Week Twenty Seven Of Pregnancy

Week 27 Of Your Baby’s Development!

Your baby is the size of a cauliflower

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Weighing about 2 pounds and measuring around 14 and ½ inches from head to toe (about the size of a cauliflower), your baby is resembling his future new born self more and more now.

The skinny look with translucent skin is fast disappearing as fat deposits continue to give baby the rounded, chubby look that she will be born with.

Her brain is fast developing now and she responds to noises with an elevated pulse or by movements. She may be sucking her thumb now, blinking, breathing and more. Lung development is still continuing but it’s reassuring to know her lungs can function with some machine assistance at the end of this week should baby be born prematurely. Statistically, babies born prematurely is very, very low so it’s not something you should worry about though.

If you are feeling a series of tiny ‘pop’ movements in sequence now, it may be that baby is having hiccups. This is the stage when baby likes to get into the classic fetal position and snuggle up comfortably inside your uterus.

Week 27 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes

You are nearing the end of the second trimester and baby is making her presence felt in many ways now. Sit back and enjoy the few more months you have before you have to start waking up in the middle of the night to change diapers!

Your back ache is still there and making itself felt and now, your legs may be joining the party and cramping up at the most inconvenient times (like when you are finally falling asleep). The extra weight of your body and the uterus exerting pressure on veins are both causing the cramps.

Try this: Stretching your legs and curling your toes back towards your knee helps alleviate leg cramps.

Have you felt any Braxton Hicks contractions yet? They may have been happening for some time (as early as 16 weeks) but you have not yet been able to feel them. Braxton Hicks contractions are tightening of your abdominal muscles and uterus, basically like the muscles flexing and prepping for birth. They are completely normal and you should not be alarmed. Braxton Hicks contractions are different from labor pain contractions in that they are not painful, they are only very short and irregular and they come and go.

“  I had Braxton Hicks contractions from my second trimester all the way through to before labor started. You could actually see my stomach tightening while they were happening. ”  Bianca

Week 27 Of Your Next Steps!

• There are many signs and symptoms that should get your prompt attention at this stage:
  -Long periods with no movement from baby
  -bloody vaginal discharge
  -unusual pains in your abdominal area
  -a feeling of baby pushing down hard or even repeated contractions over a short span of timeWhile it may be completely harmless, all of these can indicate that something is amiss and need to be brought to your physician’s notice immediately.
• If you plan to breastfeed your baby and you want to take a class on correct technique (funnily enough the most natural thing doesn’t always come so naturally), this is the time to ask your physician or friend to recommend one. You’ll probably need support or help with this too once baby is born, depending on how she is feeding – it can take a good month to get the hang of it, but well worth the effort.
• To address the swelling of your feet and hands, keep drinking fluids at regular intervals and also avoid sitting around or lying around all day. You do need rest but doing absolutely nothing all day is not going to be that great for you either.