Overview

At 28 weeks, your baby may be moving a lot more—and possibly keeping you up at night! 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? (Figure 1) Your baby is now about the size of a large eggplant. Average baby length is 25 cm (9.8 in.). And average baby weight is 1000 g (2.2 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.

5 Things You Can Expect With a New Baby, video

Figure 1 - Fetal development at 28 weeks of pregnancy

Current as of: April 30, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.