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The 29th week of pregnancy heralds the 8th month of pregnancy. What a journey you've made so far, dear mum-to-be! A good time to pause for a moment and give yourself a pat on the back. Around 1.5 litres more blood is circulating in your bloodstream than before your pregnancy. As a result, your heart is pumping more blood and is under greater strain. Keep yourself and your body fit by going for long walks at your favourite pace. For some women this can be a fast walk, for others a leisurely stroll through the greenery. Anything is fine, anything is good as long as you feel comfortable doing it. Some women have become so accustomed to their pregnancy that they can hardly imagine what life was like without a pot belly. The tender movements of their own unborn child reward every pregnant woman for the possible strains such as constant bladder pressure, hormonal chaos and swollen legs. The latter can occur more frequently from the 29th week of pregnancy in particular. Whether and when water retention occurs varies from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy. You can find out more about water retention during pregnancy below. You will also receive valuable tips on what you can do to prevent this and which old wives' tales are outdated.
In the 29th week of pregnancy, your unborn child weighs around 1.2 kg and can be between 30 and 39 cm long. This means it has reached the approximate size and weight of a butternut squash. Tumbling around and doing somersaults in the womb are now a thing of the past for your child. It lies in your womb with its legs drawn up and its head tilted towards your pelvis in the so-called "foetal position". However, if it is not yet lying with its head down, it can turn into the correct birth position. The baby can turn on its own axis until the very end. After all, it has to "spiral" through your pelvis during birth. You will therefore continue to notice its little feet sometimes on the right and then again on the left under your ribcage.
Your baby's internal organs are fully developed in the last trimester of pregnancy, with a little fine-tuning here and there before the birth. The brain, lungs and muscles will continue to mature over the next few weeks.
In the 29th week of pregnancy, your baby is building up important fat reserves. Although it is not used to cold or freezing in your warm womb, it is preparing for life outside your belly. While it currently consists of around 2 - 3 % of its total weight in fat, at birth it will be around 15 - 20 %.
Your baby has already learnt to open its eyes. Now comes another milestone in its development: actively moving its head is possible from this week of pregnancy. If a ray of light hits your belly, your unborn child will look towards it. In addition, its hearing will continue to develop and it will recognise your soothing voice. A great prerequisite for making contact with the dad-to-be. When your partner talks to the little belly dweller, a first bond is formed between father and child. Some men report that it is strange at first to talk to the baby in their belly. This is completely understandable. It may help if you motivate the father to read a few articles from the newspaper to the unborn child at the beginning. The content is less relevant, the important thing is that the baby familiarises itself with the voice of its caregivers. It will then be able to recognise them after birth. Furthermore, the baby already has a memory: if you play the same melody over and over again, it will be able to recognise it after birth.
If you are expecting a boy, the testicles will move from the kidney to the scrotum during this week.
Practical help for you:
Emergency service midwife Katharina explains the most important things about the maternity pass online.
In the third trimester of pregnancy, your baby will increase in size and weight. A fact that you will probably feel clearly. Your energy requirements increase and your body builds up important reserves for the birth. In the last trimester of pregnancy, which you are currently in, pregnant women gain up to around five kilograms. Always remember: one-sided diets are absolutely taboo for a mother! Eat a healthy and balanced diet and don't be too hard on yourself. A balanced diet will strengthen your body optimally for the labour to come. An additional benefit of a healthy lifestyle: Your baby receives all the nutrients that are important for healthy development via the placenta.
The rapid growth of your baby can cause you to suffer from an old acquaintance: heartburn. If you suffer from this unpleasant pregnancy companion, try eating several small meals rather than one large one. Greasy and strongly flavoured food can increase heartburn. Chew almonds and hazelnuts carefully to help bind stomach acid and reduce the unpleasant feeling. Oatmeal is particularly effective against heartburn. Try eating one to three tablespoons of dry oatmeal. You have two positive effects at once: You're doing something about the heartburn and you have a valuable source of iron with oats. Dairy products such as yoghurt are also considered natural acid inhibitors. Fennel tea and healing clay can also help with acute heartburn. If the corrosive feeling does not subside, seek advice from your midwife or discuss the problem with your gynaecologist.
