Week 28 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside

British Columbia Specific Information

If you have any questions or concerns about pregnancy, labour and baby care speak with your health care provider or contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 to speak with a registered nurse anytime of the day or night, any day of the year, or a pharmacist from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

You can also read Baby's Best Chance (PDF 14.88 MB), a parent’s handbook on pregnancy and baby care.

You can also access SmartParent, a Canadian prenatal education program that provides trustworthy educational text messages to help guide you through the weeks of your pregnancy.

On this page:

Overview

At 28 weeks, your baby may be moving a lot more—and possibly keeping you up at night! Believe it or not, babies find the movement and noise of daytime hours to be soothing. So they often sleep during the day and are awake at night.

Wondering what your baby looks like at 28 weeks? Your baby is now about the size of a butternut squash. Average baby length is 370 mm (15 in.). And average baby weight is 1000 g (2 lb).

How your baby is changing

Here are some of the important facts and developments around 28 weeks.

  • For most of this month, your baby is putting on a lot of weight.
  • Your baby can still move around a lot—from head-down to feet-down, or even sideways. You will notice more movement or less movement at certain times of the day and night.
  • At about 24 weeks of pregnancy, a baby's lungs are starting to make surfactant, which helps the lungs breathe air.
  • With every week after 22 weeks, babies are a little more likely to survive if they are born this early. Babies born before 26 weeks are not yet equipped to breathe air. Starting at week 26, the chances of healthy survival get better.
  • Around 28 weeks, your baby's eyelids are open, hair is growing well on your baby's head, and fat under the skin is making their skin less wrinkly.

Credits

Adaptation Date: 9/15/2023

Adapted By: HealthLink BC

Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC