If you haven't already, you should start doing daily kick counts once or even twice a day (more on how below) by week 29 of pregnancy.
Baby is running out of room in there, but you should still feel him squirming and moving regularly. If you notice any changes in frequency, be sure to get in touch with your practitioner.
On the symptoms front, varicose veins may be visible and your nails may be growing faster than usual.
Your Baby at Week 29
At a Glance
29 weeks pregnant is how many months?
If you're 29 weeks pregnant, you're in month 7 of your pregnancy. Only 2 months left to go! Still have questions? Here's some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.
How big is my baby at 29 weeks?
At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs 2½ to 3 pounds now and measures 15½ to 16 inches long. Though he's getting pretty close to his birth length, he still has some more growing to do in the weight department.
In fact, over the next 11 weeks, he'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — his weight.
Baby's getting more fat and fewer wrinkles
As more fat is deposited under the skin surface, his wrinkled skin is smoothing out. This white fat, as it's called, is different from the earlier brown fat your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation, while white fat — the same kind you have — actually serves as an energy source.
Counting baby's kicks
Since space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees, mostly.
And they'll be more vigorous and less erratic than before because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.
That means now's a good time to start doing a kick count once or twice a day, depending on what your doctor recommends. Plus, it's a good excuse for a rest.
Your Body at Week 29
Varicose veins
By week 29 of pregnancy, you may notice some new additions on your skin if you're like the roughly 20 percent of expectant moms who develop varicose veins.
These swollen blood vessels can either appear or worsen when you’re expecting, though they’re rarely cause for concern. They pop up because your blood volume increases during pregnancy, your growing uterus is putting pressure on the pelvic veins and hormones are making your veins relax.
Varicose veins can also occur in your rectum (as hemorrhoids) or even your vulva, but don't confuse them with purplish-red spider veins, which resemble — you guessed it — spiders.
Some pregnant women find varicose veins painful, while others have no discomfort at all. Like stretch marks, they can be passed on from generation to generation.
If you want to prevent or minimize their appearance, your best bet is to keep your circulation going by avoiding standing or sitting for a long time. Aim to get in some daily exercise and try wearing special support hose, which can also be helpful. Most of the time, varicose veins recede within a few months after delivery.
How to do a kick count
Have you counted your baby's kicks today? Once you've passed week 28, you should be monitoring them every day.
To make sure everything's A-okay inside, get into the habit of counting kicks once or twice a day, depending on what your doctor recommends. Best to do it lying down, since babies are more likely to perk up when Mom's resting — a pattern they tend to continue after they're born — or sitting if you're not comfortable on your back.
Count any and all movements, even swishes and rolls, until you hit 10. If you haven't reached 10 within an hour, your little Rockette may just be taking a break right now, so have a light snack and try again — that blood sugar rush is likely to get baby back on the move.
Just remember that fewer than 10 movements within two hours warrants a call to your practitioner. Chances are everything's fine, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Pregnancy Symptoms Week 29
Tips for You This Week
Stock up on nursing pads now! Your breasts may leak a thin, yellowish fluid called colostrum — the nutritious pre-milk that will be your baby’s first food if you’re breastfeeding — before your little bundle arrives.
Colostrum contains more protein but less fat and sugar than more mature breast milk, making it easier for baby to digest in the first few days after birth.
Between heartburn, leg cramps, that urgent need to use the loo every two hours and an insistent case of pregnancy insomnia, you’re already having a tough time getting quality shut-eye. And now that you’re in your third trimester, yet another pregnancy symptom is keeping you up all night: restless legs syndrome (RLS).
No one’s sure why, but RLS is common during the third trimester. Make sure you get enough iron in your diet and enough movement during the day.
Setting up your baby’s nursery is a lot of fun. Seeing the price tags for cribs, changing tables and gliders — not so much. If you’ve already blown your budget on the big-ticket items, use a few DIY decorations for the rest of the nursery.
Hang some vintage pictures, inexpensive online prints or drawings from older siblings on the walls, or get creative with stencils and decals. Or position some colorful toys on the open shelves to create vibrant displays.
Those pregnancy hormones may make your skin more sensitive to things that never used to bother you, such as sunlight, heat, detergents, chlorine and even certain foods. You may notice more itching, redness and even a rash.
Talk to your doctor about pregnancy-safe remedies for itchy, irritated skin.
Having the right stuff for working out is especially important during pregnancy, when your body is more sensitive to overheating and fatigue and your sense of balance is compromised.
Make sure you have comfy shoes with a solid arch support, a good sports bra, water to drink before, during and after exercise, a cool, wet cloth in a small plastic bag to wipe your neck or face, and just in case, a cellphone, money and some identification.
The big day is coming, so here's a big question: What is cord blood, and should you bank or donate your baby's?
First, a definition: Cord blood is what remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth. Why is this blood so important? It's because cord blood contains stem cells that can be used to treat certain diseases, such as some forms of cancer including leukemia and lymphoma.
To collect the blood, a doctor or hospital staff member will draw it from the umbilical cord vein just after the baby is born. It’s a safe and painless procedure that takes about five minutes.
More and more parents are saving their baby's cord blood, either for donation to a public facility so the cells can be used by others in need, or for private storage so it's available should the need arise within their own families.
Whichever you choose — and it's okay if you choose not to at all — you should talk to your practitioner about it now so all the necessary (and lengthy) prep work can be done in advance.
Now that you're in the homestretch of your pregnancy (hurray!), your body will be kicking into even higher gear when it comes to practicing for the big day — delivery day, that is.
Meaning you're likely to feel Braxton Hicks contractions a bit more often than you’re used to (if you’ve felt them already).
Talk to your doctor about recognizing the difference between Braxton Hicks, or "rehearsal" contractions, and real labor contractions so you know what you're dealing with when they happen.
Reviewed September 30, 2022 From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
- WhatToExpect.com, What Is Cord Blood Banking?, March 2019.
- WhatToExpect.com, Labor Contractions: What Do Contractions Feel Like?, December 2020.
- WhatToExpect.com, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) During Pregnancy, March 2020.
- WhatToExpect.com, Colostrum (Leaking Breasts) During Pregnancy, May 2020.
- WhatToExpect.com, Sensitive Skin During Pregnancy, February 2021.
- WhatToExpect.com, Braxton Hicks Contractions, October 2020.
- American Academy of Dermatology, Chemical Peels: Overview, 2021.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Cord Blood Banking, February 2021.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, August 2020.
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Fetal Movement Counting, 2021.
- Mayo Clinic, Acidophilus, November 2020.
- Mayo Clinic, Fetal Development: The 3rd Trimester, June 2020.
- National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Probiotics: What You Need to Know, August 2019.
- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Human Milk Composition: Nutrients and Bioactive Factors, February 2013.
- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, PLOS One, Do Facial Expressions Develop Before Birth?, August 2011.
- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Safety of Skin Care Products During Pregnancy, June 2011.
- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Varicose Veins, April 2021.
- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Varicose Veins in the Legs: The Diagnosis and Management of Varicose Veins, July 2013.
- Stanford Children’s Health, Fetal Movement Counting, 2021.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health, Varicose Veins and Spider Veins, March 2019.
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