Pregnancy Week 28: Fetal Development, Third Trimester, Sciatic Nerve Pain & Nesting by 30Seconds Pregnancy

About Baby

Can you guess what fruit or vegetable your baby is the size of this week? If you guessed lettuce, you’re just winning at life right now. At 2 1/4 pounds and almost 15 inches long, Baby continues to add body fat to plump up her body. She’s blinking her eyes that are beginning to get color now, and she has eyelashes. She’s also beginning to get in the correct position for birth, which is head facing down toward the birth canal. Baby may be dreaming, too, when she sleeps. Maybe she’s dreaming about meeting her mama.

Photo: Baby at 28 weeks of development

About Mom

You have just entered the last quarter of the game – if your pregnancy was a football game. Yep, you’re in the home stretch. Welcome to the third trimester! Now, you’ll probably see your doctor or midwife every other week until week 36, when most moms-to-be start their weekly visits.

As your baby starts moving into the right position to be born, it can get on your nerves – literally. Baby’s head and your uterus may start pressing on your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back down the back of each leg. When you have pain from the sciatic nerve, it’s called sciatica. The pain can be in your lower back, hips, butt and legs. If you’re having sciatic pain, you can try:

• Applying heat through a heating pad, compress or warm bath.

• Doing gentle stretches.

• Resting and laying down as often as you can.

Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns. Here are more tips for your third trimester of pregnancy!

Are you counting those kicks now? If not, around 28 weeks of pregnancy is a good time to start. “Though strongly recommended for high-risk pregnancies, counting fetal movements beginning at 28 weeks may be beneficial for all pregnancies,” states the American Pregnancy Association. To do kick counts, pick a time when your baby is most active. For many women, that is in the morning or right after they’ve eaten something sweet or exercised. Here's how to count those baby kicks!

The Nesting Instinct

Can’t walk by a closet or drawer without wanting to organize it? Are all of Baby’s onesies stacked by color, size and type of material? You’re nesting! Nesting, a strong desire to get your house ready for your new baby, is real. Nesting “is common and is considered to be an instinct to prepare for birth,” states the American Pregnancy Association. Not all women will experience this nesting instinct, but many (many!) do. Here’s how some other women nested and prepared for their baby's arrival:

• “Aside from having the ‘perfect nursery,’ I felt like we had to have the perfect living room and play space for baby. So, we bought a new living room set that had a table with rounded corners (no sharp edges), new area rugs, etc. I felt like a mama bird feathering her nest, for sure!"

• "I ironed my unborn baby's clothes! I repeat, I ironed my baby's clothes. I still laugh about that."
  

• “What did I NOT do? I organized file cabinets (though I hate filing!), cleaned windows, steam cleaned cabinets (what??), vacuumed out the dryer lint catcher. Heck, I even vacuumed my curtains. Who vacuums curtains??”

• “Painted all of the inside doors in my house. They seemed dingy.”

• "Windows became my obsession. I wanted to see clearly outside from the baby's nursery. Spotty windows had never bothered me before. But starting in my third trimester, I cleaned windows probably every other day."

Here are even more pregnancy nesting stories!

Bump Talk

“It’s so strange how people can be judgmental when they see a pregnant woman dressed in high heels and tight dresses. Being pregnant shouldn’t make you feel less of a woman, but more of a woman!” – Julia Restoin Roitfeld, model 

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The information on 30Seconds.com is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice. The information provided through this site should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, and is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your personal healthcare provider.