Newsletter from Essential Baby - Week 29
Your Baby.

Fetal size: crown-rump 26cm (10.4 inches), crown-toe 38cm(16.7inches). Fetal weight: 1,25kg (2.7 pounds). Over the last 5 weeks your baby has doubled its weight. Your baby grows so quickly that even a few weeks growth will have a big effect on your baby's size.
A baby born between 37 and 42 weeks is considered term, and is fully mature at birth. A baby born prior to 37 weeks is considered to be premature, and requires specialist medical attention. Today, rapid medical intervention has enabled babies born as early as 25 weeks to survive, although they face many possible complications and weeks in hospital.
The further a pregnancy develops the higher the chances of a better outcome for mother and baby. Each pregnancy is treated individually. For example, a baby born at 36 weeks may have no problems what so ever, or on the other hand it may require short-term oxygen and assistance with feeding.
Your Pregnancy.

Your weight gain up to and including Week 29 should be between 7 and 11 kilos (15-25 pounds).
If you go into premature labour, the most common form of treatment is bed rest. Best rest is often effective in stopping contractions and threatened premature labour. Sometimes drugs are used to suppress premature labour - they relax the muscles and decrease contractions.

If you have experienced threatened premature labour, you will be visiting your health care professional more frequently for the rest of your pregnancy. You and your baby will probably be monitored using ultrasound, along with recordings of your baby's heart rate and your contractions. If premature labour cannot be stopped, your baby will be delivered.
If you haven't already considered names for your baby, now is as good a time as any to start thinking about it.