and lotions on the market claim to prevent stretch marks or to keep them from spreading. Whether they work is open to question. Most experts agree that there's not much you can do to avoid getting stretch marks. Chalk it up to genetics-if your mother got them, you probably will too. Still, applying creams to your belly certainly won't hurt, and it may keep your skin from getting dry and itchy. The good news is that stretch marks usually fade after birth.

Double up the checkups. When you reach 28 weeks, most midwives will want to start seeing you every two weeks instead of just once a month. Among other things, they will be on the lookout for signs of infection, preterm labour, or pre-eclampsia, a complication of pregnancy.

From the experts. You've probably been nausea-free for some time, but now you may face two different tummy-related annoyances, heartburn and indigestion. Why now? "During pregnancy, the entire gastrointestinal system slows down," explains Dr. Margaret Comerford Freda, "As a result, the muscles of the stomach and gullet relax, allowing digestive acids to enter your gullet and mouth." To find out how to cope with heartburn and indigestion, read more from Dr. Freda and Dr. Thornton


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