The third trimester begins, with which the woman can be congratulated. The 28th week of pregnancy is considered one of the most important for the entire period of gestation. This is a good time to take stock of the first two steps and start planning your birth. How the baby is doing and what his mother feels at the current time, we will consider in more detail.
How many months is it?
28 weeks pregnant - the beginning of the third trimester. By calendar standards, six and a half months have passed. But during pregnancy, it is customary to count down the time according to the Negale rule - lunar months, in each of them there are exactly four weeks and not a day more. By obstetric standards, a woman is now exactly 7 months pregnant.
Week 26 went from conception, and 24 weeks have passed since the start of the menstruation delay. It may seem to a woman now that all these events were quite recent. Time in the first two trimesters did fly much faster. Now the state of health is changing, it is no longer so cloudless, and the expectant mother may feel that time is now passing more slowly.
Only 12 weeks remain until the cherished date of the expected birth. However, you should not tune in to it, only 5% of babies are born in the PDD. The rest choose for themselves other terms - either earlier or later than the DA. If a woman has a planned cesarean section, its date has not yet been determined at all, but it will be approximately 38-39 weeks or a little earlier.
At 27-28 obstetric weeks, which we are talking about, a wide variety of changes occur with the baby and mother.
Feelings of a future mother
More and more often a woman wants to lie down and rest, it is more and more difficult to stand, sit for a long time, walk. The expectant mother began to tire quickly, and this is quite natural: it becomes very difficult to carry an older baby and her own increased weight.
The woman's figure is rounded, and now there is not even a hint of the waistline at all, wider than steel and hips. At 28 weeks, a woman may notice that she has accumulated "fat" on her hips and stomach. This is not a consequence of overeating, but a normal physiological process.
Such fatty deposits are provided by nature in order to protect the fetus, as well as provide it with energy in case the mother's nutrition suddenly disappears completely (in nature, this also happens).
Increased fatigue makes it very difficult to work and study at this time. Pregnant women with one baby begin to kindly envy those who carry twins or triplets - such mothers go on maternity leave in the coming days, while everyone else will have to wait up to 30 weeks.
It is very helpful to take another vacation if the woman has not yet been there before the maternity leave. The law does not prohibit this. And female students can take an academic leave or agree on home schooling with the obligation to take all exams and tests in person, in person.
Fetal movements and counting methods
At 28 weeks, many pregnant women notice that fetal movements have become somewhat "quieter" and less frequent. There is still enough room in the uterus for movement, and the baby is not large enough to occupy the entire intrauterine space. The reason for the temporary "fading" lies not in the parameters of the baby, but in the next stage of the formation of his nervous system - now the baby has better control over his movements, and the spontaneous flapping of the arms and legs, which the mother feels like jolts and kicks, becomes less.
The baby moves at 7 months as a whole quite regularly. Already this week, a woman can receive recommendations from a doctor to keep a diary and write down the number of fetal movements in it. There are several methods for counting them, but in each, a movement is taken not as a separate movement, but a series of movements. Example: the baby pushed his mother with his foot and turned over - these are not two different movements, but one.
Pearson's, Cardiff's methods, Sadowsky's test are the most common. One of them can be chosen by the attending physician as necessary.
Wiggle Cardiff is a twelve-hour count of wiggles. As soon as the woman counts 10 episodes of the baby's activity, you can stop counting further - everything is in order with the baby. If in 12 hours a dozen perturbations are not recruited, you should definitely consult a doctor.
The Sadovski test is a determination of the baby's motor activity after a meal by the mother. If an hour after the meal a woman manages to record 4 episodes of the baby's movements or more, there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
If the movements are too active (more than 15 episodes per hour) or sluggish (less than 4 per hour after eating), you should definitely go to your doctor's appointment to find the reasons for this behavior of the crumbs.
The most popular and widespread is the Pearson method of counting movements. A woman is given a special table in which she must enter the time of movements from 9 am to 9 pm or from 8 am to 8 pm.
