28 weeks pregnant

BREATHE EASY

Now you're entering your third trimester, your baby is putting on weight rapidly by storing fat under their skin, and their lungs are developed enough that they could breathe air if they were to be born early. Gestational diabetes may be diagnosed in some women in the third trimester. Find out what lifestyle changes might help if this happens.

Your baby's development at 28 weeks

Laying down fat in week 28

By the time you’re 28 weeks pregnant, your baby is fully formed and weighs just over 2lbs. With the majority of their body systems working well, much of their development now centres around growth. Part of this involves laying down the fat stores that will keep them warm after birth.

Your baby is so well developed at this stage that if they were born now, their lungs would be capable of breathing air, albeit with the help of a ventilator.

By week 28, your baby’s lungs are developed enough to breathe air.

Have you heard your baby’s heartbeat recently? As your antenatal appointments become more frequent, your midwife will be checking it more often and you may be able to listen in, either through an ultrasound or a stethoscope. Their heart rate has slowed to around 140 beats per minute at this stage, and your partner may even be able to hear it by putting an ear to your abdomen.

As your baby grows, they have less space in your womb to move around, so you’ll probably feel even the smallest stretch or kick.

Gestational diabetes

Keeping a balanced diet while you’re pregnant is vital to ensure your baby gets all the nutrients they need to develop healthily. It’s important for your own health too. Some women develop gestational diabetes while they’re pregnant, usually in their third trimester. There are a number of reasons why some women may be more likely to develop this condition than others, including being overweight and having a body mass index of over 30kg/m² before pregnancy.

Some women develop gestational diabetes while they’re pregnant, usually in their third trimester

Having gestational diabetes means your body can’t produce enough of a hormone called insulin which controls glucose levels in your blood. As a result, your blood sugar levels may become too high.

Your requirement for insulin increases during pregnancy because of the extra demands of your growing baby. Throughout your pregnancy you will have regular urine tests to check to see if there is any glucose in your urine which is a sign that your blood glucose level is high. If your glucose levels are too high, it’s more than likely that your gestational diabetes can be treated through a healthy diet and exercise, although some women are given medication. Leaving gestational diabetes untreated may lead to a risk of complications at the birth.

Find out more about gestational diabetes and how lifestyle changes can help.

NEXT STEPS

If you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you will be advised how best to manage it. Changes to your lifestyle could include:

Eating regularly – don’t skip meals
Choosing low-GI foods when possible (foods that are broken down more slowly by the body, helping to keep blood sugar levels more stable)
Eating more fruit and vegetables
Limiting your sugar intake
Consuming more unsaturated fats
Monitoring calorie intake