- 28th week of pregnancy - what happens in week 28
- How your baby develops
- How you feel in the 28th week of pregnancy
- 28th week of pregnancy - symptoms and complaints
- What you should look out for in week 28 of pregnancy
What happens in week 28 of pregnancy
The 28th week of pregnancy - you have now reached the last week of the 7th month of pregnancy. This also marks the end of the 2nd trimester. You can find out everything you can expect in the 3rd trimester in our Online workshop. It is now only around 12 weeks until you will be holding your little treasure in your arms. Would you like to optimally prepare for the upcoming birth? In our Online birth preparation course midwife Katharina offers you lots of tips and advice for this unique moment in your life.
Are you worried that your baby might be born prematurely? We'll show you how high the chances of survival are for a premature birth in week 28. You will also find helpful ideas for better sleep despite your baby bump. You may receive an injection for rhesus prophylaxis in this week of pregnancy. We also explain what this is all about and how you can recognise an iron deficiency in this part of our pregnancy calendar.
How your baby develops in the 28th week of pregnancy
In week 28, your little miracle is around 36 centimetres long and weighs around 1100 grams. Brain development is progressing rapidly. Many furrows in the brain have already developed in this week of pregnancy. The diameter of the baby's head is around 7.5 centimetres. Many babies are already lying head down in the womb in week 28 of pregnancy. If this is not yet the case for you, don't worry. Your little treasure still has enough time to turn spontaneously.
SSW 28: Open your eyes!
Your tummy dweller can now consciously open and close its eyes. He has closed his eyes when sleeping and opened them when awake. Your baby can blink and make faces. The iris is also already developed. However, the child cannot yet see clearly. Even after birth, newborns still have somewhat blurred vision. They can only recognise their surroundings clearly at a distance of 20 centimetres. For this reason, parents approach their baby's face instinctively.
While floating in its amniotic sac, your baby perceives glimmers of light through the abdominal wall. It is able to distinguish between light and dark and loves contrasts and faces.
Are you wondering what colour eyes your baby will be born with? Light-skinned babies are usually born with blue eyes. This is because the pigmentation is still incomplete. It can take up to a year for the final eye colour to develop.
SSW 28: Lung maturation and chances of survival
During this phase of pregnancy, the foetus's lungs continue to mature. More and more blood vessels form and the bronchial system becomes increasingly branched. In addition, the baby's body now produces surfactant. This substance is extremely important for breathing after birth. Surfactant prevents the alveoli from collapsing when your baby has to breathe on its own.
If a premature birth is expected during this stage of pregnancy, the doctors will give you special medication to mature your lungs. This greatly improves a premature baby's chances of development. According to a Swedish study, the chances of survival for a premature birth in week 28 are 96 %. That's reassuring, isn't it? Nevertheless, attempts are of course made to maintain the pregnancy for as long as possible. After all, there is no safer place for an unborn child than in its mum's womb.
Practical help for you:
Emergency service midwife Katharina explains the most important things about the maternity pass online.
SSW 28: Maternal antibodies
Something else happens during this phase of pregnancy that prepares your child for life outside the womb: From around the 20th week of pregnancy, maternal antibodies are transferred to the baby via the placenta. This antibody concentration increases with each week of pregnancy. This strengthens the baby's immune system. This so-called nest protection protects your little one from infections in the first few months of life. This is why vaccination against whooping cough is recommended at the beginning of the third trimester. If your immune protection against this disease is increased by the vaccination at this time, your baby will have intensive nest protection for the first few weeks of its life.
How you feel in the 28th week of pregnancy
The upper edge of your uterus is now four fingers wide above your belly button. The uterus not only increases in size with each week, it also changes on the inside. In the upper part, the walls become thicker, making it slightly narrower. In the lower part, on the other hand, the uterus becomes thinner and stretches out. This makes it easier for your baby to assume the perfect birth position with its head down.
Your belly will become rounder and rounder and you can literally watch it grow. When comparing yourself with other women, you will realise that every belly looks different. The shape of the baby bump depends on various factors, such as body size, pelvic shape, connective tissue and the curvature of the spine. A noticeably large belly can also be an indication of too much amniotic fluid. If you are concerned about the size of your belly, contact the Pregnancy care to your midwife or gynaecologist.