The time interval between 1 and 10 wiggle has a diagnostic value. If no more than half an hour has passed, the result is good, if about an hour or more, you should consult your doctor.
Counting movements is needed not so much by the doctor, because he has in his arsenal a lot of more accurate ways to find out the nuances of the state of the fetus, as by the future mother herself. This gives her more peace of mind, because she learns to control the condition of her baby on her own and pay attention to possible changes in his behavior. But at each scheduled appointment, the doctor will certainly be interested in how many movements are there and what they are.
In general, the nature of the movements at week 28 becomes more pronounced, that is, it beats the baby with its legs and arms already weightily, sometimes causing pain to its future parent. By this week, most pregnant women manage to establish close contact with their baby - the baby begins to react to the touch of the mother's hand to the stomach, to stroking, and the mother, by the nature of the movements, knows what the baby wants and what he is doing at the moment.
However, you should not assume that the baby will respond with enthusiasm with a kick to someone's other hand on his stomach. It is difficult to say how the baby defines friends and foes, but in fact this is exactly what is happening. When a stranger touches the belly of a stranger, the baby cautiously calms down.
Most babies don't even “trust” their own dads. If a man shows persistence, he will talk to the baby more often, apply his hands and cheek to his wife's belly, the baby will definitely reciprocate.
Your child at the 28th obstetric week is very meteosensitive, and also very dependent on the state and well-being of the mother. When the weather changes, his physical activity changes. If a woman is happy, the baby behaves more actively than the moments of her mother's sadness. In response to a delicious dinner or lunch eaten by her mother, the baby in the womb also revives. The temperament of a child is already quite obvious: he is a mobile and joyful "fidget" or a calm and imperturbable "sleepyhead".
Pain sensations
By the 28th week, a rare pregnant woman can boast of a complete absence of pain. Most expectant mothers, as a rule, already have a large supply of complaints and ailments.
7 months of pregnancy is a solid period, during this period the female body begins to experience overload.
Various pains in the lower back and back are most common at this time. The lower back hurts and "aches" mainly due to the fact that the center of gravity has shifted, and it is quite difficult for the muscles to keep the woman in balance. The uterus grows, and with it the ligaments that hold it are stretched. This causes various pulling sensations on the sides of the lower abdomen, in the lower back and sacral region.
Sharp "lumbago", which women often compare with an electric shock, occur when the uterus that has become large compresses certain nerve endings. The back hurts not only because of the large abdomen and the stretching of the ligamentous apparatus, but also due to the fact that the chest has become a couple of sizes larger, and the load on the back muscles has increased accordingly.
From 28 weeks, ribs may begin to hurt. The uterus compresses the diaphragm, the internal organs have to "make room", the costal arches slightly "diverge", which causes palpable aches. Increasingly, a woman experiences fatigue in her legs, joints may hurt, or varicose veins appear - all these are the consequences of an increase in the weight of a pregnant woman. Weight grows faster than the body can compensate for it. Knee joints and ankles are especially vulnerable.
More than half of pregnant women at 28 weeks have pubic bone pain. There is no need to be afraid - this pain suggests that the body has begun to actively prepare for childbirth. The hormone relaxin is produced, which softens and makes the pelvic bones more elastic. At the right time, they should move apart and let the baby out. The process of softening of bones and ligaments is accompanied by aches and small "lumbago" in the pubic articulation.
If the pain becomes unbearable, a woman cannot walk, stand, climb stairs on foot, it is difficult for her to sleep because of the pain intensifying at night, it is imperative to inform the doctor about this - it is possible that symphysitis develops - a pathological discrepancy of the pubic articulation, in which quite often a woman is shown exclusively childbirth by cesarean section.
A woman at the 28th week should know that any pain that is accompanied by discharge from the genitals that is different from the usual, growing, cramping or cutting pains are reasons for calling an ambulance, because at this time, premature birth is quite possible.
