Your Pregnancy - Week 29

Week 29 is the second week of your trimester, just 11 weeks or so until you meet your baby. 

Because your baby is chunking up now you might feel the same too. And your brain can sometimes struggle to keep up with your fast-changing body. It’s easy to focus on weight gain and forget that your body is doing an amazing thing. 

Your body is changing so your baby can grow and develop, try keeping this positive thought at the front of your mind. It’s a good idea to share your feelings and there’s no shame in expressing how difficult it can be to watch your body change. You might find it useful to connect with your body in different ways, through relaxation techniques, yoga or massage. 

We all know social media can be informative but don’t compare yourself to filtered, stylised images of pregnant gals who have a whole glam squad at their disposal. 

If body image is an issue for you then open up to your midwife or GP, there is mental health support out there. 

Read: Your pregnancy: Week 28

What does my baby look like?

Chicken on your shopping list this week? Well, your baby now weighs about 1.2kg, the same size as that small chuck you’ve picked up for your Sunday roast. Everything is now perfectly in place, your baby just needs a few weeks to finish growing and put on some more weight. 

If your baby was born today, they would have a layer of vernix and lanugo (the greasy stuff and fine hair), but it starts to vanish after this week. 

During appointments, your midwife will measure from your pubic bone up to the top of the uterus (your fundus) to check your baby is roughly where they’d expect at this stage. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong if you measure big or small, but it does give the doctors a heads up that you might need some more checks during the last trimester.

Why does everyone want to touch my bump? 

There’s one really weird thing that happens when you’re pregnant. Your body becomes open season for touching. You’ll get some random person walk up to you and talk to, rub or pat your pregnant tummy. And rightly so it freaks a lot of people out. 

How do you stop the bump touchers? 

• You could buy yourself this t-shirt* to send a clear message. 
• Ask people politely not to do it and if they don’t seem to understand ask them how they would feel about a stranger touching their body. 
• Develop a fierce don’t touch my bump face, usually puts most people off! 
• Or you can celebrate the loveliness and embrace the touches and well wishes. 

Either way, your body is your body and if you don’t like it tell people to stop. 

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Read: Your pregnancy - week 30