29 week of pregnancy: what happens to the baby and mom

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The 29th week of pregnancy has begun. Since the obstetric period is counted from the beginning of the first days of menstruation, in fact, your fetal gestational age is 27 weeks. Given that the obstetric month is 28 days, there are 3 months left before the birth. Your baby is actively preparing for the birth. What changes await a woman at the 29th week of pregnancy and what happens to the baby, we will tell in the article below. We will also discuss possible risks and share useful tips.

Fetal development at 29 weeks gestation

The baby already has everything he needs for life outside the womb. Now it is only actively growing and strengthening. It is comparable in size to a small head of cabbage. His height is 38-40 cm, and his weight is about 1100-1250 grams. The shocks are becoming more and more painful - muscle tissue and ligaments are improving. Tumbling in the womb, as before, he can no longer, but kicks and elbow strikes are becoming more and moremore tangible.

A small body is already able to control body temperature, a special subcutaneous fat is being formed, which is involved in thermoregulation. The immune system is working properly, and the baby's blood has a stable composition.

Every day, amniotic fluid enters the baby's stomach through the mouth and nose, and the kidneys excrete up to 500 ml of urine. The baby's gut is getting ready to digest real food.

Your baby at 29 weeks pregnant can not only hear sounds, tastes and light, but also focus on something. It's hard to believe, but the baby at this time is learning to visually focus.

Every day he looks more and more like a newborn, the skin smoothes and brightens, lanugo gradually disappears. The genitals are perfectly formed, and you probably already know the sex of the unborn baby.

Feelings of a future mother

Expectant mother begins to feel that at 29 weeks of pregnancy there are changes in the movements of the fetus. Now he does not roll upside down and back, but is more in one position. That's just due to the fact that the baby's arms and legs are strong enough, then the jolts become more noticeable.

The baby continues to grow, and the uterus grows with it, putting more and more pressure on the diaphragm and other organs. In a pregnant woman, heartburn, bloating and constipation increase. Sometimes it may seem that there is not enough oxygen. Mom's heart is overworked and can lead to increased sweating.

It is known that at the 29th week of pregnancy there isdisplacement of the center of gravity, so there is a risk of falling and dislocation. And against the background of low blood pressure and hemoglobin levels, dizziness and fainting are quite possible, be careful.

It's getting harder and harder to find a comfortable sleeping position every day. You need a full sleep now more than ever, so if you can’t get comfortable in any way, it’s worth getting a special pillow for pregnant women.

What pains are possible at week 29

With the growth of the abdomen, the load on the legs, lower back, and sacrum increases. The most difficult 3 months are still ahead, and the stomach will only grow, so take care of yourself, follow the correct posture and if you have not already done so, it may be time to start wearing a bandage.

In general, pain can have a different etiology and some discomfort is associated with the physiology of the pregnant woman, others require immediate treatment. For example, pregnant women often have pain and cramps in their legs, this is due to a lack of calcium. And with an insufficient level of hemoglobin or low blood pressure, frequent headaches are possible. If you take all the tests on time, monitor your blood pressure and adjust your diet, you can easily avoid these kinds of problems.

But in those cases when the back and lower back hurt, or painful urination appeared, you should notify your doctor about this. The same goes for pain during bowel movements. Painful bowel movements are fraught with inflammation and prolapse of hemorrhoids.

At the 29th week of pregnancy, the body begins to prepare for the upcomingchildbirth. The pelvic bones gradually diverge, which can cause a woman unpleasant and even painful sensations. But if there is pain in the lower abdomen, accompanied by spotting, this is a reason to be wary and seek help.

What happens to mom at 29 weeks pregnant

The most important thing that is happening now with mom is that a child is growing in her stomach, and therefore, the skin on it is also stretching. It is for this reason that you may experience itching and burning in this area. In order to prevent the appearance of unsightly stretch marks, think about moisturizing your skin now. In addition, in pharmacies you can buy a special cream designed for this purpose. But still, ordinary olive oil is considered the best remedy for all time, it does not cause allergies and does not contain "chemistry".

At the 29th week of pregnancy, the stomach rests against the ribs with might and main, and the center of gravity is increasingly moving here. It seems huge to you and interferes with sleep, but this is not yet its maximum size. Many mothers take a photo at 29 weeks of pregnancy as a memory of past difficulties.

Sometimes you can feel weak rhythmic jolts, they are more like winces - this is hiccups. The baby swallows a small amount of amniotic fluid, which causes him to hiccup. It is not dangerous and passes quickly.

Uterine

By the end of the 29th week of pregnancy, the uterus rises above the navel by 8-10 cm. Rather large and heavy uterustogether with the baby inside, they continue to put pressure on all internal organs. The urge to go to the toilet is becoming more frequent, more than half of all pregnant women at this time suffer from constipation. Do not underestimate such a delicate problem, ahead of you are waiting for childbirth, which can provoke the prolapse of hemorrhoids. Therefore, take measures now to alleviate the condition.

