Pregnancy Week By Week : 27 Weeks Pregnant - What To Expect
Hi, mommies! You are nearing the end of your second trimester and will soon hit the third one. It has been a great journey so far and you h...
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Hi, mommies! You are nearing the end of your second trimester and will soon hit the third one. It has been a great journey so far and you have excelled in nurturing and nourishing your baby inside your womb. Your baby has been growing bigger each day and so is the swelling in your ankles and feet. Your aches would have worsened by this time but you are still riding strong on the motherhood wave. A few more weeks and newer challenges will present themselves and all these will be forgotten. Do you wish to know what to expect this week? Read on.
Baby Development
Taking the fetal position
All this while your baby was on its back or straight or in other random position depending upon your movements. But from this week on it's as if your baby has a will of its own. It enjoys a cozily snuggled position and often likes to remain curled up inside the womb. This classic baby position is called the fetal position.
Voice recognition
If you thought that your baby could only hear and respond to your voice, there's news for you mommy. You may feel jealous or happy about the fact that your baby can now recognize its daddy's voice as well, as he coaxes the little one every now and then. If you have an older child, your baby can hear and recognize its sibling's voice as well. However, the voices your baby hears are muffled because of vernix caseosa, a creamy coating over its ears.
Frequent hiccups
As your baby's lungs are becoming matured, you may feel strange sensations in your womb. There's nothing to worry about, as these sensations occur when your little one hiccups. Hiccups are a natural reaction to change in food (spicy food) or a practice to breathe. Although they may seem like spasms and you may feel stressed about your baby's condition, rest assured your little one is at peace and is just getting used to actions that will be necessary after birth.
Your baby's dimensions
Your tiny tot can be compared to a large eggplant now. This is a big week for the little one as it tips the 2 pounds weight mark. Also, your baby measures 14 and a half inches head to toe. It is amazing how a microscopic cell has grown up to be so big.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Your belly is getting bigger by the day: If you are having a soccer ball belly a couple of weeks ago, by week 27 of your pregnancy, it has become a basketball. You are carrying a well-developed human life inside of you and therefore, you're bound to feel the pressure of it.
Swelling of the extremities: Edema is a common occurrence in pregnant women. There's a lot of fluid retention in the body and most of it flows down to the extremities that are hands and feet. The ankle also gets affected and there is a marked swelling there too. The large vein to the right of your body, termed as the vena cava experiences increased pressure from the growing uterine wall. The swelling is also because of this blood pressure in your veins.
Gas and flatulence make a comeback: If you thought that you had successfully warded off the gas from your system at the end of the first trimester, you are in for a shock. The flatulence problem begins again and you may feel more bloated than you already are. With the growth of your baby and the increasing size of your uterus, your stomach space gets cringed slightly. This, coupled with the fact that pregnancy hormones are still doing their job of keeping the muscles relaxed to prepare your pelvic region for delivery, causes the stubborn flatulence in your system. There isn't much you can do about it except avoiding foods such as asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli and fizzy drinks. This will not eliminate the issue but keeps it as mild as possible.
Health Tips
By now you are probably planning your little one's name. If you know the gender of your baby, you can begin building or decorating the nursery. Guessing the gender of your baby with telltale signs can also be an interesting pass time!
Image Source: 1, 2
Baby Development
Taking the fetal position
All this while your baby was on its back or straight or in other random position depending upon your movements. But from this week on it's as if your baby has a will of its own. It enjoys a cozily snuggled position and often likes to remain curled up inside the womb. This classic baby position is called the fetal position.
Voice recognition
If you thought that your baby could only hear and respond to your voice, there's news for you mommy. You may feel jealous or happy about the fact that your baby can now recognize its daddy's voice as well, as he coaxes the little one every now and then. If you have an older child, your baby can hear and recognize its sibling's voice as well. However, the voices your baby hears are muffled because of vernix caseosa, a creamy coating over its ears.
Frequent hiccups
As your baby's lungs are becoming matured, you may feel strange sensations in your womb. There's nothing to worry about, as these sensations occur when your little one hiccups. Hiccups are a natural reaction to change in food (spicy food) or a practice to breathe. Although they may seem like spasms and you may feel stressed about your baby's condition, rest assured your little one is at peace and is just getting used to actions that will be necessary after birth.
Your baby's dimensions
Your tiny tot can be compared to a large eggplant now. This is a big week for the little one as it tips the 2 pounds weight mark. Also, your baby measures 14 and a half inches head to toe. It is amazing how a microscopic cell has grown up to be so big.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Your belly is getting bigger by the day: If you are having a soccer ball belly a couple of weeks ago, by week 27 of your pregnancy, it has become a basketball. You are carrying a well-developed human life inside of you and therefore, you're bound to feel the pressure of it.
Swelling of the extremities: Edema is a common occurrence in pregnant women. There's a lot of fluid retention in the body and most of it flows down to the extremities that are hands and feet. The ankle also gets affected and there is a marked swelling there too. The large vein to the right of your body, termed as the vena cava experiences increased pressure from the growing uterine wall. The swelling is also because of this blood pressure in your veins.
Gas and flatulence make a comeback: If you thought that you had successfully warded off the gas from your system at the end of the first trimester, you are in for a shock. The flatulence problem begins again and you may feel more bloated than you already are. With the growth of your baby and the increasing size of your uterus, your stomach space gets cringed slightly. This, coupled with the fact that pregnancy hormones are still doing their job of keeping the muscles relaxed to prepare your pelvic region for delivery, causes the stubborn flatulence in your system. There isn't much you can do about it except avoiding foods such as asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli and fizzy drinks. This will not eliminate the issue but keeps it as mild as possible.
Health Tips
- Enroll for a birthing class: Week 27 of your pregnancy is a good time to sign up for a birthing class and learn the techniques that will ease your delivery pain and help you give birth naturally. There are a lot of things you can learn about childbirth that will keep you prepared for the big day. Unpleasant surprises during labor or delivery is not an experience you would want to cherish later on. So wait no more and get on with your Lamaze training.
- Keep away from flatulence inducing foods: As explained in the previous section, gas and flatulence have once again become a part of your life at this stage. The best wat to curb this problem to a certain extent is to keep some foods away from your diet. Some of these include cauliflower, broccoli, radish, asparagus and so on. It is also advisable to stay away from carbonated beverages, especially cola.
- Walk around every now and then: One can understand the trouble you are facing walking from point A to point B, thanks to your big belly. But if you want to reduce the edema and the pain from swelling feet and ankles, a fifteen-minute walk every day can really help. Also, stock up on your water intake and it will help reduce the fluid retention. Try not to load yourself up with salty snacks. Salt is also responsible for the increased swelling of your extremities.
By now you are probably planning your little one's name. If you know the gender of your baby, you can begin building or decorating the nursery. Guessing the gender of your baby with telltale signs can also be an interesting pass time!
Image Source: 1, 2
