The countdown is on! See how fetal development continues as your due date approaches.
The end is in sight! By now, you may be tired of being pregnant — and eager to meet your baby face to face. But your uterus is still a busy place. See how fetal development continues as your due date approaches.
Week 28: Baby's eyes open
Your baby is about 15 inches long and weighs about 2 to 3 pounds.
Your baby's eyes are beginning to open and close. The color has been established, but the story's not over yet. Eye color may change within the first six months after birth — especially if your baby's eyes are blue or gray-blue at birth.
Your baby is now sleeping for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Fetal movement will be most obvious when you're sitting or lying down.
Week 29: Movement is more forceful
Your baby's bones are fully developed, but they're still soft and pliable. This week, your baby begins storing iron, calcium and phosphorus.
As your baby continues to grow, his or her movements will become more frequent and vigorous. Some of your baby's jabs and punches may even take your breath away.
Week 30: Baby packs on pounds
Your baby weighs about 3 pounds — but not for long. He or she will gain about 1/2 pound a week until week 37.
Your baby may practice breathing by moving his or her diaphragm in a repeating rhythm. If your baby gets the hiccups, you may feel slight twitches or spasms in your uterus.
Week 31: Reproductive development continues
If your baby is a boy, his testicles are moving from their location near the kidneys through the groin on their way into the scrotum. If your baby is a girl, her clitoris is now relatively prominent.
Your baby's lungs are more developed, but they're not fully mature. If your baby is born this week, he or she will probably need a ventilator to assist breathing. Complications such as bleeding in the brain are less likely than they were even a few weeks ago.
Week 32: Downy hair falls off
Your baby is between 15 and 17 inches long and weighs about 4 to 4 1/2 pounds. Nearly all babies born at this age survive the challenges of premature birth.
The layer of soft, downy hair that has covered your baby's skin for the past few months — known as lanugo — starts to fall off this week.
As space in your uterus becomes more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements may seem less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time — especially if you think you've noticed decreased activity. If you count fewer than 10 movements in two hours, contact your health care provider.
Week 33: Baby detects light
Your baby's pupils now constrict, dilate and detect light. Your baby continues to gain about 1/2 pound a week, and his or her lungs are more completely developed. Babies born this week need extra attention, but almost all will be healthy.
Week 34: Protective coating gets thicker
The pasty white coating that protects your baby's skin — called vernix — gets thicker this week. When your baby is born, you may see traces of vernix firsthand, especially under the arms, behind the ears and in the groin area. The soft, downy hair that covered your baby under the vernix for the past few months is now almost completely gone.
Week 35: Rapid growth continues
Your baby continues to pack on the pounds and store fat all over his or her body. The crowded conditions inside your uterus may make it harder for your baby to give you a punch, but you'll probably feel lots of stretches, rolls and wiggles.
Week 36: Baby can suck
Your baby is between 16 and 19 inches long and weighs about 6 to 6 1/2 pounds. Recent fat deposits have rounded out your baby's face, and your baby's powerful sucking muscles are ready for action. To prepare for birth, your baby may descend into the head-down position.
Week 37: Baby is full-term
By the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. As fat continues to accumulate, your baby's body will slowly become rounder.
Week 38: Organ function continues to improve
Your baby weighs nearly 7 pounds. His or her brain and nervous system are working better every day. This developmental process will continue through childhood and adolescence.
Week 39: Placenta provides antibodies
Your baby has enough fat under the skin to maintain body temperature as long as there's a little help from you. The placenta continues to supply your baby with antibodies that will help fight infection the first six months after birth. If you breast-feed your baby, your milk will provide additional antibodies.
Week 40: Your due date arrives
Your baby may be 19 to 21 inches long and weigh 7 to 8 pounds.
Don't be alarmed if your due date comes and goes without incident. It's just as normal to deliver a baby a week or two late — or early — than it is to deliver right on time.
Taking care of your baby
Although your pregnancy is nearly over, healthy lifestyle choices remain important. Remember these simple do's and don'ts:
Do:
- Take a prenatal vitamin
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercise regularly, with your health care provider's OK
- Eat healthy foods
- Manage stress and any chronic health conditions
- See your health care provider for regular prenatal checkups — probably once a week for the last month of pregnancy
Don't:
- Smoke
- Drink alcohol
- Use illicit drugs
- Take medication without your health care provider's OK
Enjoy the final days of your pregnancy. This is it! The next chapter in your life is about to begin.
Source:
www.mayoclinic.com
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