The nature of the discharge
In a woman, with the onset of the third trimester, estrogen production increases. Because of this, the discharge at 28 weeks may become thinner than it was before. The amount of discharge remains quite abundant, a lot of vaginal secretion is produced. This is necessary so that the composition of the vaginal microflora is maintained at a level that will provide a "correct" cut in the genital tract.
Fluid discharge should not be confused with watery discharge. If a woman now has profuse watery discharge, it is imperative that you notify the doctor to make sure that the water does not drain or leak.
The norm for 28 weeks is the discharge that is light, slightly liquid, homogeneous without impurities or an unpleasant odor. A variant of the norm is a slight yellowish tint (the pregnancy hormone progesterone can give this color to the vaginal secretion). If the discharge has acquired a rich yellow color, has become thick, smearing, you must definitely visit a doctor and do a smear analysis.
Unpleasant greenish or gray discharge, which is accompanied by a foul smell and itching in the perineum, may indicate the presence of a bacterial infection of the genital tract, a genital infection. The discharge is white, with flakes and accompanying itching - this is a thrush.
Discharge with blood impurities is now considered the most dangerous. They can talk about the threat of premature birth, placental abruption, the onset of premature birth. Bloody discharge can have a different appearance - from pure scarlet blood to pink, cream, brown discharge of varying intensity and consistency.
The habit of wearing daily thin sanitary napkins will help to notice changes in time. They will not only "show" the color and consistency of vaginal secretions, but also help get rid of the sensation of moisture in the perineum, which is associated with a natural increase in the amount of discharge for this period. Tampons cannot be used.
The mood of the expectant mother
At the 28th week of pregnancy, mood swings, increased irritability, and resentment are not excluded. The state of health worsens, and this is directly related to changes in mood.
Most women expect help from relatives and friends, but the very fact that they sometimes cannot do without this help depressing and makes them feel some inferiority. So, it is already difficult for a pregnant woman to tie her laces or fasten “zippers” on her boots, stand by the stove or hang out the washed clothes. It is often impossible to lift a fallen object without kneeling down.
Anxiety is also promoted by the early departure on maternity leave, because working women are worried about the safety of their workplace: the expectant mother needs to be sure that she will go to work after the vacation and they will be waiting for her there. It is illegal by law to fire a woman who is on maternity or parental leave. So now you don't have to worry about it.
Fear of the upcoming birth causes the most anxiety at 28 weeks. Not only pregnant women with their first child are afraid to give birth, women who have already given birth are often much more worried, since they better understand all the dangers and risks, are familiar with the sensations and possible complications.
Psychologists do not recommend keeping silent about such fear, because there is nothing unusual or unnatural in it.
If you cannot talk about your experiences with relatives or the woman does not feel support and understanding, you can seek help from a psychologist who accepts expectant mothers in every antenatal clinic on a free basis.
Changes in the body
All organs and systems of the expectant mother are working at the limit of their capabilities. When their condition is compared to congestion in space, this is not so far from the truth. The uterus grows so fast that now it is the largest organ, the rest of the "inhabitants" of the abdominal cavity have no choice but to make room.
Uterus growth
It's getting hard to breathe. Taking deep breaths is not easy, because now the uterus tightly compresses the diaphragm from below. Shortness of breath appears, which worsens even after little physical exertion. Climbing stairs, walking, household chores are more difficult.
The uterus, which before pregnancy was the size of a woman's fist, has now grown to an impressive size. The height of her day this week is 27-29 centimeters. Above the line of the navel, the uterus rises by 8 centimeters.
Shortness of breath is not the only problem caused by this increase. Heartburn and belching are a consequence of stomach compression, diarrhea and gas formation are associated with pressure on the gallbladder and impaired outflow of bile, constipation is a consequence of the pressure of the uterus on the intestinal loops. Frequent urination is the scourge of all pregnant women, because the bladder is one of the first to be compressed by the uterus.
