Second Trimester: 27 Weeks Pregnancy Progress

Hola mommy! It's your 27 week pregnancy. Raise your sparkling water glass and say goodbye to the second trimester! Next week you’ll officially enter your third trimester. You’ve got a lot on your brain too, from wondering what the birth is going to be like to trying to find the best pediatrician for baby. As you look ahead to the third trimester, be prepared for some pretty embarrassing stuff such as having to pee all the time and maybe even when you don’t mean to. It’s all part of the late-pregnancy course and totally temporary. It’s time to head down the home stretch. Are you ready? Baby's Size Baby's Development in 27 Week pregnancy In fun fetal development news, brain waves are creating baby sleep cycles, and your baby may even be dreaming! Here’s what else may be happening this week. Eyes: Your baby’s eyes are starting to open, and they are practicing opening and closing them. 👀 Hiccups: Baby is also starting to hiccup. While they won’t make any noise, you might feel them as tiny sudden jumps or flinches in your belly. Listening in: It may be an exciting week for partners too! At the 27th week of pregnancy, baby is likely able to distinguish your voice from theirs. If they push their ear to your belly, they may even be able to hear baby’s heartbeat. Baby’s brain development: Your little smarty pants now has an active brain. Their brain tissue is still developing, but the brainstem is almost completely mature—it controls heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Symptoms of The Week The annoying symptoms you’ve been having aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, but at least you’ve probably found some ways to deal with them—and hey, maybe you’re even used to them now. The most common 27 weeks pregnant symptoms are: Leg cramps. Keep stretching those legs. Flexing your feet can help and drinking lots of water to prevent these ouchies. 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 by eating lots of fibrous foods, drunk 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 is 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). Sneezing. 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. Women who are 27 weeks pregnant with twins are vulnerable to preterm labor, so if you notice any pregnancy symptoms that are out of the ordinary such as bleeding, watery discharge, abdominal pains or consistent, repeated contractions, tell your doctor right away. Things To-Do This Week Fight bloat We know you’re gassy. It’s normal! To help curb the problem, you may want to swap flatulence-causing foods like broccoli and asparagus for less-gassy spinach and carrots. Also make sure to drink plenty of water and opt for smaller meals. It is because the more food you pump into your stomach at a sitting, the more gas you'll be pumping out. Combat puffiness The two main culprits for under eye bags are water retention. See, it's not just in your ankles and fatigue, so try to get as much rest as possible and drink plenty of water to flush your system. The more you drink, the less you retain. Still puffier than you'd like? Here are some quick fixes: Because bags are more prominent in the morning, place something cool over your eyes when you first wake up. Try the always-favorite cool cucumber slices, cold tea bags, chilled spoons or a bag of frozen blueberries, followed by healthy helpings of concealer and eye-opening mascara. Monitor your heart rate Now that you're pumping for two, it's more important than ever to keep an eye on your heart rate when you're exercising. The best way to check how much you're exerting yourself is to use the exercise-talk test. No need to take your pulse! If you can't exercise and talk simultaneously, your heart rate is probably too high. Keep a food journal If restless leg syndrome is driving you crazy, try keeping a food journal and note what you ate before you experience bouts of RLS. Some women find that certain foods, such as carbs eaten late in the day can trigger restless legs. A journal may help you figure out what foods make your symptoms improve or worsen. Extra Tips for This Week Sign up for infant CPR You know it’s wise to sign up for a birthing class. But it’s also smart to take an infant CPR class and even an infant care class, too. In the best of all possible worlds, you'd never need to save your baby's life. But emergencies can happen, even when you're vigilant, babies can choke on a piece of food or on something they've picked up from the floor or playground or get tangled up in a curtain cord. Luckily, with a little preparation, you can handle many emergency situations yourself. Research car seats Did you know that you won't be able to drive home from the hospital with your newborn if you don’t have a car seat? It's likely the first piece of baby gear you'll use and one of the most important, too. So there's a lot to consider when you're shopping for a car seat. Before buying, always do a Google search for recent recalls. You will be very excited for next week as the third trimester is going to begin. Be prepared for more upcoming information regarding your baby's growth just at Motherhood.com.my .

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