PREGNANCY WEEK 28
Your baby’s nostril and lungs are filled with amniotic fluid. This is generally squeezed out as he passes through the birth canal during labour; caesarean babies may sneeze it out once they are born. The lungs are not yet fully mature and continue to develop.
His nervous system matures further as sheaths of myelin are laid down around nerves to speed up the electrical transmission of nerve impulses. He continues to move around and may spend more time in positions he finds comfortable, such as ‘foetal position’ with his arms and legs pulled into his chest.
You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.
At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.
And if the blood works done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.)
Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your doctor if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.
