Pregnancy

Pregnancy Week 29

Baby Development

By this week, the baby would be around 16 inches long and 3 pounds in weight. This length is closer to the birth length. However, the baby’s weight would triple during his birth. Fat is beginning to accumulate under the skin, and the skin is finally getting smoothed out. As the baby has become quite big, the belly is becoming cramped. So, the baby would start acting out by kicking, jabbing, poking, and moving. The acting out can be intense if there are external stimuli like sound, light, or food items the baby doesn’t like. The baby has also started to have hiccups and also smiles while sleeping.

Changes in mother

By this week, the mother can no longer see her legs due to the increased belly size. Around a fifth of the expecting mother would develop varicose veins. These blood vessels get swollen during the pregnancy as the blood volume increases. When this happens in the rectum, it can be termed hemorrhoids. The discomfort and pain vary from person to person, which can also pass to their descendants.

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Pregnancy Week 29 symptoms

The rapid growth of hair and nails – your hair and nails will grow fast because of the pregnancy hormones. However, this does make your nails brittle and dry. Hence, you need to trim them in regular intervals.
Forgetfulness – this is due to a symptom called pregnancy brain. All those hormones cruising inside your body can make your mind foggy. Also, the volume of your brain cells does decrease during this time. It is temporary, and you will return to wearing full cognitive reasoning quite soon.
Hemorrhoids – these are caused by the veins swelling around your rectum area, and it is a very irritating and discomforting situation. You need to drink sufficient water and use soft tissue bottoms to relieve some of this discomfort.

Some other symptoms are UTI, Stomach pains, indigestion, migraine, and foul-smelling dark-colored urine.

Important Tips

What to do

Keep track of the number of kicks that happen.
Keep some nursing pads handy. There would be a secretion of pre-milk termed colostrum, a highly nutritious yellowish fluid for the baby to drink in the initial days of birth.
Light exercise and take enough iron to combat restless leg syndrome.

What to avoid

Avoid heat, sun, chemicals, or specific food items that trigger your allergy or symptoms.
Avoid any food additives, scents, and dyes.

When to Consult a Doctor

Save cord blood– the fluid that remains in the placenta after delivery. It has stem cells used to treat various diseases, including some types of cancer.
If there are skin issues like rashes, they last for more than a few days.

Takeaway

By this week, the baby is 16 inches long and around 3 pounds. There is smoothening of the skin by fat. The baby is kicking a lot, smiles subconsciously, has hiccups, and responds to external stimuli. The mother has swollen veins and hemorrhoids. There would be some indigestion, Forgetfulness, and fast-growing hair and nails. Keep track of the number of kicks, have some nursing pads handy, and wait to avoid the sun and chemicals. Consult the Doctor for storage of cord blood.

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