How Your Baby Grows During the Twenty-ninth Week
The baby's body has been growing so quickly lately, that your baby girl is finally beginning to look more proportional. Her head is no longer half of her body's length, but rather is a more normal looking size.
Her crown-to-rump length will be about ten and a half inches long by the end of the week. Her weight will be over two and a half pounds. Boys tend to weigh more than girls, and subsequent pregnancies usually have larger babies as well.
Babies born at this stage have survived their premature birth, but would need help breathing. These last weeks are vital for lung development, and brain growth.
Your son's brain is growing so rapidly right now that the gyri, or folds of the brain, are being formed this week. His bone marrow now also takes over as the main source of red blood cell production for your baby's body. If he is still in a breech position, or head up position, that is nothing to worry about because it is likely that your son will turn himself head down soon.
What the Mother Feels During the Twenty-ninth Week
As your uterus continues to grow, your other organs are being crowded out of the way to make room. Pressure is increasing on your diaphragm, stomach and intestines so you can imagine the uncomfortable effects a mother might feel - breathlessness, heartburn and irritable bowels.
Your health care provider is probably having you come in for a check up every two weeks now as your pregnancy nears full term. They will monitor your weight gain, blood pressure, urine and level of swelling, in addition to answering any other questions you might have about the coming birth. Some water retention is normal at this point, and pregnant mothers may feel carpel tunnel like symptoms from pressure on their nerves.
Resources:
The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month by Dr. Sears
Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Lesley Regan
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