The length of the cervix is normally 35-45 mm, a slight shortening is not considered a pathology, especially with multiple or repeated pregnancies. But shortening less than 35 mm is considered a threat of premature birth.
The baby is already quite heavy, he noticeably presses on the neck from the inside. A healthy, well-to-do cervix can withstand such pressure up to 38-40 weeks of pregnancy. With isthmic-cervical insufficiency, the risk of having a baby prematurely due to the fact that the cervix simply cannot keep it in the uterus is ten times higher.
The uterus may come in tone more often than before. If this happens too often, the woman is prescribed treatment. "Ginipral", "Papaverine", "No-Shpa" help to relax the uterine muscles.
Wearing a prenatal brace will be beneficial at 28 weeks.This device allows you to relieve the stress on the lower back, legs and back, which will manifest itself in a decrease in discomfort.
Weight gain
Weight gain at week 28 is intense and does not give the expectant mother the most pleasant sensations. The woman is already noticeably "heavier", but this is caused not only by her own weight, but also by the weight of the child, which is now over a kilogram, the weight of the placenta, which is already approaching 400 grams. Amniotic fluid is about a liter, and the uterus itself now weighs about 600 grams. The amount of blood in the body of a pregnant woman has increased, and this is also reflected in weight.
The weekly increase during this period should not exceed 400 grams. If we evaluate the overall increase for the entire period of bearing the baby, then it is already solid - more than 9 kilograms.
- Skinny girls can gain 10 kilograms by this week.
- The fair sex with a normal weight - about 9 kilograms.
- Women who had problems with being overweight before conception should not gain more than 6 kilograms.
Women often pay attention to the fact that different doctors use different tables of weight gain. One doctor, with an increase of 8 kilograms at 28 weeks, will say that this is an excellent result and everything is fine, and another will suggest a diet for weight loss. You need to focus only on the standards of the doctor who monitors your pregnancy, without comparing your gain with others.
A strong lag in weight gain can alert the doctor, since it can talk about pathologies of the placenta, delayed intrauterine development of the baby. Dangerous and "bust" - the frequency of complications in childbirth in women with pathological weight is higher than in those who gained less.
Also, excess body weight can be a sign of the presence of internal edema - gestosis.
Training contractions
According to available statistics, approximately 50% of women experience Braxton Hicks contractions at 28 weeks. Basically, these are those who are going to give birth to their first child. In women who are carrying their second, third or next child, false contractions usually appear closer to childbirth, sometimes a few days or even hours before. There are women who don't have false contractions at all. For example, pregnant women again after the first pregnancy, which ended with a cesarean section, very rarely encounter such a phenomenon as false contractions.
The true nature of Braxton-Hicks contractions is not entirely clear to doctors and scientists today. The widespread version of what is happening explains their preparatory "work" of the uterine muscles.
A woman does not feel such contractions often. They are manifested by a slight tension of the abdomen, the woman for a few seconds or minutes feels that the uterus becomes "stone". If you lie down and rest, the smooth muscles of the uterus relax again.
This is the main difference between false contractions and real ones. If labor begins, then nothing can stop the contractions. Neither rest nor a warm shower will help.
Other changes
Blood pressure rises, and at 28 weeks it comes to a level that was natural for this woman before pregnancy. But expectant mothers prone to high blood pressure may begin to suffer from hypertension. Therefore, now, more than ever, it is important to control blood pressure by taking daily measurements of its level on two hands.
The skin of a pregnant woman becomes drier, in places there are areas with increased pigmentation. Moles and freckles become brighter. Now you should not sunbathe, because the sensitivity to ultraviolet light increases tenfold.
Itching may appear in the thighs, chest and abdomen: this is a consequence of the stretching of the skin. The formation of "stretch marks" is also a fairly common phenomenon associated with the rupture of elastin and collagen fibers in the stretched areas of the skin.