This week, a pregnant woman may feel slight uterine contractions. If the discomfort does not cause serious pain and disappears after rest, do not worry - these are training contractions. That is, the uterus is actively preparing for the upcoming birth. But remember: training fights differ from real ones in painlessness and short duration. If the pains increase, and the interval between them decreases, these may already be real contractions and you should immediately arrive at the hospital.

Selections

Ideally, the discharge at the 29th week of pregnancy should be moderately abundant, colorless and odorless, that is, no different from the previous week. If the consistency, color or odor changes, it is better to take a swab for the flora and start treatment in a timely manner. When to sound the alarm:

• discharge became cheesy, with lumps of mucus;
• there is a peculiar smell;
• if highlights are green, gray, yellow;
• streaked with blood or completely spotting;
• presence of pus.

It should be noted that spotting should be the most alarming signal for you. This may signalbeginning of placental abruption. However, if you notice traces of blood on your underwear, it is quite possible that this is a symptom of hemorrhoids.

At the 29th week of pregnancy, not only vaginal discharge may appear, but also discharge from the mammary glands. Never squeeze out colostrum. If there is too much, it is enough to wipe it off or get it slightly wet.

Required tests

You may need to visit the doctor more often this week. Admissions to the antenatal clinic now take place 2 times a month. As usual, before entering the office, you should already have the usual blood and urine tests ready. The midwife will take standard measurements of your abdomen, weight and blood pressure.

At this time, all additional tests are prescribed only according to indications. But already from the 30th week you will have to go through all the specialists again and pass all the necessary tests.

In the presence of the above discharge, it is likely that the gynecologist will refer you for an additional ultrasound examination and testing for infections.

Ultrasound

In the normal course of pregnancy, an ultrasound of the fetus at the 29th week of pregnancy is not prescribed. In cases where there are risks or the doctor has reason to do so, he may order you an additional study. For example, if there is a threat of preterm labor and you need to insert a pessary, a cervical canal examination is necessary.

If the baby doesn't mind, you can see the gender of the baby. At week 29, all the genitals are well formed and perfectly visible on the monitor. Also uzistassess fetal movement, location, and check heart rhythms.

Food

You can completely refuse artificial vitamins if you eat right and fully. To say that colored drinks, fast food, a lot of fatty foods should be absent in the diet, and vegetables and fruits must be present, we think, it makes no sense. Everyone already knows that during pregnancy you need to eat only he althy food.

Another thing is that at the 29th week of pregnancy, a huge amount of protein and calcium leaves the mother's body for the development of muscle tissue and bones of the baby. If for some reason you do not eat meat or do not accept dairy products, try to compensate for the losses with plant foods.

For the prevention and treatment of constipation, it is necessary to eat fiber, that is, more fresh vegetables and fruits. If heartburn bothers you, eat smaller meals and avoid fried foods.

Try to completely eliminate or at least significantly reduce the amount of s alt consumed. As you know, it contributes to the accumulation of water in the body, and this leads to swelling.

Weight

You need to control your weight throughout your pregnancy, but especially in the third trimester. If until today you were glad that you gained very little, and some even managed not to get better at all, then starting from the third trimester, your weight will grow rapidly. The fact is that before that, organs were formed in the baby, and now heit remains only to grow and gain weight.

Sometimes pregnant women are addicted to chocolate to raise their hemoglobin levels or blood pressure. Such high-calorie foods will not save you from anemia, but they will definitely lead to weight gain.

Sex

Sexual life is prohibited in case of placenta previa, isthmic-cervical insufficiency, multiple pregnancy and other pathologies. If the pregnancy proceeds without complications, sex at week 29 is completely allowed. But you need to choose the most comfortable postures in which there is no pressure on the stomach. Despite the fact that sex at week 29 is not contraindicated, you still do not need to experiment, and with the slightest discomfort, it is better to give up sexual activity until more favorable times.

Premature birth

Date is still 11 weeks away, but labor can start at any time. No one is safe from premature birth, and there are many reasons for this. According to statistics, 7% of all pregnancies end in premature birth. In addition, artificial delivery at the 29th week of pregnancy is sometimes the only way to save the baby and mother. You need to know about this.

A baby born at 29 weeks pregnant can survive. Of course, only under the condition of qualified medical care and with modern equipment for nursing. Therefore, in case of a threat, it is necessary to extend the time the child stays in the womb as much as possible.

Factors that increase the risk of preterm birth:

• stressful situations at work and in the family;
• physicallabor;
• too young or vice versa the mature age of a pregnant woman;
• severe chronic diseases of the expectant mother;
• placenta previa;
• anatomical malformations of the uterus;
• Rh conflict pregnancy.

Helpful tips

Even if there is no threat of preterm labor or any other abnormalities, the following tips will help to greatly alleviate the condition and bring pregnancy without problems:

1. Use a special bandage that will support the stomach and relieve back and lower back pain.
2. Self-treatment of hemorrhoids during pregnancy is very dangerous. Leave this matter to the doctor.
3. Wear compression stockings if you have varicose veins.
4. Rethink your diet completely. The menu should be more fiber, calcium and protein.
5. Courses for expectant mothers can teach you a lot.
6. Eating small meals helps with heartburn. If it doesn't go away, don't take it, ask your doctor to recommend a safe drug.