From the 29th week of pregnancy, the father-to-be can not only actively make contact with the baby in your belly, he can also hear it in your belly. If he puts his head on your belly, he can probably hear your baby's heartbeat. With the help of a cardboard roll, he can amplify the baby's heartbeat. What a magical moment! If he wants to be by your side during labour, you can talk together about the approaching event. Discuss your wishes and worries completely openly and without judgement. You will see that this strengthens your relationship as a couple. It also takes away the feeling of helplessness that some men feel, as they can only help with the labour to a limited extent. You can find out how the father-to-be can play an active role in the birth in the well-prepared Birth preparation coursewhich is full of valuable information. At Notdienst Hebamme you will find an online workshop especially for the partner at the birth entitled "Team partner". This course helps you to become a good team for the birth and the time with the baby.
Do you recognise this? You take off your shoes and a short time later you just can't get back in? Or you can't get your ring off your finger? Don't worry! This is caused by water retention, which disappears again after delivery. This can occur on the feet and legs, but also on the face, forearms and hands. The affected areas are swollen and feel thick. This phenomenon is caused by your pregnancy hormones.
The hormones cause the blood vessels to dilate and become less elastic. At the same time, more blood circulates in your body and your vessels become more permeable. In addition, your veins are working at full capacity as they pump the blood against gravity towards your heart. As a result, the blood can "pool" faster. To put it more precisely, your veins can no longer cope with the increased pressure. This leads to your blood fluid pooling with the tissue fluid. This happens to most pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy, but can also occur at any other time during your pregnancy.
Please note: It used to be common practice for women to be prescribed dehydrating teas such as nettle tea for water retention. However, this in no way improves the symptoms. Avoiding salt or introducing days on which only potatoes or rice should be eaten are also outdated old wives' tales. In the worst case, these measures can lead to malnutrition. In addition, an unbalanced diet leads to metabolic or circulatory problems. These old tips don't help. They are also dangerous.
What you can do to combat water retention during pregnancy:
- Put your legs up as often as possible.
- Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
- Remove all jewellery if you have water retention in your hands.
- Use support stockings.
- Drink plenty of water - at least 2 litres a day.
- Take a foot bath with sea salt.
- Do water aerobics, go swimming or walk barefoot.
- Make sure you eat a balanced, healthy and protein-rich diet.
Support your baby's growth process by eating foods that are rich in protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron and calcium.
Calcium strengthens bones and teeth, nerves, heart and muscles. It is found in milk and dried figs, among other things. Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells, the transport of oxygen to the cells and the supply of oxygen to the muscles. Oatmeal, chickpeas and red meat are good sources of iron. Important: Iron is best absorbed when you combine it with foods containing vitamin C. These include peppers, apples and oranges. You can absorb proteins by eating beans, peas, meat or eggs.
You can find out lots more valuable information about your pregnancy in the online course by emergency midwife Katharina. She has given the 3rd trimesterThe advantage of the online format is that you decide when you want to watch the course. The advantage of the online format is that you alone decide when you want to watch the course. You can also press pause at any time. You can also watch certain passages as often as you like.
Avoid stress and excessive strain. Although you are not yet officially on maternity leave, you should also slow down at work. Take frequent breaks where you can put your feet up and relax for a while. You should also ask someone else to do the weekly shopping for you. You should definitely avoid heavy lifting and carrying in the last trimester of your pregnancy.
Also, don't dwell on negative thoughts about the birth. Don't read any birth reports with a dramatic outcome, but instead focus on the beautiful birth experiences. With a positive mindset, you are doing something good for yourself and your unborn child!
Approximate size of your baby: 30 - 39 cm
Approximate weight of your baby: 1.2 kg
Weeks remaining until the due date: 11 weeks
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