The level of cholesterol in the blood rises. And this is the very rare case when such a phenomenon is considered the norm. This substance is necessary for the placenta so that it can cope with its hormone-forming function.
Sweat glands continue to cause a lot of hygienic and aesthetic inconveniences: sweating is increased, a woman is often thrown into a fever. The breast swells, the amount of colostrum increases.
At this time, a woman is most susceptible to allergies - contact and food. This is due to a temporary decrease in immunity. And even those women who have not previously had allergic manifestations can begin to suffer from itching and an unusual rash, cough and runny nose after using cosmetics for "stretch marks", after buying imported strawberries in January, after taking the most common multivitamins.
Baby development
New organs and systems are not formed at 28 weeks (corresponding to 26 embryonic weeks). Everything has already been formed and is preparing for the fact that soon the baby will begin to exist separately from the mother. The prenatal period has ended, from the 28th week the perinatal stage or perinatal begins. Now the main task of your baby is to grow and get stronger, by the time of childbirth he needs to accumulate mass.
The growth of the baby this week has increased slightly compared to the previous week - by only 1 centimeter. Now it is about 36-37 centimeters.
The weight of the fetus increases more noticeably: at 28 weeks, it is on average in the range from 1300 to 1400 grams. There is already a weight difference between children of different sexes. So, girls at 28 weeks are lighter than boys by about 150-200 grams.
The vast majority of babies have already taken a head down position in the uterus. The cephalic presentation is considered the most appropriate for birth. If your baby is still sitting on the bottom (breech presentation) or lying across (transverse presentation is quite rare), there is still a chance that the position will change to the head position.
There is still free space in the uterus for the baby to roll over. For this, a woman is recommended special gymnastics and standing in the knee-elbow position. This helps a lot.
Appearance
The kid is becoming more and more cute. At 28 weeks, his eyelashes lengthen, and cute chubby cheeks appear. Nails on the hands and feet begin to grow more actively - until their length reaches the fingertips, so the baby does not scratch itself. The eyes of all babies have a sky-blue color, a little later the iris will begin to change.
The tummy has grown, the arms and legs have slightly recovered. Due to the fact that in recent weeks the baby has been actively building up subcutaneous fat, he no longer looks as thin as before, but he does not yet look like the cute newborn from the advertising brochure.
Compared to a full-term baby, he is very thin. But the skin has ceased to be bright red, purple, blood vessels are no longer visible through the skin. The skin has become four layers.
The accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue is one of the most important processes during this period, because how much of it is formed depends on how the baby will be able to retain heat after birth. While fat deposits predominate on the cheeks, lower back, and neck. The deposition of subcutaneous tissue begins in the buttocks. A cute chubby booty is coming soon.
The child looks proportional enough. Head, body, limbs - everything is in visual "balance". A week earlier, the baby began to take a natural "flexion" posture. It ceases to fit in the uterus in an extended state, it becomes cramped.
Now, due to the fact that the crumb is tightening the legs, it may be difficult to diagnose the baby's gender by ultrasound. If earlier it was not possible to find out the sex, now the accuracy of the determination is low: the genitals are closed with legs, umbilical cord, handles.
All facial features of the baby are fully formed. The eyes still seem large, but this is due to some thinness. As you gain weight, this visual "deception" will dissipate.
The ears are slightly protruding: the cartilage does not harden immediately, it takes time. The eyebrows, which a couple of weeks ago resembled Brezhnev's - heavy and large, decrease, stop hanging over the eye sockets.
There is a layer of cheese-like lubricant on the baby's body, which protects the skin that has not yet completed the formation of all its protective functions. The lubricant fixes and holds the layer of original lanugo hair. They appeared almost immediately, as soon as hair follicles formed, and at 28 weeks the baby begins to get rid of them.
The skin becomes more and more perfect, the need for lubrication remains only in folds, where friction is possible, and in vulnerable places - groin, folds on the arms and legs, neck folds. Closer to childbirth, the lubricant will remain mainly there. Lanugo is also almost unnecessary. Hair falls out. By this week, the baby is getting rid of about a tenth of the hairline.
