It’s the 27th week of pregnancy and the start of 3nd quarter, the baby is 34 cm. The weight of the fetus at 29 weeks is approximately 1 kg. His cranial perimeter reaches 7 cm.

As he gains weight, his skin becomes smoother. He is still moving a lot but has less and less room to do so. By the 7th month of pregnancy, some babies have already adopted their final position, upside down. Others, on the other hand, will do it later and are still head up, even lying horizontally in the stomach or even sitting.

His digestive system is functional, and he makes it work daily by swallowing amniotic fluid which it then rejects in the form of urine. But it is through mother’s food and the placenta that the baby feeds and gets all the nutrients he needs during this period of rapid growth. Her calcium needs are particularly high during the 3rd trimester, because her bones are all present but still soft. For their good mineralization, they need up to 300 mg / day of calcium (1),

The maturation of his brain continues with a very important stage that will continue throughout this 3nd quarter and even years after his birth: myelination of the nerves of the central nervous system. Myelin, a substance rich in lipids, will come like an insulating sheath to form around the nerve fibers, for a faster and better conduction of the nerve message.

The lungs also continue to mature.

At the start of the third trimester, weight gain accelerates. With the belly more and more prominent, the mother-to-be begins to struggle to move freely and may experience a certain weariness. The fatigue is usually more present – and this will get worse over the weeks and until the end. The prospect of childbirth can also cause some anxiety, favored by hormonal changes. During this last trimester, the placenta secretes more cortisol, a stress hormone beneficial for the development of the baby but which can cause mood disorders in the mother.

Under the effect of pregnancy hormones, the skin can undergo changes. It is usually prettier, but it can also dry out, causing itchiness. Be careful, however: when this itching is intense, whether it affects the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet or the entire body, that they become worse, preventing sleep, it may be a matter of cholestasis of pregnancy, liver disease which can occur during pregnancy, most often in the last trimester. Hepatocytes (liver cells) no longer function properly and allow bile acids to pass into the blood. They will then accumulate in the maternal blood, the risk being that they reach the fetus, via the placenta. In case of severe itching, it is therefore advisable to consult quickly in order to take a blood test to measure the bile salts and, if necessary, set up a treatment.

Six months pregnant, it’s time to fill up with calcium. This mineral is absolutely essential for the baby at 29 WA. His bones are under construction and he needs calcium for the minerals he provides. In addition to bones, calcium is necessary for the baby’s teeth, as well as for breast milk, when breastfeeding. The nervous system of the baby at 27 weeks pregnant is still growing and calcium can promote its proper growth. This mineral is found easily and in a rather diverse way, in the daily diet. Water rich in minerals provides a certain amount of calcium. Otherwise, it is mainly found in dairy products such as milk, yogurts, cottage cheese or even vegetable milks. Green leafy vegetables also contain calcium, such as watercress or chard. 

In the 7th month of pregnancy, it is important to also consume vitamin D, because it fixes calcium. It is found in cooking oils and small oily fish (herring, mackerel). It should also be remembered that vitamin D from the sun is synthesized by the skin. Of course, you must avoid exposing yourself for too long is unprotected for a future mother, because she risks the pregnancy mask. However, she can be put in the outside light for 10 minutes a day and during off-peak hours, with a protective cream.

• take stock of childcare arrangements, as some town halls accept registration files from the 3nd quarter. Also request the list of childminders in your city from the town hall’s early childhood service or on the Family Allowance Fund website dedicated to childcare: http://www.mon-enfant.fr;
• at work, start preparing for leaving on maternity leave by sorting out files, notifying different contacts, drafting a roadmap for his / her replacement;
• at 29 weeks of gestation, it is time to make an appointment for the visit with the anesthesiologist, to be carried out during the 8th month of pregnancy. Whether or not the mother-to-be wants an epidural, this visit is mandatory. It allows pregnant women to learn about the different methods of analgesia. The anesthesiologist will seek to find possible contraindications to an epidural or general anesthesia and will prescribe a blood test in order to check in particular the coagulation factors;

Even if you are feeling great, it’s time to slow down on this 7th month of pregnancy, and to give yourself moments of rest, especially when the body demands it. Beware of long transport by car in particular.

For expectant mothers who are not immunized against toxoplasmosis, it is important to remain vigilant until the end of pregnancy because the risk of maternal-fetal transmission increases the closer one gets to the term.

Play music for your baby. A study (2) has indeed shown that musical stimulation fetus at 27 weeks, 15 minutes five times a week during the last trimester, promotes brain development and lasting memory. However, be careful not to expose it to excessively high sound levels.

Against anxiety, think about relaxation techniques such as sophrology, or alternative medicine, starting with homeopathy.

– in case of stress in anticipation of childbirth or fear of childbirth with great fatigue, anxiety manifested by visible tremors or felt by the expectant mother, migraines, emotional diarrhea: take Gelsemium 15 CH , 3 granule 3 times a day;

– in case of anxiety manifested by a great emotivity and a changeable mood with great susceptibility and easy crying, improved by the company: Pulsatilla 15 CH, 3 granules 3 times a day;

– for states of anxiety in a hypersensitive mother-to-be, with symptoms such as spasms and lump in the belly aggravated by thinking about it and improved by distraction: Ignatia 15 CH, 3 granules 3 times a day (3).