27 Weeks (End of Second Trimester)

Inside the Womb at 27 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Babycenter

Photo courtesy of The Bump

Photo courtesy of Parents

Photo courtesy of Your Baby Library

Child length: measures 14 1/2 inches (about the size of a lettuce)

Child weight: 2 pounds

At this stage: At 27 weeks, your baby is sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers.

With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. From here on out, baby’s brain will keep getting more complex, turning that 27-week fetus into a real smarty pants.

While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning with a lot of medical help if she were to be born now.

Big news that by the end of the second trimester, her hearing is well-developed and she'll even respond in utero to sounds outside the womb. Your baby may recognize both your and your partner's voices by now. His auditory development is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures though the sounds he hears are muffled thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering them. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your tummy) and a good chance to start memorizing those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. While you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your stomach, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. 

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now, too (with more than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food, your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with his coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing him, he isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation babies need to get used to.

You’re probably feeling a ton of kicks inside that 27 weeks pregnant belly twice as many if you’re 27 weeks pregnant with twins. You may even feel tiny hiccups, which are like patterns of little twitches. For now, sit back and enjoy the kicks and jabs. Next week, you should start counting kicks to make sure baby seems consistently active from day to day.

Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position").

Now that the baby-to-be is growing rapidly, it's harder to get a complete profile in the womb (she just doesn't fit in the picture anymore!). Even though she has more than tripled her weight since this trimester began, there's still plenty of growing left to do. This week marks the end of the 2nd trimester, just one more trimester to go. 

Your Body

The second trimester is drawing to a close, and as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.

Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief.

Aside from leg cramps, here are some of the pregnancy symptoms that you will be experiencing this week:

Backaches: Gentle stretching can help your back, too. Consider sleeping with one of those huge body pillows, which can ease some of the pressure on your hips and help you get into a comfy position for your back.

Constipation: If you’re stopped up and you’ve done all the usual prevention—eaten lots of fibrous foods, drank lots of water, and taken plenty of walks—ask your doctor if a fiber supplement or stool softener is safe to take.

Hemorrhoids: Straining to go to the bathroom and all the pressure baby’s putting on your lower half can cause this not-so-pretty 27 weeks pregnancy symptom.

Skin, hair, and nail changes: Notch this one into the unpredictable pregnancy symptom category. Your skin, hair, and nails might be thicker or grow faster (yay!) but they might also be more brittle (boo).

Snissing: This is what we call peeing when you sneeze. Baby is putting a ton of pressure on your bladder and there’s not much you can do about it except take frequent pit stops to empty your bladder and maybe wear a pantiliner if you’re worried about an unexpected achoo.

With the above pregnancy discomforts, mine were left lower back pains which I'd been experiencing as early as my pregnancy started. Some Braxton Hicks here and there, feeling tightness on my belly at times.  I have never been constipated during this pregnancy compared with my two previous ones. Overall, I'm feeling good and energetic. Thanks be to God!

Days left to birth: 91 days left (68% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017

Data Sources: Babycenter, The Bump, What To Expect, Parents.com, Due Date Calculator (YourDueDate.com)

26 Weeks Pregnant! 98 Days Left Until Due Date...

    Now on my 26th week... Thanks be to GOD for this day. Time flies with this third pregnancy because I am so busy taking care of my other two kids. The first time I was pregnant with my daughter, it seemed like an eternity. The thirty nine weeks I spent expecting my son flew and this time the first twenty six weeks have been so fast.

    Had my antenatal check up last Monday (13th of August), everything was normal. Heard my baby's heartbeat once again! :) It's just like my first time, the excitement is always there.

   Had added some extra weight in here, I now measure 64.3 kilograms. Yay, getting bigger just like my little one every day! 😊

💖  For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. 💖

~ 1 Samuel 1:27 

Getting bigger every day! 👩

Love my baby bump! 💖

I love you my Baby Arzi! 👶

Feeling great at 26 weeks :)

Time flies! 😊

   Let's take a peek on what's happening this week:

Inside the Womb at 26 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Babycenter

Photo courtesy of The Bump

Photo courtesy of The Parent

Photo courtesy of Your Baby Library

Child length: measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion)

Child weight: 1.7 pounds

At this stage: At 26 weeks, your baby's taking breaths of amniotic fluid, not air. It’s good practice for those first moments after birth!