28th week of pregnancy - symptoms and complaints
Sleep problems
We all know it: after the baby is born, sleeping through the night and restful nights are a thing of the past. But many mums-to-be are already plagued by sleep disorders during pregnancy. The growing belly makes it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position. In addition, the baby often does its gymnastics just when mum is lying down to rest. Night-time calf cramps and frequent urination can also interrupt your night's sleep. If your thoughts are also revolving around the impending birth and any fears about the future, then it's easy to miss out on rest. But what can you do to improve your sleep?
- A nursing pillow works wonders. You can use it to support your tummy and back and relieve your body.
- Do you find it difficult to wind down in the evening? Have you tried a herbal tea before going to bed? A tea blend of thyme, valerian, lemon balm, hops and marjoram also helps to relieve calf cramps.
- A warm bath in the evening also provides relaxation. If you like essential oils, you can add a few drops of camomile, lavender, rose or cedar oil to the bath water.
- The breathing and relaxation exercises that you can find in the Birth preparation course you have learnt.
Iron deficiency
Do you feel tired, listless and exhausted all the time? Do you get out of breath quickly and look pale? These symptoms may indicate a Iron deficiency may be an indication of this. Other indications are an increased susceptibility to infections, loss of appetite, brittle hair and dry skin.
Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells (erythrocytes). These in turn are responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. If too few red blood cells are formed, this is known as anaemia. In most women, iron levels are somewhat low towards the end of pregnancy. After all, their blood volume has increased significantly to supply the baby.
This is often no cause for concern. However, if your Hb level is below 11 g/dl, your midwife or doctor will probably recommend an iron supplement. These tablets are best taken on an empty stomach with a little orange juice. Unfortunately, the supplements sometimes have unpleasant side effects such as constipation and stomach problems. In this case, consult your doctor or midwife. If you have a particularly severe iron deficiency, the iron can also be administered via an infusion.
If you have a low Hb value, you should pay more attention to a healthy and balanced diet. The following foods are considered rich in iron: Meat, wholegrain cereals such as oats and millet, green vegetables, nuts and pulses. Your body can best absorb iron if you also consume vitamin C, for example in the form of fruit or orange juice. Milk inhibits the absorption of iron.
What you should look out for in week 28 of pregnancy
Rhesus incompatibility
Even during the first trimester your rhesus factor was determined by means of a blood test. What is this actually? It refers to certain characteristics on the red blood cells. While there are four different blood groups (A, B, AB and 0), the rhesus factor only distinguishes between two categories: positive and negative. Rhesus-positive people have certain proteins, the D proteins, on the surface of their red blood cells. These are absent in rhesus-negative people.
Are you rhesus-positive? Then you don't need to worry about this issue any further, as it is impossible to have an incompatibility in this case. However, rhesus-negative pregnant women may have problems. But only if the unborn child is rhesus-positive.
What causes this intolerance reaction?
If this is your first baby, the risk is low, as foetal blood rarely enters the mother's bloodstream during pregnancy. However, the probability is higher during labour. If your child's blood is transferred to you, your immune system begins to produce antibodies. These aim to destroy the rhesus-positive blood cells.
As these antibodies remain in your body in the long term, this can lead to problems in another pregnancy. If you are expecting another rhesus-positive baby, the antibodies can enter the unborn child's bloodstream via the placenta and attack the red blood cells there. This leads to anaemia in the child.
How can this antibody reaction be prevented?
Around the 28th week of pregnancy, rhesus-negative women are given rhesus prophylaxis. In this anti-D treatment, the pregnant woman is injected with antibodies against rhesus-positive blood cells. This tricks the mother's body. It is tricked into believing that antibodies are already present, so it no longer needs to produce its own. In contrast to the body's own antibodies, the prophylactically administered antibodies are quickly broken down again. They therefore pose no risk to a subsequent pregnancy.
Blood test to determine the child's rhesus factor
If a rhesus-negative mother is expecting a rhesus-negative child, no incompatibility can occur. Nevertheless, until now all rhesus-negative pregnant women have received rhesus prophylaxis. However, health insurance companies have recently started to cover a blood test to determine the foetal rhesus factor. This is intended to prevent the unnecessary administration of medication. This means that you will only receive rhesus prophylaxis between the 28th and 30th week of pregnancy if you are rhesus-negative and your baby is rhesus-positive.
