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)