Baby weighs about 875 g. His or her foot length is about 2 cm, the chin is rounder. Body proportions are now similar to those of a newborn, while the skin is still wrinkled. Baby’s brain is very active and he or she is sleeping at regular intervals. He or she can now blink eyes. Baby’s hearing is also much better now. Although he or she hears the sounds a bit muffled, because his or her ears are covered with the same vernix covering the whole body, he or she, however, distinguishes your voice from other sounds. At birth, the child may recognize the voices of you and your partner. While hearing the familiar sounds, the baby calms down. The pulmonary surfactant, formed in the lungs, ensures their opening and normal respiratory functions at birth.
The second trimester is over and the last, third trimester begins immediately. You may feel short of breath, because the enlarging uterus takes up more space, resulting in pressure against your diaphragm. It does, however, not threaten you and your baby — you both get enough oxygen. You may experiencse leg cramps during the night’s sleep.
You need 300-350 extra calories daily. Weight begins to increase significantly until the 36-37th gestational week. It can happen that a sneeze, laugh, cough, exercise or other exertion causes “leakage” – Your pants become wet. There is nothing extraordinary.
When your blood pressure rises suddenly, your hands and feet are swelling, and that is not relieved by the next morning, there are visual disturbances, headache, agitation, revival of reflexes, then you may have pre-eclampsia. In such case, consult with your doctor immediately. If left untreated, it can develop into eclampsia, the life-threatening occurrence of seizures during pregnancy.