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Your Pregnancy Fetal Development: Week 28


You may have given a passing thought to what the new member of the household will be like (and by "passing thought" we mean obsessive rumination). Will she be a good sleeper? Will he draw on the furniture with a Sharpie? Get an inside scoop by pumping your own parents for information on how you and your partner were as kids: how much you weighed at birth, your first words the first time you cut off all of Barbie's hair. ... Your parents will get misty at the memories and you may, too. Maybe out of hope for the future, maybe out of fear for your leather sofa. What You're Thinking: "Billions of people have children and figure it out. So I must be able to do it too, right? Right! Right?"

Your Body

  • Woohoo! You have hit the third trimester mark, so add another notch to your belt (both figuratively and literally).

  • If your early blood workup showed that you are Rh negative, you'll need to get a shot of RhoGAM, or Rh immunoglobulin, this week. The shot prevents potential complications in a future baby you may carry if that baby is Rh positive. Your Rh status doesn't matter when it comes to this baby, but you'll want to get the shot in case you're planning on having more bambinos.

  • If your baby is born with Rh-positive blood (because Papa chipped in an Rh-positive gene), you'll be given another dose of RhoGAM after you deliver to make sure everything will be good to go for any future pregnancies.

  • If your glucose screening test came back positive, your doc will probably want to give you a glucose tolerance test some time soon. The test—for gestational diabetes—involves some dietary changes in the days leading up to it (more carbs!) and a longer visit to the doc on the day of the test (it's a three-hour test instead of the one-hour one you took the first time). And it's another chance to load up on that yummy glucose cocktail—shaken, not stirred! If you do end up testing positive for gestational diabetes, your doctor will probably put you on a super-healthy diet for the remainder of your pregnancy.

    • Your Baby


    As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she's doing). Other highlights this week:

    • Your baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it's fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as she has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We'll be here all week.)

  • Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they'll most likely change soon. Sorry!

  • Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.

    • Your Life

    • Time to PAR-TAY! Someone in your inner circle will undoubtedly want to toast and roast you with a baby shower so help a sista out and create a list of guest names and addresses. Save a copy of this list for yourself—it will come in handy later for writing thank-you notes.

  • Let the hostess know your registry information—she'll want to include it in the invitation. It's OK to be upfront about what you want and need. Let's face it, no matter how cuddly, no baby needs 42 teddy bears.

  • Twiddling your thumbs waiting for junior to arrive? You'll never again have this kind of free time, so lap it up, order in food, and veg out on the sofa for a ridiculous reality-TV marathon.

    • More for Your Pregnancy & Fetal Development:
    BACK: Pregnancy Fetal Development Week 27 / NEXT: Pregnancy Fetal Development Week 29
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