Week 28: I'm making blood, fat & hormones!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 28

~length
14.8 in | 37.5 cm

~weight
2.2 lbs | 1 kg

You know how you’ve been feeling like a whale with legs?

To state the obvious, that feeling isn't going anywhere until you finally get down to the hard work (aka labor) of evicting your womb-squatter.

For the time being, your little genius is in the fat collection business!

Despite being a bipedal whale, this fetal fat collection stuff is serious business, and you’ve got to put up with it because it’s going to keep your little porker warm and healthy after birth, since their brain will be unable to regulate their tiny baby-body's temperature.

Other good stuff from inside the womb: your little explorer's eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now responding to light and dark!

And in life-critical physical developments: your champ's tiny industrious bone marrow is now a major construction site for blood cells, while their super-cute adrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen — which will stimulate your body to begin milk production.

Say “Moo”!

Share your baby's development on Facebook!

MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 28

Only 12 more weeks to go

I've become a human-lard-factory! It's true: I've now got myself a baby in the business of fat-collection, which I'll have to tolerate since it's critical to keep my little porker warm and healthy after ...

Tuesday at 19:16 via Baby Gaga · Comment · Like

Shinyce

Week 28 Calendar Girl

February 2012

Enter my photo!

And how's mom doing?

If you’ve not yet made up your mind, it's about time to take a deep breath and dive into the name-game. one of the biggest most life-changing aspects of having a newborn will be their need to breastfeed - or more specifically, be attached to your breast for the majority of their waking hours in the first three months of life.

There are only about a bazillion baby-name books out there (check out Amazon.com) not to mention the plethora of websites with head-spinning lists of name possibilities.

If you're not feeling any of the existing names you've seen, you can always create a new name (you know, like “Thygor”).

Naming your child isn’t always the most obvious process, anyway. Some parents wait to meet their child before they name them! It's still a good idea to have a list of preferred options if you're going to choose this route.

If you haven't yet started thinking about your baby on the outside, one of the biggest most life-changing aspects of having a newborn will be their need to breastfeed - or more specifically, be attached to your breast for the majority of their waking hours in the first three months of life.

No, it's not easy (neither is formula-feeding, for that matter - it's just less mother-dependent), but it is an undeniably superior form of baby-food.

10 Reasons why you'll want to breastfeed:

It's simple and quick (no bottles, measuring or mixing!).
It protects your baby from diseases, viruses, stomach pain, and infections, and lowers their risk of allergies and asthma.
Your milk contains oxytocin - the "love hormone", which helps you and your baby bond with one another.
It also contains over 400 vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins NOT present in any formula out there.
Breastfed babies have higher IQs. (The longer you breastfeed, the higher the IQ of the child.)
It's custom-tailored specifically to your child's nutrition and immunity needs.
It protects your baby against SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
It burns about 500 extra calories a day for YOU. Breastfeeding = quicker postpartum weight loss!
It contains special brain-promoting proteins and fats not found in any formula out there.
It's 100% free (well, pumps and nursing bras aren't, but they're still cheaper than a year's worth of formula).