29 Weeks Pregnant: What's Happening and One Thing to Sort Out

By 29 weeks the big structural work is behind you. The baby is built, and the coming weeks are mostly about filling out and getting ready for the outside world.

At 29 weeks, your baby is roughly the size of a butternut squash, around 38.6cm from head to heel, and now fully formed.¹

How big is the baby at 29 weeks?

About 38.6cm head to heel, close to a butternut squash.¹ The baby is fully formed at this point and will spend the coming weeks maturing its organs and putting on fat.¹

What's common around 29 weeks

Leg cramps show up for a lot of people in the later weeks of pregnancy, often at night. They can be sharp and arrive out of nowhere, then ease off just as quickly.¹

Plenty of parents find these weeks bring a mix of physical changes as the body keeps adjusting to the growing bump. Your midwife or doctor is the right person to ask about anything you're unsure of.

Prep this week: confirm your leave dates and the paperwork

A good non-medical job for this week is locking in your parental-leave dates with work. Knowing exactly when you'll step away, and having the forms started, takes one source of background stress off the table while you've still got energy for admin.

Sort the paperwork while it's calm: who needs to sign what, when notice is due, how pay works during your time off. Getting it settled now means the weeks closest to your due date stay clear.

This is also a fine moment to set up nappi if you haven't yet. The profile you build, with the due date and your partner in the same household, becomes your baby's tracker the day they're born, so the record stays in one place from the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the baby fully developed at 29 weeks?

The baby is fully formed at 29 weeks.¹ What's left is maturing the organs and gaining the fat that helps a newborn after birth, which is the focus of the remaining weeks.

Why am I getting leg cramps at night in pregnancy?

Leg cramps are common in later pregnancy and often strike at night.¹ If they're frequent or worrying you, a midwife or doctor can talk through what's going on.