29 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Baby Development and What to Expect

At 29 weeks pregnant you are about 6 2/3 months along, in your 7th month and the third trimester, with about 11 weeks to go until your estimated due date.

At 29 weeks pregnant your baby is kicking, stretching and grasping, and will soon focus on gaining weight. You may feel it in your back, ribs and sleep.

Every clinical detail below was read in October 2026 on the primary sources named in the text.

29 Weeks Pregnant at a Glance

How the weeks are counted. The Office on Women’s Health says pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, counted from the first day of your last normal period, not from conception. So Mayo Clinic describes week 29 as 27 weeks after conception, and Cleveland Clinic counts the due date as 40 weeks from your last period or 38 weeks from conception. Cleveland Clinic adds that an ultrasound, typically at the first prenatal appointment, confirms the due date and can show you are not as far along as you thought. If your dates were adjusted, use those.

Which trimester is 29 weeks? Sources start it at different points, but week 29 is inside it on all three:

For a recap, see 27 weeks pregnant or our third trimester guide.

Your Baby’s Development at 29 Weeks

Mayo Clinic says that in the final weeks, babies gain more weight and prepare for delivery. Its week-by-week notes around week 29:

How Big Is Your Baby at 29 Weeks?

No primary source we read gives a week 29 measurement, so here are the nearest figures as each source reports them.

Why the numbers differ. Mayo Clinic measures crown to rump (top of the head to the bottom of the tailbone), leaving out the legs, so its lengths look shorter than the Office on Women’s Health figures, which do not say how they were measured. The two also differ on week 32 weight. A 29 week baby sits between Mayo’s week 28 and week 30 rows. Healthy babies vary.

A 29 week ultrasound? MedlinePlus says there are no routine ultrasounds for every pregnant woman in the third trimester. UPMC says a scan may be ordered for concerns about growth, fluid or the placenta.

29 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

The Office on Women’s Health, Mayo Clinic and UPMC list these third trimester changes. You may have many or few.

• Backache: Mayo Clinic suggests chairs with good back support, resting one foot on a stool when you stand, and a heating pad or cold pack.
• Heartburn: Mayo Clinic suggests small, frequent meals, not lying down right after eating, and limiting fried, spicy and citrus foods and carbonated drinks.
• Shortness of breath: Mayo Clinic says it is often due to pressure under the rib cage as the baby grows. UPMC says to get help immediately if it is sudden or severe, or comes with chest pain, a faster pulse or a fever.
• Braxton Hicks contractions: Mayo Clinic describes slight tightness in the stomach area that varies in strength and length, often after activity or sex. See what contractions feel like.
• Swelling: of the ankles, fingers and face (Office on Women’s Health). UPMC says to seek treatment for sudden or extreme swelling.
• Frequent urination: Mayo Clinic says pressure on your bladder grows as the baby moves deeper into your pelvis.
• Hemorrhoids and varicose veins: on the Office on Women’s Health and Mayo Clinic lists. UPMC says to ask a doctor or pharmacist which hemorrhoid creams are safe.
• Trouble sleeping: on the Office on Women’s Health third trimester list. See the sleep section below.

Braxton Hicks or something more? Mayo Clinic says to contact your provider for more than six contractions an hour that steadily get stronger, and MedlinePlus lists regular, painful contractions. Call rather than wait.

Your mood. Mayo Clinic suggests contacting your provider if you have lots of anxiety, or more anxious feelings than upbeat ones.

Your Body and Belly at 29 Weeks

At each visit, MedlinePlus says, your provider weighs you, measures your abdomen to check your baby’s growth, and checks your blood pressure and your baby’s position.

• Belly button: the Office on Women’s Health says it may stick out.
• Breasts: the Office on Women’s Health says tender breasts may leak a watery pre-milk called colostrum.
• Appetite: UPMC reports that ACOG puts your extra need at about 450 calories a day in the third trimester.

Your baby’s movements. UPMC says you may not always feel forceful kicks, but you will still feel movements and stretches. MedlinePlus says you will notice periods of activity and inactivity.

Kick counts. Ask your provider whether and when they want you to do kick counts. UPMC lists a decrease in fetal movement as a reason to seek care right away, and MedlinePlus says to call your provider if you notice a decrease in your baby’s movement.

Your baby’s position. Your provider checks it at visits (MedlinePlus). If you have been told your baby is bottom first, our guide to the breech baby explains what that means.

