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What Happens in the 7th Month of Pregnancy?

Now that you are 7 months or 28 weeks pregnant, things are happening rapidly. As you enter your third trimester of pregnancy, your unborn child is already preparing for life outside the womb. They can now smell more scents and their growing size will lead you to gain more weight. Nourish yourself and support these big changes in your developing baby by maintaining a well-balanced diet that includes more protein and DHA sources in your meal plan.

Common Symptoms When You’re 28 Weeks Pregnant28 weeks pregnant

Around the time you are 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may already have moved to a position in preparation for delivery. Some babies do so around week 30, while others never move into this position1. But don’t worry just yet; there is still plenty of time.

As the big day approaches, doctor’s visits will become more frequent. Your doctor will likely check for gestational diabetes and anemia for you and your baby’s safety.

At 7 months pregnant, you will experience more of the same symptoms as earlier in your pregnancy such as:

  • Constipation and gas

  • Backaches

  • Leg cramps

  • Insomnia1

  • Breast growth and leakage of colostrum

  • Heartburn

Some symptoms may worsen, such as frequent urination, as your baby’s new position causes them to press against your bladder.

At 28 weeks pregnant, it’s also a good idea to learn the difference between Braxton-Hicks contractions and actual labour. Braxton-Hicks contractions are practice contractions where you will feel the muscles in your uterus tighten for 30 to 60 seconds. Real labor pains are more intense and last longer. Contractions also occur regularly and closer together. Call your doctor if you feel contractions like these.

Your Developing Baby at 28 Weeks: Reacting to Smells Outside of the Womb

It’s hard to keep up with so many developments taking place in weeks 27 to 30 of your pregnancy.

When you’re 7 months pregnant, your developing baby’s olfactory neurons, the nerve cells that relate to smell and transmit signals to the brain, are already developed. Now, they can also detect odors. 

Around the time you are 28 weeks pregnant, your developing baby will even react to strong smells by grimacing or moving their head. This acute sense of smell also means that they will be able to recognise and be comforted by your familiar smell when they enter the world.

Planning Meals for You and Your Developing Baby

Along with sensory development, your developing baby is also growing in physical size. They would have more than tripled in size in these last few months and now weigh up to 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) and measure 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) in length.

Your developing baby is also beginning to put on baby fat, which will probably add to the cute factor when you finally see them! These layers of fat are designed to help your child maintain their body temperature after delivery2. And they will also be used to store energy.

In addition, your baby’s body is being coated with a waxy substance called vernix caseosa, which protects the skin. 

All this growth from your baby adds to your weight as well, and you may gain between 10 to 18 pounds (4.5 to 8 kilograms) this trimester. This translates to roughly 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) each week.

Your developing baby’s increasing size may be starting to make it uncomfortable for you to stick to your routine of eating 3 regular meals daily, so opt for 5 or 6 light meals or snacks throughout the day3.

Check your dietary plan and include important nutrients such as calcium and protein, which can be found in:

  • lean meat

  • soybeans

  • legumes like peas and beans

  • fish

  • broccoli4

Did You Know?

Your developing baby's hearing is fully developed by the time you are 28 weeks pregnant. Their other senses are very developed too, and they will respond to sounds, changes in light, and pain5.

What Does Your Developing Baby Look Like?

Part of your developing baby’s growth in physique is the increasing size of their head. Your developing baby’s gestation when you’re 28 weeks pregnant is a particularly busy time for brain development. To support this growth, take DHA, an omega-3 fat that supports his rapid brain development. Eating walnuts or adding ground flaxseeds to yoghurt is an easy way to enrich your diet with DHA.

In line with this brain development, did you know that in this third trimester, your baby may have started dreaming? During this period, your developing baby’s brain waves show rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which means they may be dreaming6.

You may even be doing your own daydreaming about your developing baby’s personality based on their behaviour in your womb. For instance, is your little one super active or mostly calm?

While you’re dreaming of what your developing baby would look like or what their personality might be in the future, your body is working on its own to pass the antibodies in your blood to your developing baby. Find out how your developing baby benefits from your antibodies in Pregnancy Stages: Month 8.

Your developing baby can’t wait to see you too! You’ve been feeling their kicks since last month, which may be their way of making their presence felt. Read more about Pregnancy Stages: Month 6 to revisit those moments in development and see how much your developing baby has progressed.

Good nutrition and supplements through the previous months of your pregnancy has certainly helped your progress as well as your developing baby’s, although you may find it more difficult to have full meals in this last trimester due to your baby’s current size.

Incorporating Enfamama A+ into your diet during pregnancy

Pregnant and lactating moms have increased nutritional needs to support both mom and developing baby in this crucial period.

With over 100 years of experience in pediatric nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition has designed Enfamama A+ with 360º DHA PLUS, a high quality milk supplement specially formulated for pregnant and lactating moms.

It contains 52% higher DHA and 24% higher choline compared to previous formulation, and essential nutrients folic acid, iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamin B6 which are important for your developing baby.

Try Enfamama A+ with 360º DHA PLUS by requesting a free sample here.

Want to learn more about how your developing baby will develop over your pregnancy – plus, nutritional advice for you and your developing baby, online support and more? Sign up for Enfamama A+ Club to receive new articles, useful tips and rewards that can help you and your developing baby!

 

Expert Resource:
Dr. Raymond Choy Wai Mun
(MCR 18097A)
MBChB (UK), Aviation Medicine (Singapore)

REFERENCES:

  1. 28 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Tips, and More, https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/28-weeks-pregnant#your-body, Accessed 20 November 2020
  2. Month 7: May feel painless contractions, http://www.baby2see.com/development/month7.html, Accessed October 2015
  3. March of Dimes. Heartburn and indigestion, http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/heartburn-and-indigestion.aspx., Accessed October 2015
  4. Food Standards Agency UK. Eating while pregnant, http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/publication/e…, Accessed October 2015
  5. Your Baby's Growth and Development In the Third Trimester of Pregnancy, http://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-your-babys-growth-development-months, Accessed October 2015
  6. Your Pregnancy Week by Week: Weeks 26-30, http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-26-30?, Accessed October 2015
What Happens in the 7th Month of Pregnancy?