Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Your Baby in Week 28 of Pregnancy

• Your baby weighs close to three pounds by the end of week 28 of pregnancy! They are putting the pounds on quickly towards the last few weeks now that all systems are “go.” The focus on their growth is on weight and strength now. Since they are putting on more weight, you will too! Never fear, though. Weight is a good thing as long as you are careful and eating healthy foods for you and your little one. Other things that weigh three pounds are a kitten, a small puppy, two loaves of bread, and a large jar of peanut butter!
  

• The eyes are now completely formed in their sockets around week 28 of pregnancy. They will have all of the necessary parts to see when they are born – the lens, the cornea, the retina, the iris and all of the protective fluid. They won’t see too clearly, however, as their focus, depth perception and peripheral vision will take months to develop after they are born.
  

• Your baby’s eyelashes and eyebrows are all grown in by week 28 of pregnancy. No matter how hard it might be to the naked eye, a 3D/4D ultrasound would pick up traces and the shape of the brows and lashes. When their pigmentation comes in for their hair on their head, their eyelashes and eyebrows will change color also. Pretty soon, your baby will be batting those eyelashes and you won’t be able to resist whatever request they may have.
  

• The hair on your baby’s head may be getting thicker or longer, or even both around week 28 of pregnancy! Many babies are born with a thick head of hair that can even be dark colored at birth. The hair may be an inch or two long and shaggy looking. Other babies can be born with what looks like hardly a lick of hair. In reality, it is probably just blonde and very short. Almost all babies are born with at least a little bit of hair. If you have had a recent ultrasound, you may be able to tell exactly how much hair (or not) is on that precious little head.
  

• All of your baby’s movements are becoming organized around week 28 of pregnancy. No longer are they just moving reflexively, now they can actually control some of their movements. The brain has connected to enough of their senses, muscles and ligaments to know and feel when they want to move. Now if the taste of garlic enters their mouth, they can frown in response. If a light shines into the uterus, they may blink and squint in response to the intrusion. If they become tired, they may yawn. If they want to move their foot, they will move their foot, and of course, you will probably feel their foot move.
  

• The pigment in the iris is present during week 28 of pregnancy. For Caucasian babies, the iris usually starts out blue, but then changes shortly after birth. The true color may not show for six months or more after birth at which time they may become hazel, gray, green, light brown, or even another color. Babies of black and Latino heritage will usually be born brown, unless one parent is Caucasian, which increases, but not guarantees, that their eyes will be blue when they are born.
  

• Babies born now have a great chance of survival with help. Medical advances in the neo-natal field are so great with babies born pre-term that the survival rate is very high, even if born this early. Take a deep breath and know that your work is not done yet, but your baby is getting safer and healthier each day.