Prenatal Care, Tests and Appointments Around Week 29

Rh immune globulin. Cleveland Clinic says your Rh type is checked with a first trimester blood test called a type and screen. If you are Rh negative and not sure whether you have had the 28 week shot, ask at your next visit.

Other screening. Mayo Clinic lists gestational diabetes, iron deficiency anemia and group B strep among third trimester screening tests. MedlinePlus says group B strep is the only routine lab for everyone at this stage. Ask which tests you still need.

Vaccines change. CDC windows as read in October 2026 (page updated October 7, 2026). Confirm every vaccine with your provider.

What to Do This Week: A Simple Checklist

• Ask about the Tdap vaccine if you have not had it, and about a flu shot before the end of October (CDC).
• If you are Rh negative, confirm whether you have had Rh immune globulin (Cleveland Clinic).
• Notice your baby’s usual pattern of movement, and ask your provider whether they want you to do kick counts.
• Start two UPMC third trimester tasks: choose a pediatrician and write your birth plan.
• Plan when you will install the car seat and pack your hospital bag (UPMC).
• Save your provider’s after-hours number in your phone and your partner’s phone.
• Build in movement and rest: UPMC suggests walking during the day, and avoiding long stretches of standing or sitting.

Sleep at 29 Weeks Pregnant

Trouble sleeping is on the Office on Women’s Health third trimester list.

Sleep position. UPMC says that as your belly grows, you should avoid sleeping on your back, because the weight of your uterus may compress a blood vessel near your back. UPMC also says not to worry about rolling onto your back in the night: the discomfort will usually wake you so you can change position.

• Use a body pillow: UPMC suggests one for support. Our guide on how to use a pregnancy pillow walks through the options.
• Breathe slowly: UPMC suggests practicing deep breathing if you have trouble sleeping.
• Get outside: UPMC says walking outdoors during the day can help with sleep.
• Time your last meal: Mayo Clinic suggests not lying down right after eating, which helps with heartburn.
• Ask before any sleep aid: MedlinePlus says to call your provider before starting new medicines, vitamins or herbs. Read can you take melatonin while pregnant first.

For Partners: How to Help at 29 Weeks

• Go to a prenatal visit if you can, and track vaccine dates.
• Take over heavy lifting. UPMC says to get help with lifting that is painful or causes strain.
• Pick one third trimester job from UPMC’s list, such as researching pediatricians, and own it from start to finish.
• Learn the warning signs below so you can make the call if she is unsure.
• Take the late chores so she can go to bed early.

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next

• Week 30: Mayo Clinic says the eyes can open wide and red blood cells form in the bone marrow. Read 30 weeks pregnant.
• Week 31: Mayo Clinic says your baby has finished most major development and now gains weight quickly. Read 31 weeks pregnant.
• Week 32: the CDC’s RSV vaccine window opens (weeks 32 through 36, during September to January). Read 32 weeks pregnant.
• Week 33 and beyond: read 33 weeks pregnant. MedlinePlus says visits become weekly after week 36, and UPMC says your baby’s head may drop lower into your pelvis around week 36.

Mayo Clinic notes that the due date is simply an estimate and does not predict exactly when your baby will arrive.

Related Betteroo Guides

• 27 Weeks Pregnant
• 30 Weeks Pregnant
• Third Trimester Guide
• Breech Baby
• How to Use a Pregnancy Pillow
• Preeclampsia

When to Call Your Provider

Seek care right away for any of these third trimester warning signs (MedlinePlus, UPMC, Mayo Clinic):

• A decrease in your baby’s movement.
• Any vaginal bleeding, or vaginal discharge with an odor.
• Your water breaks, or you think you may be leaking clear fluid.
• Regular, painful contractions, or more than six contractions an hour that steadily get stronger.
• Severe cramping.
• A severe headache that does not go away, or vision changes or blind spots.
• Sudden or severe swelling of your hands and face.
• Chest pain, a fast heart rate or difficulty breathing.
• A fever above 100.4 F, chills, or pain when you pass urine.
• Swelling, redness and warmth in one leg.
• Thoughts of harming yourself.

If you cannot reach your provider, go to labor and delivery or the ER. If you think it is an emergency, call 911. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988. When you call, say that you are 29 weeks pregnant. This article is general education, not medical advice.

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