What's happening with your baby at 28 weeks
At 28 weeks, your baby is around 37–38 cm long and weighs roughly 1 kg (about 2.2 lb). Weight gain speeds up from here — expect steady increases week to week through the rest of the pregnancy.
Your baby's eyes can open and close now, and eyelashes are fully formed. The brain's surface is developing the grooves and folds that will continue right up until birth, and REM sleep cycles — the kind linked to dreaming — are underway.
Baby is likely moving into a head-down position by now, though there's still time and room to shift. You should be feeling a fairly consistent pattern of kicks, rolls, and hiccups most days.
What does 28 weeks pregnant feel like?
Third-trimester symptoms are ramping up. Backache, heartburn, leg cramps, restless legs at night, and swelling in your feet and ankles are all common as your uterus takes up more room.
Braxton Hicks contractions — brief, irregular tightening of the belly — often become noticeable around now. They're not labor, and changing position or drinking water usually settles them.
Some people notice mild shortness of breath as the uterus pushes up against the diaphragm, and colostrum (early breast milk) leaking is normal and not a sign anything is wrong. Sleep can get harder as your bump grows — that's typical, not a problem to fix.
What happens at your 28-week appointment?
This is usually when prenatal visits switch from monthly to every two weeks. Your provider will check your blood pressure, urine, fundal height, and baby's heart rate, and ask about movement patterns.
If you're Rh-negative, you'll typically be offered a RhoGAM injection around this week to prevent complications from Rh incompatibility in this or future pregnancies. If your glucose screening for gestational diabetes hasn't happened yet, it's usually done between 24 and 28 weeks.
This is a good visit to raise anything that's been bothering you — sleep, mood, pain, or anxiety about the birth. Nothing is too small to mention.
What to do this week
Start paying attention to your baby's movement pattern so you'll notice if it changes. Many providers suggest getting familiar with a daily kick count from here on.
If you're planning to take a childbirth education or breastfeeding class, now is a good time to book one — classes fill up and you'll want to finish before your due date. It's also a reasonable week to start maternity leave paperwork if your workplace requires notice.
If you haven't thought about a pediatrician yet, you have some time, but starting to ask around or research now takes the pressure off later.
When to call your provider
Call the same day if you notice a significant drop in your baby's movement compared to their usual pattern, or if you have vaginal bleeding, a severe or persistent headache, sudden vision changes, or sudden swelling in your face or hands.
Regular, painful contractions before 37 weeks, pelvic pressure that feels new and constant, or any fluid leaking from the vagina should also be checked promptly — these can be signs of preterm labor and are worth ruling out rather than waiting on.