Now that you are in the last trimester of your pregnancy, time is passing quickly. So, what happens during pregnancy week by week and what happens in the 28th week of pregnancy? How big is a 28-week baby? What are the changes in the mother during the 28th week of pregnancy? What are the changes in the baby at 28 weeks of pregnancy?

Yeditepe University Hospitals Gynecology and Obstetrics Department Head and IVF Specialist Prof. Dr. Erkut Attar answered these questions about the 28th week of pregnancy.

How Big is a 28-Week Baby?

Your baby now weighs just over 1 kilogram and measures at least 37.6 centimeters from head to heel.

Baby Development at 28 Weeks of Pregnancy

Your baby's eyes are now surrounded by eyelashes. Soon the muscle fibrils that make up your baby's iris will develop in color and texture, but the true color of the eye will be apparent within a few weeks after birth.

A white, oily substance called myelin is gradually coating your baby's spinal cord and the nerves that come out of it. This process is called myelination and it continues throughout your pregnancy and your baby's first year of life. Myelin is important because it increases the speed at which messages travel between your baby's brain and the nerves in its body. Myelin is also a protective layer. The nerves that support your baby's movements are covered with myelin before the nerves that sense your baby's sensations.

Changes in the Mother at 28 Weeks of Pregnancy

Due to increased skin tension or changing hormones, a quarter of women complain that their skin itches during pregnancy. To soothe your skin, try to avoid chapping as much as possible. Keep your skin moisturized and avoid very hot baths. If the itching is very uncomfortable, you can rub a few ice cubes on your skin to help soothe it or take a cold shower.

In rare cases, itchy skin can be a symptom of a condition called "cholestasis of pregnancy". Although rare, cholestasis of pregnancy is a serious condition. Although itching is not usually something to worry about, you should tell your doctor about it just in case.

At your next pregnancy follow-up appointment, your doctor should ask you for a blood test to measure your iron levels. If your iron levels are low, he or she will recommend iron supplements to make sure you and your baby get the necessary nutrients.

Another test done this week is to screen for the rh antigen in couples with blood incompatibility. If you are Rh-negative, you may need an injection called anti-D.