Stages of pregnancy
26 Weeks Pregnancy - Physical Changes & Growth
You are now entering the sixth month of pregnancy. In trimester two, your ante natal check- ups were done monthly but now the frequency of the check-ups will increase to monitor all changes and developments closely.
Your physical changes this week
The volume of blood in your body has increased approximately 25% and this is going to peak near week 35 of your pregnancy.
Braxton Hicks contractions help in hardening your uterus and this week you may feel these contractions at regular intervals, especially, after bending over, having sex, standing from a sitting position or climbing up a flight of stairs.
Eat food rich in fibre, drink a lot of water and exercise regularly to avoid constipation.
If you feel lightheaded or feel like fainting, then sit down and put your head between your legs and call out to someone to be with you and if there is no one around to help you then sit on the floor till you feel normal. Rest assured that there are many pregnant women who go through the same experience.
Your baby's changes this week
- Your baby stretches its arms and legs but most of the time your baby is curled up with his or her hands and legs folded up against its bottom.
- Your baby is now starting to open his or her eyes which means your baby's eyelids are not infused to the eyes anymore.
- The baby's movements will keep increasing from now to the 30th week of pregnancy.
- Your baby is growing in length and is also laying more fat under his or her skin.
- On an average, the birth weight of the baby is approximately 3.5 kilograms.
- You may have observed that your baby has a certain pattern of movement and that your baby sleeps and moves at regular periods.
In the following weeks, the baby's eyes will learn to blink, open and close and focus his or her vision.
The size and weight of the baby depends on the genetics and individual DNA of the baby.
You will be feeling the movements of the baby in a much-pronounced manner because your baby is bigger and there is less buffer for your baby because the amniotic fluid is not being produced in the same volume as a couple of weeks back.
Hints of the week
Ensure that you eat iron rich food as anaemia during pregnancy is common.
So even though a mild iron deficiency wouldn’t affect the baby in womb, if it goes untreated then it may become severe, especially in the second trimester and there is a risk of the baby being born with low birth weight.
