- Preparing for Pregnancy
- Diet and Exercise
- Emotional Wellbeing
- Health
- Antenatal Care
- Preganancy at 1-3 Weeks
- Preganancy at 4 Weeks
- Preganancy at 5 Weeks
- Preganancy at 6 Weeks
- Preganancy at 7 Weeks
- Preganancy at 8 Weeks
- Preganancy at 9 Weeks
- Preganancy at 10 Weeks
- Preganancy at 11 Weeks
- Preganancy at 12 Weeks
- Preganancy at 13 Weeks
- Preganancy at 14 Weeks
- Preganancy at 15 Weeks
- Preganancy at 16 Weeks
- Preganancy at 17 Weeks
- Preganancy at 18 Weeks
- Preganancy at 19 Weeks
- Preganancy at 20 Weeks
- Preganancy at 21 Weeks
- Preganancy at 22 Weeks
- Preganancy at 23 Weeks
- Preganancy at 24 Weeks
- Preganancy at 25 Weeks
- Preganancy at 26 Weeks
- Preganancy at 27 Weeks
- Preganancy at 28 Weeks
- Preganancy at 29 Weeks
- Preganancy at 30 Weeks
- Preganancy at 31 Weeks
- Preganancy at 32 Weeks
- Preganancy at 33 Weeks
- Preganancy at 34 Weeks
- Preganancy at 35 Weeks
- Preganancy at 36 Weeks
- Preganancy at 37 Weeks
- Preganancy at 38 Weeks
- Preganancy at 39 Weeks
- Preganancy at 40 Weeks
- Labour and Birth
- The First Few Days
Pregnancy at 28 Weeks
You may feel more in touch with your baby now, recognizing her wakeful times and the sort of sounds that she likes. You may feel that she is responding to your moods. Indeed there is evidence to show that the mother's hormones (for example the stress hormone, Cortisol) do actually cross the placenta so your baby may be relaxed or agitated according to how you feel.
Development
Most of the smaller airways and tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your baby's lungs have developed. The amount of fat on her body is increasing, making it easier for your midwife or doctor to identify the position that she is in when they feel your abdomen. However, she still needs to develop substantially more subcutaneous fat in order to be able to regulate her own temperature when she is outside of the uterus.
In baby boys, the testicles may have descended into the scrotum by now, although, in some cases, this will not happen until after they are born.
Appearance
Your baby's head is more in proportion with the rest of her body. Her hair, although still fine, is growing longer. The lanugo gradually starts to disappear, remaining only in a few patches around her neck and shoulders. Her skin is damp and shiny, well covered now with white vernix, and is generally looks less wrinkled, becoming plumper every day.
Movement
Your baby may move around, making your bump heave and bulge, to show you that she is uncomfortable with the way you are sitting and lying. At other times a loud noise might startle her.
She may respond to chemicals and hormones from your body, which enter her bloodstream via the placenta and umbilical cord.