(upbeat music)
- It's week 28 and, from
here on out, there will start
to be small differences
in the rate of growth,
depending on whether your
baby-to-be is a boy or a girl.
A bouncing blue bruiser
is likely to grow bigger
and heavier than a princess
playing on team pink.
Genetics and other factors
also weigh on how fast
a baby grows and how big she
will ultimately be on arrival.
So while on average a 28-weeker
is around two and a half pounds
and almost 16 inches tall,
your little one may be
currently longer, shorter,
heavier or less tubby.
As long as she continues
to get good reports
at those prenatal checkups,
you can rest assured
your baby's on the right track
and in the right range for growth.
Your minute miracle
has added another trick
to her repertoire: hiccuping.
If you haven't yet, you'll not
only be able to feel hiccups
on the inside as little rhythmic twitches,
you'll be seeing them on the outside too,
making your belly shake
like a bowl of jelly.
These tiny spasms are thought to be caused
by the sudden, irregular contraction
of the immature diaphragm,
which is still trying to
gear up for life outside
the womb by practicing the
ins and outs of breathing.
Some babies hiccup several
times a day, every day,
others not so much.
But your bound to feel
those adorable twitches
every so often.
And an ultrasound might
even be able to pick up
that little chest heaving
from the hiccups too.
Entertaining for you,
and happily not uncomfortable for baby.
Another activity that can be picked up
is REM, or rapid eye movement.
Those tiny flutters of baby's eyes suggest
that she's dreaming away,
since REM is considered
the dream phase of sleep.
But there's no way of knowing
what's on your little ones mind or what,
if anything, she might be dreaming of.
What we do know is that sleep cycles
are coming at more regular times,
meaning your sweet little sleepy head
is developing a more
regular pattern of sleeping
and wakefulness.
Problem is, your on-the-go
movements lull her to sleep
during the day, keeping
her awake and raring to go,
just when you're settling
down for the night.
Still, there's nothing more
satisfying than feeling
your amazing miracle somersault
and stretch inside of you.
Plus, as they say, baby's keeping you up
with those antics now is good preparation
for after she's born,
and when every night's the night to howl.
Want more satisfaction?
Though the bun in your oven
is far from being fully baked,
her chances of survival outside the womb
are at least 90 percent at this point.