Nervous system
The baby's movements are already reminiscent of those of a newborn baby. To achieve this, the nervous system had to work hard, and its formation is not yet complete. The kid owns several reflexes that are important for survival - sucking, swallowing and grasping. This is just the "tip of the iceberg". In addition to them, the baby already has muscle and tendon reflexes, tonic and cervical.
Experts also refer to reflexes as respiratory movements, which are now perfectly visible on ultrasound. The kid does them irregularly. Doctors believe that this way the baby improves its blood circulation, since during such movements the pressure inside the abdominal cavity decreases and the blood flow into the vena cava increases. Also, respiratory movements at 28 weeks actively prepare the lungs and bronchi for future spontaneous breathing.
All major parts of the central and peripheral nervous systems are formed. The development of the brain proceeds most intensively. Now centers have been formed in it, which will subsequently be responsible for thinking, analytical skills, speech perception, and images. The functional component of the thermoregulation center is laid.
New neurons are produced in huge numbers every hour. They build new neural and neuromuscular connections, connecting muscles with the brain, so the baby is already quite good for its age to control the movements of the arms and head.
The brain is now interconnected with the adrenal cortex, the child has its own hormonal background, and growth hormones are one of the first to be synthesized.
In a baby, one of the hemispheres already prevails over the other. If he prefers to suck on the cam of the right handle more often, he is already right-handed, if with the left - left-handed. In rare cases, ambidexters are born - people who are equally good at using both the right and left hand.
The brain is already receiving signals from the senses. The kid listens and hears how the mother's body sounds from the inside, he especially likes her voice and the beat of her heart.
External sounds can hardly be heard: the thick abdominal wall, placenta, amniotic fluid interfere. But the baby is able to hear something - loud bangs, calls, loud voices, music. The kid becomes less fearful than a week earlier, he gradually gets used to sounds from the outside.
The optic nerve begins to send the first images to the brain. While these are colored spots of different sizes. But now the baby "understands" the danger of bright light: the corresponding reflex makes him close his eyes if a strong beam of light is directed at the pregnant woman's belly.
The sense of smell is practically formed, the touch of the baby has mastered a long time ago. From 28 weeks, he becomes more picky about "food" - taste buds are improved. Now the child has access to subtle nuances of tastes.
The baby sleeps about 21-22 hours a day. He sees dreams, since his REM sleep phase is already recorded in hardware. The baby is very sensitive to maternal emotions and experiences, so now it is very important to protect the expectant mother from stress and shock.
Internal organ development
All internal organs of the baby are working normally. They are formed and now only increase in size. Digestion is established: the baby drinks amniotic fluid, lanugo and the epithelial cells that are present in it are not digested and are sent directly to the intestines, where, mixing with bile, they become the basis of the original feces - meconium.
The baby will empty the intestines after birth. In some cases, intrauterine defecation occurs. It is usually associated with severe fetal hypoxia, and meconium in the waters is the basis for early delivery.
The baby's heart pumps over 20 liters of blood per day, works like a clock, the normal heart rate at 28 weeks of gestation is 140-169 beats per minute. All blood vessels are fully formed... The baby develops all the structural blood cells. The kidneys are busy producing urine, the baby pees once an hour or a little less often.
The most global processes this week take place in the baby's respiratory organs. In the lungs, the formation of alveoli - small bubbles - direct participants in gas exchange is completed. To prevent their walls from sticking together after the first exhalation, a special substance is needed - a surfactant. Immature alveoli are now engaged in its production.
The more a crumb accumulates a surfactant by the time of its birth, the more chances of survival it will have. A common cause of death in premature babies is acute respiratory failure, which develops due to a small amount of surfactant.
