29 Weeks Pregnant: Where'd I Leave My Keys?

Your Baby at 29 Weeks

Your baby is now between 15 and 17 inches long and is tipping the scales at 2.5 to 4 pounds. Their brain is developing neural connections, their liver is a little factory churning out lots of red blood cells, and your baby-to-be's bones are continuing to turn from soft cartilage to hard bone.

Size of Baby at 29 Weeks 

Your future firecracker is as big as a bottle of sriracha!

For the past several months, your baby’s weight gain was mostly from their brain, intestines, and vital organs—but now your baby-to-be is putting on a little fat. In fact, they've already popped out some chubby little cheeks! And by the time your bub is ready for their big day, they may even have chunky thighs and one or two cute little belly rolls. That extra pudge is actually their life preserver.

Fat is your baby-to-be's cozy coat keeping them warm. Remember, you’re tossing your baby out of a tropical, 98.6 degree womb-world, to a room-world that is 20 to 30 degrees colder…brrrr! Of course, some fat will also be “burned” to keep their body warm. And, some will sustain their body and brain over the first three to seven days, until your milk comes in.

Your baby is now beginning to shed their lanugo, that layer of fine hair that’s been growing on their face, ears, and back. Some of those hairs will get swallowed up with their frequent sips of amniotic fluid and form part of their first few sticky, dark bowel movements—called meconium.

Ah…and those hiccups. It turns out the jolty syncopations that you will feel from time to time are little warm-ups their diaphragm is doing to prep for the biggest, most important job they will have the first minute after birth…breathing.

29 weeks is how many months pregnant?

29 Weeks pregnant is approximately six months and one week.

29 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect

If you’re feeling an occasional uterine cramp, of course you should check with your doctor or midwife, but don’t panic. These are probably just the famous Braxton Hicks contractions.

Just as hiccups are your baby’s rehearsal of their big, birthday job…these practice labor contractions are probably your womb doing some calisthenics to tone and strengthen for your big birthday job.

Most parents-to-be have Braxton Hicks, but not everyone feels or notices them. Sometimes these are brought on by dehydration, so try drinking water and putting your feet up to see if they dissipate.

If the cramping is strong, you may worry that this is the start of real labor. In general, the rule is: Braxton Hicks go away if you change position, while real contractions won’t. And real contractions tend to intensify over time, rather than go away. However, you should always call your healthcare provider if you feel cramps, just to check in and make sure everything is normal. (More on how to tell the difference between real and false labor!)

Braxton Hicks contractions, plus constant peeing, plus body aches (swollen hands, back strain, etc.) may have you resting not-so-easy these days. And, a new problem may emerge…pregnancy brain. Some pregnant folks start to get forgetful and spacey. This is likely due to sleep deprivation, plus the surges of hormones swirling through your body. There’s not much you can do to “fix” pregnancy brain, but you can try to get extra sleep. And, you’ll find that note-taking and list-making will become very helpful tools.

29 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

Common symptoms during your 29th week of pregnancy include:

• Itchy belly
• Lightheadedness and/or dizziness
• Leg, hip, or back pain
  
• Hemorrhoids
• Constipation
• Difficulty sleeping
• Frequent urination

29 Weeks Pregnant To-Do List

• Carbon monoxide alarm: Install a carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home—ideally, in or near where your family sleeps. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that is more dangerous for babies than adults. If you already have alarms, check them regularly and keep extra batteries handy. More home safety tips.
  
• Get your car seat: Obviously, you will get a good car seat (get a new one). But, the harder job is installing your car seat properly. Don’t be shy about asking for help from a car seat safety expert. Amazingly, 50% of parents do it incorrectly!
  
• Hope for perfection, plan for problems: Newborn health issues are pretty common, but not all hospitals are equipped to care for sick babies. Ask your doctor or midwife what hospital is best at handling such problems. Even if you’re giving birth at home or a birth center, do your homework and ask about the facilities nearby…just in case.
  
• Diaper decisions: Wet diapers, poopy diapers and handling little skid marks will soon be as much a part of your daily routine…as checking your texts! So, it’s worth considering what type of diapers you want to use. Disposable paper diapers—with a plastic liner—are the norm, but 20 billion diapers (3.4 million tons) are tossed every year…using millions of trees and adding a huge amount to landfills. Another option is cloth diapers. You can buy a pack of 20-40 or use a local diaper service. Or—to save a little some money and reduce your enviro impact—you might do both: Use organic, bio-degradable disposables for the first month (when babies usually have lots of big, gooey poops), then use mostly cloth once pooing slows and peeing becomes the main deal. Get more diaper deets! 
  

Pregnancy Quote of the Week

Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.— E.B. White

28 Weeks Pregnant | 30 Weeks Pregnant

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.