The little peanut in your belly is no longer so little, and you may also start to feel the significant weight gain that the baby is undergoing. Your systems are working harder, and your body is becoming a bit heavier and more tired.
Your body is a huge machine
A mother's body is obviously doing a lot of work when she is pregnant and needs to grow a human. You provide all the nourishment, and at the same time, you also act as an oven for the fetus.
Many experience that the space for their own organs becomes somewhat more cramped. This is especially true in the stomach and chest, where the feeling of being squeezed becomes greater and greater. This can manifest as pain typically in the back and legs, as well as a significantly greater difficulty in breathing than before pregnancy.
Because the baby grows on the front of the body, the center of gravity for the mother's body axis is significantly altered, and therefore many experience pain in the back and lower back. These two areas bear weight in a new and hard way because the belly is heavy, and it can cause pain. The same applies to the pelvis, which is essentially the bottom of the belly, and thus also the base for the uterus, placenta, fetus, and everything else. The pelvis expands during pregnancy, which can also cause pain.
What is happening in the belly?
There are no significant new developments in the belly at this time, but instead, the focus is on the maturation of all organs and systems, as well as massive weight gain.
However, more and more functions are starting to work optimally in the little body. For example, the baby will be able to regulate its own body temperature around week 29.
At the same time, the lungs are almost fully developed, and the fetus is still practicing breathing. However, it is only practice so that it is ready to breathe on its own on the other side. While it is in the belly, the placenta, umbilical cord, etc. take care of meeting all the important needs.
The baby loves to tumble around inside the belly, and because it is surrounded by amniotic fluid, the freedom of movement is greater than for the rest of us, who are surrounded by atmospheric air. The fetus can do somersaults, stretch in all directions, bend its arms and legs, and perform a multitude of other silly movements.
Size of the fetus
The baby now weighs about 1200 grams if it is growing reasonably within the average curves. The thigh bone is soon 5.2 centimeters long, and the total body is about 35 centimeters long.
Advice for the partner
You can certainly see and hear from your partner that her body is doing a lot of work. It is harder to walk up stairs; maybe she wobbles a bit or may have to grunt when she gets up from the chair.
As a partner, you can only encourage her to continue moving within reasonable limits. It is only beneficial.
Then you can also help with massage, reminders to sit up straight, and providing physical relief in everyday life. It is not an easy task to be on the sidelines during a pregnancy, but try to remind yourself that your partner's body is really working. The same goes for her emotional and hormonal systems, so it is not certain that she will act rationally in any way.