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other.

Baby's getting his or her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.  Baby's eyes open! Look who's looking! It's your baby! Her eyes which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) are beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. That means your baby is able to see what's going on now, though unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting. And baby's eyes are forming, and his or her eyes will soon start to open. Can you believe your 26-week fetus has already grown eyelashes and eyebrows? Soon, he or she will start batting them. (Aw!) Plus, she has more hair on her head this week.

Meanwhile, your baby is continuing to put on baby fat. Although he's still wrinkly, your baby is now at 25 percent of his expected birth weight, and he's going to really pile on the ounces in the next couple of months. His spine is getting stronger, and if he were born now, he would have an 80 percent chance of survival.

Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is gearing up at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or movement.

Also your baby has settled into a distinct sleep-wake pattern. Feel like you're carrying the Karate Kid with all the kicking going on? Your baby is actually practicing all kinds of movements that will eventually be used in life on the outside, including pedaling against your belly, a sort of pre-walking skill. As your baby's nervous system becomes more developed, fetal movements will become much more coordinated. And as she gets bigger and stronger, those movements will become much more powerful and occasionally, even painful to you. If your baby lands a good one, that tiny left hook might hurt a lot. Another trick she may try stretching that leg out so far that the foot becomes lodged between your ribs (ouch). Next time you come under attack, try changing positions or doing some stretches of your own. You can also gently push your baby back with your hand when your knee-jerker jerks a little too hard. You just might be able to send your little slugger back into the corner of the ring!

Lastly, that lanugo hair that grew all over his body is rapidly disappearing, and it will probably be completely gone by the end of the 7th month except for some fuzz on his back and shoulders.

Your Body

By 26 weeks pregnant, you’ve probably gained about 16 to 22 pounds or about 27 to 42 pounds if you’re 26 weeks pregnant with twins. When you touch your 26 weeks pregnant belly, you’ll notice the top of your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your belly button. Your belly will keep growing about a half inch each week for the rest of your pregnancy.

Your 26 weeks pregnant symptoms are mostly discomforts and are steadily getting more uncomfortable as baby grows and your body begins to make changes to get ready for childbirth.

You might experience trouble in sleeping, yawn! Added, swelling and headaches. Also pregnancy brain which is getting tricky to remember stuff. You might also be experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, notice your belly occasionally feeling really tight? That’s a contraction. Yep, already. (Braxton Hicks might be more noticeable for women who are 26 weeks pregnant with twins.) 

You might also have a higher blood pressure. A slight boost in blood pressure is normal at 26 weeks pregnant. If your doctor sees too high of a boost though, she might have you monitored more closely. That’s because hypertension, a systolic reading of more than 140 mm Hg or diastolic reading more than 90 mm Hg could be a sign of preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome. These potentially dangerous pregnancy complications would need to be treated right away.

Lastly, if your lower back seems a little achy lately, you can thank both your growing uterus which shifts your center of gravity, stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, and may be pressing on a nerve – as well as hormonal changes that loosen your joints and ligaments. Plus, the extra weight you're carrying means more work for your muscles and increased stress on your joints, which is why you may feel worse at the end of the day.

A warm bath or hot compress might bring relief. (Some women, though, find cool compresses more comforting.) Try to maintain good posture during the day, avoid activities that require bending and twisting at the same time, take frequent breaks when sitting or standing, and sleep on your side with one or both knees bent with a pillow between your legs, using another pillow (or wedge) to support your belly.

Thanks be to God, with the above pregnancy discomforts, I am only experiencing the Braxton Hicks, in which I sometimes feel my belly getting tight. As well as just some minor discomforts on my left lower back just at the tailbone. Other than that, I'm feeling great at this stage. I'm so thankful!

