You may feel a
little bored and back-achey at this stage of pregnancy, but there are plenty of
positive ways to take your mind off things. For example, you could start to
make enquiries about breast-feeding classes, plan your maternity leave, and
draw up lists of baby essentials, such as diapers, a changing mat, onesies,
bibs, and baby wipes, and perhaps buy a couple of items each week. This is a
great time to start the nesting process, and ready your home for your baby.
Symptoms
and Body Changes at 29 Weeks
As your hormones continue to
fluctuate, you will experience skin rashes, dryness, and intense itching. Try
to refrain from scratching your skin, and keep it moisturized. Severe skin
rashes may indicate a medical problem, and should be evaluated by your
physician. You may experience mood swings, and you may
feel fatigued due to the amount of weight you are gaining. This is normal, as
you have likely gained close to 24 pounds by this point. As you learn new ways
to walk, sit, stand, and sleep, try taking warm baths to relax your muscles and
help you get through some of the aches and pains. Varicose veins may
begin to form on your legs, and this too is normal. Use compression stockings
and elevate your feet to minimize this. You’re probably still feeling all the
pregnancy symptoms you felt last week. Hang in there, Mom; only a couple of
months to go!
Your Body
The top of
your uterus is four inches above your belly button, crowding your ribs and
diaphragm and leaving you breathless. It's also pressing against your bladder,
which is why you're making so many trips to the bathroom once again. The
placenta, which is flat and round like a cake and delivers oxygen and nutrients
to the baby, is also getting bigger; next week, it will weigh 15 ounces. Your
baby may be in a head-down position already, prepared for birth. Even if he's
in a bottom-down position (called breech), there's still time for him to turn.
When he does, he'll drop lower in your abdomen, his head engaging within the
pelvic bones at the birth canal.
Your Baby
Every day,
your little one is looking more like a full-grown baby than a fetus. By the end
of this week, he'll weigh about 2 3/4 pounds. For the rest of the trimester,
he'll be bulking up and gaining approximately half a pound a week; between now
and his birthday, he'll double or even triple in weight. His kicks and jabs are
more vigorous now, and you feel like he's moving all the time.
During the twenty-ninth week, your
baby’s kicks and punches may be so hard that they take your breath away, and
they may cause severe pain. The movements and kicks are happening frequently at
this point, which are goods signs that the baby is doing well. Sometimes
these kicks and movements can cause rib pain, pelvic pain, and unintentional
loss of urine. This high activity does not usually last throughout
the pregnancy and will become less frequent as the baby grows and has more
limited space to move around.
Your baby is continuing to grow,
weighing close to three pounds and stretching to over a foot long. You may
notice that this growth is causing increased hunger, as your baby uses most of
the nutrients you consume to grow more. You may feel like you need to eat again
after a meal, but fight this temptation and trust that your baby is receiving
all the nutrients it needs. Rapid brain development began last week and
continues this week. The muscles and lungs continue to mature, and hearing has
improved greatly.
Do's and Don'ts
Do feast
on fatty foods, just not the ice-cream-and-greasy-bacon type. A
"good" type of fat, called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), helps brain
and nerve cells develop. DHA can be found in canola, flaxseed, and walnut
oils--and in fatty fish like salmon. Try using walnut oil in your salad
dressing.
Health
Although
you're months away from giving birth, read as much as you can about labor and
delivery. Studies show that if you understand how labor works, you may feel you
have more control over the process. In turn, you'll be less fearful and may not
feel the pain as strongly as you would if you were feeling vulnerable and
uninformed. Knowledge truly is power. So get the Real Poop on Labor. Sorry,
Mama. Someone has to tell you the truth about childbirth. (Hint: it's messy.)
Shopping
Your
growing breasts need support, especially when you're working out, so be sure to
pick a good sports bra to wear for the rest of your pregnancy. Try on a few
before making a final purchase to guarantee you get the best fit and in a
fabric that doesn't chafe.
Exercise
Ask your
doctor how to check your rectus abdominus, the central muscle that runs down
the front of the abdomen and supports the back. During pregnancy it may
separate by more than the width of two finger lengths, but don't worry--the gap
usually disappears after birth. Note that you should not be doing exercises
that work the abdomen at this stage.
Relationships
As you
attend childbirth classes, let your partner know which strategies sound
appealing to you and which ones put you off. Practice what you learn at home
and give him plenty of feedback so he'll have a hefty bag of tricks once you're
in labor and need his support.
Siblings
Ask your
child for help as you check off tasks on your to-do list. Put her to work
folding baby clothes or coming up with ways to arrange the nursery.
Twins
Now that
you're in the third trimester, check with your midwife or doctor to make sure
it's still safe to have sex. Moms carrying twins should be more careful than
usual since their pregnancies are considered high risk.
