Welcome to week 29! Your baby's teeth and bones are getting stronger this week. He's also about 15 inches long and weighs a little over 2 ½ pounds. Read on to see what else is happening this week!
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Baby's Bones are Now Fully Formed
Your baby now has all of his bones. Granted, his bones are still softer and more pliable than they will be after birth, but they're all present and accounted for. Your baby's skull will stay more malleable to help fit through the birth canal and won't fully fuse until he's 18 months old.
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Prolactin Makes You Sleepy
Your baby's adrenal glands are sending chemical signals to the placenta now. These signals make your placenta produce a form of estrogen that in turn lets your body know it's time to produce the hormone prolactin. It's a very technical way of saying that your body is gearing up to produce milk. One of the bothersome side effects of the prolactin hormone is sleepiness. You might find yourself feeling sleepier than usual—it's normal.
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Here's Something to Chew On
Your baby developed tooth buds for her baby teeth weeks ago, but she's now working on her permanent teeth. When she's born she'll already have all of her teeth hidden under her gums. The stories are true, though—1 in approximately 2,500 babies really are born with visible teeth.