Viability
7 month old babies survive very well if they are born prematurely. Everyone knows about this, even people who are far from medicine. If childbirth occurs at 28 weeks, the baby will be considered exactly seven months old. About 95% of babies turn out to be viable at this time.
According to the medical classification of prematurity, they are considered deeply premature, and for a certain time they will need a special incubator. In it, the child will "ripen", receive oxygen and warm up, since the amount of subcutaneous tissue that has accumulated in the child by the 28th week is not enough for the body to keep warm.
In the incubator, the baby will have to spend as much time as it takes for him to gain 1 kg 700 grams in weight. Then the baby will be transferred to a heated bed, and when his weight exceeds 2 kilograms, the baby and mother will go home.
Those born at the 28th week of pregnancy have not only high chances of survival, but also slightly reduced risks for the development of pathologies of the nervous system, although this option cannot be completely ruled out: an immature nervous system can present a lot of unpleasant "surprises" that no one will undertake to calculate and predict even the most experienced doctor.
Your baby is on ultrasound
A referral for an ultrasound scan at 28 weeks of gestation is issued only for special medical reasons, which include the threat of premature birth, suspicions of fetal distress, pathology of the placenta.
If a pregnant woman just wants to admire her baby, and gynecologists often joke that the best medicine for a future mother is ultrasound, then she can do this on a paid basis in any clinic that offers such diagnostic services.
Whether it is harmful or not to do an ultrasound scan during pregnancy is often a controversial issue. There are many reasons for different answers to this question. There is no official harm from ultrasound.
Opponents of the study point out that the effects of ultrasound are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this question remains at the discretion of the pregnant woman herself and her family members.
If, nevertheless, an ultrasound is planned to be done at week 28, you should know what the norms of the baby's development are on average typical for the current week:
- BPR - 65-79 mm;
- LZR - 83-99 mm;
- DBK - 49-57 mm;
- DCG (tibia or length of the tibia) - 45-53 mm;
- DCT (length of the shoulder bones) - 45-53 mm;
- Head circumference - 245-275 mm;
- Abdominal circumference - 220-280 mm.
The placenta is now 22-37 mm thick, most often 28-29 mm. Her degree of maturity this week is normal - zero. In case of premature aging of the placenta, a woman is prescribed a special treatment, which is designed to maintain the “child's place” in a functional state as long as possible.
Dangers and risks
A woman's immunity is greatly reduced, and it is this reason that becomes the main risk factor at the 28th week of pregnancy. At the very beginning of pregnancy, a decrease in immune protection is indispensable: this mechanism is provided so that the mother's immunity does not reject the embryo. As a result, by the middle of pregnancy, immunity decreases by about 30%, and by 28 weeks it becomes even weaker.
This creates a real threat of infection with flu or ARVI, other viral and bacterial infections. Even a common cold can haunt a woman more often and be more severe than usual. Often women at this time are faced with angina, conjunctivitis, rhinitis and bronchitis.
By themselves, these ailments for the baby are no longer as dangerous as it was at the very beginning of the gestation period. It is much more dangerous for a woman and a child now to try to treat a runny nose or to reduce fever with folk remedies or drugs, the reception of which is not agreed with the doctor.
The danger of premature birth can lie in wait for any woman, not only pregnant women at risk of miscarriage, isthmic-cervical insufficiency, etc.
To reduce the likelihood of the onset of labor at such an early date for this period will help a correct lifestyle and a woman's attentive attitude to her health and the need to follow the recommendations.
Now you should avoid sudden movements, injuries, heavy lifting and unbearable physical exertion. In case of deterioration of health, you should immediately consult a doctor: in many cases, preterm labor can be stopped in a hospital with the help of medication. Such a pregnant woman will have to stay for several weeks under the supervision of doctors.
Improper nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle and pressure of the uterus on the intestines and the lower vena cava at this time can cause symptoms of hemorrhoids - itching in the anus, pain during bowel movements, burning, blood during bowel movements. You don't need to endure them: in the third trimester, you can use a fairly wide range of medications for this delicate ailment. A doctor may recommend a specific remedy.
