The Pregnancy Podcast: 40 Weeks – Week 28
Why this podcast?
I have featured the amazing Pregnancy Podcast once or twice, ok maybe a few more times than that, but I realised I had never featured an episode from the 40 Weeks section.
This series of podcast episodes gives you the lowdown on what both you and your baby are experiencing in each week of your pregnancy. I love the fact that it goes from 0 right through to 42 weeks because, as we all know, most babies do not arrive on their ‘due dates’.
Why this episode?
I couldn’t decide which week to choose but then I found one entitled ”Your Baby is Dreaming” and I couldn’t resist!
The episode
This episode, like all of the 40 weeks episodes, is super short, four minutes to be exact. I think it’s great that they give you a bit more information than a simple, ‘your baby is now the size of an orange’ but that they are still definitely short enough to listen to each week.
Having said that, Vanessa does begin the episode by informing the listener that their baby is now the size of a Kabocha squash. Luckily, she also lets you know what this means in terms of length and weight if, like me, you have no idea what a Kabocha squash is.
Each episode begins by talking about whats going on with your baby, moves on to what’s happening with you and, I love this, ends with a tip for your partner.
Baby
I love that Vanessa talks about the idea that, at this stage, your baby may be dreaming. Researchers who measured brain wave activity in developing babies saw that they went through different sleep cycles including REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep which is when we dream.
Your baby, at this stage, can open and close their eyes and Vanessa points out that those eyes now have teeny tiny little eyelashes which I think is just amazing to try to imagine!
I love love, love that Vanessa underlines how important it is to ask questions at your prenatal appointments. The third trimester is when you will start to see your care provider more often so use this time to find out everything that you want to know and, whenever possible, take your partner with you!
You
At twenty-eight weeks your uterus has grown to 3 inches (7.6cm) above your belly button and is pressing against the tubes that go between your kidneys and bladder. This will slow down your urine flow.
A higher level of the hormone progesterone also means that it is harder for your urinary system to flush out bacteria and this makes you more prone to Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).
If you notice pain or a burning sensation when you pee it is super important to inform your care provider immediately.
Signing up for a birth class, if you haven’t already, could be good to do at this stage of your pregnancy. The more information you have the more informed your decisions will be.
Tip for your partner
Your pregnant partner will probably have to pee……a lot! Be understanding, especially if you need to pull the car over multiple times so they can find a bathroom.
To wrap up
That was a pretty short and sweet post about a pretty short and sweet episode but I think I hit the high notes. I didn’t cover absolutely everything so if you’d like to discover a few more things about what your baby is doing at this stage I encourage you to listen to this episode and maybe the ones that follow too!
Emily Wills is a doula based in Stockholm. She believes that birth can be a beautiful and empowering experience and started this blog as a way of sharing some really great podcasts. She is also a mother of three and an enthusiastic runner.