28 weeks pregnant

What to expect this week

What's happening in week 28

Week 28 and your baby is continuing to put on weight, wriggle around, and enjoy snoozing!

Your baby at week 28

Your baby weighs around 2.5lbs now, is around 38cm long and is perfectly formed.

Its little heartbeat is so strong that your partner might be able to hear it if they put their ear on your bump! Baby's heart beat can also be picked up by a doctor's stethoscope now, and not just the Doppler which your midwife uses to listen with at your antenatal appointments.

Your baby can now blink their eyes, and their eyesight has developed to the point where they will be able to see your face when breastfeeding!

Their brains is also continuing its development ready for the outside world and the thalamocortical complex begins to be active. This is the part of the brain thought to be responsible for consciousness and is an important part of the brains development!

Your baby is continuing to pad out, and is gaining weight quickly, and although they look like a perfect little baby already, they will put on quite a few more pounds before birth.

You at 28 weeks pregnant

You are no doubt thinking more and more about your baby's birth now – maybe even having dreams about it! It is entirely normal to have fears and worries about how you'll cope in labour, but all your friends who are already mums will be able to reassure you that you just WILL! Chatting to your pals who already have a baby could be really useful in these last months and help you make informed choices about the kind of birth you hope to have.
Your midwife will also be happy to talk to you about all your options, so make the most of your antenatal appointments to get as much information as you can about what your hospital offers on their maternity unit, and what you would need to source yourself should you wish to use it (such as a birthing ball, or a TENS unit) during labour.

What to think about in week 28

Have you thought about how you might record your labour and birth? Will you want your birth partner to take any photos, or even video your baby's arrival? Have you got your camera and spare batteries listed on your hospital bag packing list? Don't rely on your phone camera for those first images – it might run out of charge or the quality might be too poor to turn into lovely printable photos.
Ask your first visitors to take lots of snaps too – you might be too wrapped up gazing adoringly at your perfect little bundle in those first precious hours to remember to photograph them!