Analyzes and examinations
At the 28th week of pregnancy, a full examination is required for women who go on maternity leave - expectant mothers of twins or triplets. For other women, as before, only a general blood test is recommended, which will show if the woman has gestational diabetes and anemia, and a general urine test, by which the doctor will assess the work of the pregnant woman's kidneys and make sure that she does not have preeclampsia.
Rh-negative women this week have a blood test for an antibody titer, if the test was not done a week ago, and if necessary, an anti-Rh immunoglobulin is administered.
If the child's condition inspires concern, there are suspicions of fetal hypoxia or other disorders in its development, the first CTG (cardiotocography) may be prescribed this week.
Recommendations for expectant mothers
At the 28th week of pregnancy, a woman's diet should become more high-calorie - the need for calories increases to 3200 Kcal. This does not mean that you can now eat fried and fatty foods.
It is recommended to increase the calorie content through dairy products, vegetable salads with vegetable oil, and whole grain bread. Other recommendations relevant for this period are as follows.
- Plan to go on maternity leave, try to transfer all cases to colleagues, do not leave unfinished business and unresolved issues. You are entitled to sick leave from 30 weeks. You can calculate the amount of maternity payments taking into account income for the last two years using special calculators.
- Going on vacation or traveling to gain strength before childbirth, be sure to check with the airline company if you need a doctor's certificate that the flight does not threaten your health. Usually, such certificates are required from all expectant mothers starting from the 28th week of pregnancy.
- If you suffer from insomnia, get a special pillow for pregnant women. It allows you to comfortably place your now-big belly, the quality of sleep will improve slightly. Also, walk more in the fresh air, do not neglect the evening walk before bed.
- Start doing Kegel exercises - a set of exercises for training the pelvic muscles, which will be a good preparation for childbirth. Moreover, such gymnastics significantly improves the quality of sex. Before starting classes, be sure to check with your doctor if you have any contraindications to it.
- Sex itself at 28 weeks is not prohibited if the pregnancy proceeds without complications and threats. But now he demands from partners a more reverent attitude towards the position of a woman. Anal sex, positions in which pressure is exerted on the abdomen, as well as positions with deep penetration are contraindicated.
- If the child's dowry has not yet been prepared, you can go shopping this week. The pregnant woman still has the strength for this, a trip to the store will not turn into a continuous torment. If you put it off until a later date, you will have to make purchases with the last effort.
- Remember that your little one feels everything. Read fairy tales and sing songs to him, watch good films in which there are no bloody scenes and violence, listen to soft, pleasant music: good taste and a sense of beauty are already being formed. Avoid scandals, screams, swearing, negativity and stress.
- Follow the rules of personal hygiene. Sweating, a large amount of secretions, reduced immunity are good prerequisites for the development of infectious diseases, as well as the recurrence of chronic diseases.
- Be sure to enter "quiet hour" into your mode. An hour and a half of daytime sleep will help a woman more easily endure all the hardships of the third trimester.
Reviews of pregnant women
Women, who at 28 weeks decided to take another vacation before maternity leave, note that the vacation at sea, which the whole family has been waiting for so long, is sheer torment for the expectant mother. It's already uncomfortable in a swimsuit, you can't lie in the sun for a long time, you want to eat all the time, and going on excursions in order to somehow distract yourself from the buffet is already difficult.
Many recommend not going to the sea, but to any resort town with good and fresh air, for example, to Pyatigorsk. Resting there will be more beneficial.
Women compare their health to space flight, the state of a seal, a whale. The clumsiness of many begins to annoy. Edema and varicose veins are frequent "satellites" of this week. Among non-standard questions, most often women are concerned about whether it is now possible to cut and dye their hair. A haircut is permissible, but it is better to wait with dyeing your hair.
About what happens to the fetus and the expectant mother at the 28th week of pregnancy, see the next video.
