29 weeks pregnant: development, movements and sex myths
29 weeks pregnant is a stage at which, the NHS says, the baby is around 38.6 cm long from head to heel, about the size of a butternut squash, and perfectly formed (NHS, 2026). This page sets out what the NHS, CDC and ACOG say about week 29, including what the NHS says cannot tell you the baby’s sex.
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Medically reviewed by Dr Mary Davidson, Reproductive endocrinologist, checked on
Seek help now if you have any of these symptoms
Bleeding and cramping are common in early pregnancy and often do not mean miscarriage. The symptoms below, however, need to be assessed straight away.
- Soaking two or more sanitary pads per hour, or passing large clots
- Severe lower abdominal pain, especially on one side
- Pain at the tip of the shoulder
- Dizziness, fainting, or collapse
- Signs of shock — pale, clammy, rapid heartbeat, breathlessness
- Pain on opening bowels, or bladder or bowel changes
- Feeling very unwell, or feverish
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How the sources describe development around 29 weeks
- Size and shape, NHS
- The NHS week 29 page in its week-by-week guide (NHS, 2026) gives the baby as around 38.6 cm long from head to heel and compares it to a butternut squash. It says the baby is now perfectly formed, and has lots to do over the next few weeks, like maturing the organs and gaining fat.
- Skin, NHS
- The NHS says the greasy white layer called vernix that has protected the skin for the past few weeks starts to disappear now, and the baby is getting ready to make an entrance in about 11 weeks’ time (NHS, 2026).
- Development, ACOG
- ACOG groups weeks 29 to 32 together. Its list includes the fetus being able to stretch, kick and make grasping motions, eyes that can sense changes in light, bone marrow forming red blood cells, a head that may have some hair, and lanugo beginning to disappear (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). The list is not broken down week by week.
Weeks are counted from the first day of the last menstrual period, so about two weeks of the count come before conception (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). This page covers 29 weeks 0 days to 29 weeks 6 days.
A normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, so at 29 weeks about 11 weeks remain to the estimated due date (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). Your own due date depends on your last period or a scan, not on the week alone.
Your baby’s patterns
The NHS says babies seem to have a habit of being really active just as you want to go to sleep, and that you should get to know your baby’s patterns and contact your midwife or hospital if you notice that they change or stop (NHS, 2026). NICE guideline NG201 says that after 24 weeks 0 days women should contact maternity services at any time of day or night if they have any concern about the baby’s movements (NICE, 2021).
What cannot tell you the baby’s sex, according to the NHS
The NHS says you may have been told the baby’s sex at the anomaly scan, but that sometimes it is tricky to get a proper look and it may not be the hospital’s policy to reveal it. It says it is not possible to tell the baby’s sex from the position of your bump, from the baby’s heart rate, from gender prediction kits sold on the internet, or from spinning a wedding ring over the belly. It says the differences in bump shape are more to do with your height, your muscles, how many babies you have had and how much you eat, that the heart-rate idea has no science behind it, and that some doctors think you are as likely to get the right result from a kit by tossing a coin (NHS, 2026).
Vaccines in the UK and the US
The NHS says you should have the whooping cough vaccine before week 33, that it can be had later, but that the baby is then less likely to get the protection from you (NHS, 2026). The CDC recommends Tdap during the 27th through 36th week of each pregnancy (CDC, Tdap Vaccination for Pregnant Women, 2025). The NHS recommends the RSV vaccine at around week 28 (NHS, 2026), and the CDC recommends it at weeks 32 through 36 (CDC, RSV Vaccine Guidance for Pregnant Women, 2024).
Your body at 29 weeks, as the NHS describes it
The NHS says you might feel breathless as the baby pushes against your lungs, that you could be getting leg cramps, and that if the baby is pressing on your bladder you may go to the bathroom more often at night. It says that if you feel unable to cope because you are too tired you should talk to your midwife or doctor (NHS, 2026).
Work out which week you are in
The Pregnancy week calculator takes your last period, conception date, scan or IVF transfer and shows how many weeks and days pregnant you are today.
Sources
- NHS Best Start in Life. Week 29 of pregnancy (week-by-week guide to pregnancy). nhs.uk, 2026.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Antenatal care (NG201). NICE, 2021.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy (FAQ156). ACOG, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tdap Vaccination for Pregnant Women. CDC, 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RSV Vaccine Guidance for Pregnant Women. CDC, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
Can I tell if I am having a boy or a girl from my bump?
The NHS says not: it says the shape of the bump depends more on your height, your muscles, how many babies you have had and how much you eat, and that there is no science behind the idea that a heart rate over 140 beats a minute means a girl (NHS, 2026).
How big is the baby at 29 weeks pregnant?
The NHS says around 38.6 cm long from head to heel, about the size of a butternut squash (NHS, 2026).