Day 207 of 280, third trimester
You are 29 weeks and 4 days
Your baby is cushioned in a sac of amniotic fluid until your water breaks and you go into labor.
73 days until your due date
As your uterus has grown, the amniotic sac has expanded to hold your baby and the fluid. From now on, it grows only by stretching, not by making new cells.
The sac has two layers: the inner amnion and the outer chorion. The chorion once had its own blood supply but has now lost it, and the thinner amnion can slide over it as your baby pushes against it. Neither layer has nerves, which is why it doesn't hurt when your membranes rupture (your "water breaks").
Together the layers are only 0.5 mm thick, but collagen fibers let them stretch a great deal, vital in these last months to prevent them breaking early. They may be so tough that they don't break until the final stages of labor.
As well as holding in the fluid and guarding against infection through the cervix, the membranes contain substances that form prostaglandins, which play an important part in starting labor. That's one reason labor often starts once the membranes have ruptured.
As a matter of fact
Knowing the sex
The only reliable way to find out your baby's sex is a diagnostic test such as amniocentesis or CVS.
Even ultrasound can be wrong. And despite popular belief, the size and shape of your belly depend on your muscle tone, your baby's position, and your weight gain, not the baby's sex.
Focus on
Dads: Kicks and hiccups
By now you can see and feel your baby moving, often with kicks and punches, especially in the evening when your partner finally sits down to relax. Watching is a great way to bond with your baby and your partner.
Your baby responds to your voice and music and may jump at unexpected noises, although it's impossible to say whether she enjoys them or finds them irritating.
She'll also get hiccups, and you have a better chance of feeling those than any other movement, because they last a while, while kicks and punches are fairly random. She may have several bouts a day or just one or two, felt as a series of light, rhythmic movements.
Appointments and key dates around now
- Whooping cough vaccineUsually around 20 weeks, best before 32 weeks
- RSV vaccineFrom 28 weeks
Read the full 29 weeks pregnant guide
This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.