Days left to birth: 98 days left (65% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017

Data Sources: Babycenter, The Bump, What To Expect, Parents.com, Due Date Calculator (YourDueDate.com)

Watch Me Grow At 23 Weeks

    Last 26th of July, I reached my 23rd weeks! My little girl and I are both getting bigger every day. :) Lately, she's been so active inside my tummy. I always feel her move especially after I eat and when I lay down in bed. At times, she's having some hiccups, too! Really just one of those wonderful moments of being pregnant. It's always like the first time! I love the feeling, it's priceless! 💖

   Let's take a peek on what's happening this week:

Inside the Womb at 23 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Babycenter

Photo courtesy of The Bump

Photo courtesy of The Parent

Photo courtesy of Your Baby Library

Child length: approximately 11.4 inches (about the size of a grapefruit)

Child weight: 1.1 pounds

At this stage: 

At 23 weeks, premature babies have a chance to survive. Your baby is almost a foot long, and is finally able to be weighed in pounds! This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby should double his weight over the next four weeks alone (and you may feel as though you do, too). And baby's not just getting bigger, he or she's getting even cuter and starting to look more like a baby.

Your cute little 23-week fetus’s face is fully formed. His skin is a bit saggy since it grows a lot faster than fat, but soon he’ll start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. By the time your baby is born, he will be pleasantly plump and filled out, from chubby cheeks to chubby toes. Your baby's lips are more distinct, and her eyes may flutter open occasionally, though she won't really open them fully until the 7th month. Also, baby's forming little nipples (yeah, really!) at this stage.

Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Her other organs are almost in full gear. Her pancreas can now produce insulin and makes more if she's exposed to high levels of blood sugar in your body. Her brain is still growing rapidly inside her skull, which has four plates that aren't completely closed to allow for that brain growth. Even after birth, these skull plates won't be completely joined, because the human brain triples in size during the first year of life.

Billions of brain cells will develop in your baby's brain over the next couple of weeks. These will control all of your baby's movements and sensory, and basic life functions like breathing. Also around this time, some major changes are happening with your baby's lungs. Surfactant is being produced, a substance that enables the air sacs to inflate and the lungs to fully expand. Right now he's still breathing amniotic fluid, but when he's born he'll be ready for air.

This week your baby is so busy that it feels like she's walking around in your belly. And guess what? That's exactly what she's doing, pushing her feet against the uterine wall in preparation for taking those first steps alone. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. You may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes.

At 23 weeks pregnant, baby movement probably feels pretty cool and it’s always a comfort knowing baby’s in there wiggling around. If you pay attention, you’ll get to know your 23-week fetus’s routine: baby’s less active when he or she is sleeping and a kung fu master when he or she’s awake. Some parents even swear their newborns kept similar routines after birth as they did in utero. So, if your kicker is keeping you up at night, consider this a warning!


Your Body

23 WEEKS PREGNANT BELLY

23 weeks pregnant is five months. Can you believe you and your 23-week baby are starting on month six?!

A typical 23 weeks pregnant belly measures about 21 to 25 centimeters from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. (That’s the fundal height.) At 23 weeks pregnant, you’ve probably gained about 12 to 15 pounds.

That baby of yours sure needs a lot of nutrients. As she uses more and more of the vitamins and minerals passing through your body, you might need an extra dose. That's why doctors sometimes prescribe iron supplements, in addition to your prenatal vitamin, during the second half of pregnancy. The extra boost may help reduce your risk of anemia, a condition in which your body doesn't get the 30 milligrams of iron it needs every day to produce enough red blood cells; this can trigger symptoms like serious fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

While you’ve kissed first trimester nausea and fatigue good-bye, you’re dealing with the discomfort that 23 weeks pregnant symptoms can bring. This can include:

1. Swollen ankles and feet
2. Braxton Hicks contractions
3. Backaches
4. Bleeding and/or swollen gums

Thanks be to God, so far at this point I am just experiencing the third one listed above. Ever since this pregnancy started, I have been experiencing lower back aches which is situated just at the lower left part of my tailbone. I feel it when I get out of bed. Overall, I'm feeling good at this stage! 😍

Days left to birth: 121 days left (57% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017

Data Sources: Babycenter, The Bump, What To Expect, Parents.com, Due Date Calculator (YourDueDate.com)