Congratulations! This is a beautiful week in pregnancy. You will be holding your baby in your arms soon as you are nearing the end of the second trimester. In the last three months, your baby grows rapidly, and your body has to make a considerable effort to keep up with all the changes. How about going on a short information journey that will answer all your questions about the twenty-sixth week?

Your Baby at Twenty-Six Weeks

Each ultrasound is exciting: you can see that your uterus has grown, and meet this tiny creature with his prominent face, eyes, and nose. Surely, you are curious about how much your baby has grown, what he is doing in the womb, how his organs are developing and much more… Let us satisfy your curiosity and meet your twenty-six-week-old baby.

How Big is Your Baby at Twenty-Six Weeks?

At twenty-six weeks, your baby is the size of a pumpkin. Your little one looks like a real baby on the ultrasound now and you can still see him as a whole. But be prepared: as your baby gets bigger in the coming weeks, he will not completely fit the small screen anymore. Although he is still tiny, your baby’s organs have been completed to a considerable extent. In the coming weeks, they will learn to work in harmony. Below, you can find the average growth rates of a foetus at twenty-six weeks.

Gestational Age	Weight	Length
26th week	750−850 g	26−30 cm

These values are averages and vary from baby to baby due to differences in the moment of fertilisation, which cannot be determined exactly. If fertilisation occurred later than expected, your baby’s values might be lower. Not the exact figures, but your baby’s development is important. your baby may be tall like his father or petite like his mum. Your doctor will tell you if there is cause for concern or not.

Development of the Organ Systems and New Skills

From the first day, your baby’s vital organs and systems that will ensure his survival outside of the womb have been developing. In the twenty-sixth week, your baby’s organs are nearly completed, except for the respiratory system. Let us have a look at the details.

• The Nervous System and the Endocrine System

The brain continues to grow, neural folds form, the synaptic connections become stronger and brain wave activity increases. Your baby’s brain now controls both voluntary and involuntary musculoskeletal movements. Your baby’s metabolism works faster, and his body temperature is higher than yours. The pancreas and thyroid gland have been producing hormones for a while. In the twenty-sixth week, the adrenal glands also begin to secrete hormones, namely adrenaline.

• The Circulatory System

At twenty-six weeks, the heart beats 140-150 times per minute. These beats are loud enough to hear with a stethoscope held on your belly.

• The Urinary System

Your baby swallows amniotic fluid and then urinates into the amniotic fluid again. He swallows this liquid and produces urine in an ongoing cyclical process until birth.

• The Digestive System

Every time your baby swallows amniotic fluid, he activates his digestive system as if he has eaten something. The only difference is that babies (usually) do not poop in the womb, but little by little accumulate meconium in their intestines. This dark brown, paste-like substance will be your baby’s first poop after birth.

• The Respiratory System

The respiratory system has been formed by now, but your baby’s lungs will not exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide until after birth. For this exchange to be possible, they need surfactant, a liquid produced by the lungs to keep the airways open. At twenty-six weeks, a foetus’s lungs start producing this substance.

• The Musculoskeletal System

The skeletal system of your baby now has the proportions it will have at birth. Your little one’s head, trunk, and legs each take up about one-third of his body.

• The Reproductive System

The reproductive organs are fully developed, but only at puberty will they have matured enough to gain their reproductive abilities. The vagina and penis are now easily visible on the ultrasound, so your baby’s gender will be clear. Tell your doctor if you do not want to know the gender.

• The Immune System

Your baby’s immune system depends on yours. You transmit IgG antibodies to your little one via the placenta. These protect your baby against disease until the first three months after birth. Gradually, the creamy protective layer on the skin, the vernix caseosa, grows thinner.

Your Baby’s Movements at Twenty-Six Weeks

Your baby’s bones and muscles have become stronger, and you can easily feel his kicks and somersaults now. Someone laying their hand on your belly can even feel it when your baby is moving. If you want to try this, sit in a comfortable position, and place your partner’s hand on your baby bump. At the same time, talk to your baby and wait for him to move. You won’t have to wait long to witness this miracle together.

A Twenty-Six-Week-Old Foetus’s Sense Organs

Your little one’s sense organs are structurally fully formed. All that remains is to refine their functioning.

• The Eyes and the Sense of Sight

Your baby’s eyes are sensitive to light now. Even in the womb, he can distinguish between night and day. Your baby will finally start opening his eyes this week.

• The Ears and the Sense of Hearing

The inner ear is fully developed, giving your baby the ability to balance more easily in the womb. So be aware! There is always someone listening in on your conversations and enjoying the music you play, as a twenty-six-week-old foetus can hear the sounds outside the womb. 😊 So much so that after birth, when your little one hears music that you often listened to during pregnancy, he will recognize the rhythm. This may help him feel calm and safe, as he remembers the warm and safe environment in your womb. Likewise, when you are speaking agitatedly or arguing with someone, the tone of your voice may make him nervous and uneasy. Trying to have a peaceful and calm pregnancy can positively affect not only your psychology but also your baby’s.

• The Skin and the Sense of Touch

Up till now, your baby’s skin was translucent and reddish because of the veins visible under the skin. As the fat increases, his skin is turning plump, and his facial features become clear. Looking at the ultrasound images, you can already start imagining whom he will look like. Hair continues to appear on his scalp, but it is still white in colour because there is not enough colour pigment yet. The lanugo hairs begin to gradually disappear, as the accumulation of brown fat also helps your baby starts to maintain his body temperature.

• The Sense of Taste and Smell

At twenty-six weeks, your baby’s sense of taste and smell is quite advanced. He tastes and smells the acids in the amniotic fluid and what you eat when the liquid enters his mouth and nose.

How Many Months is Your baby at Twenty-Six Weeks?

Pregnancy is an adventure of approximately nine months and ten days, corresponding to forty weeks. Although we are used to expressing this period in months, your doctor will talk about weeks. So, how can you convert the number of weeks into months? Let us calculate this together:

26 weeks = 26×7 days = 182 days

182/30= 6 months 2 days

In other words, a twenty-six-week-old foetus is six months old.

Your Body at Twenty-Six Weeks of Pregnancy

At the end of the second trimester, pregnancy symptoms start to intensify. You may have guessed this when you look in the mirror and see how much your belly has grown. So, let us have a look at what awaits you in the twenty-sixth week of pregnancy.

Skin issues

Pregnancy hormones can cause many kinds of skin issues, from spots on your skin, the linea nigra on your lower abdomen, and blemishes on your face. These effects will disappear after birth when hormones return to normal. A more permanent issue is stretch marks, which may occur on your belly, breasts, and hips because the skin is forced to stretch too rapidly due to the increased pregnancy weight. Purplish, pink, and white skin lines appear and though they may fade a little, they are likely to remain permanent after birth. To prevent their formation, it is important to moisturize the skin, so it can stretch more easily to accommodate the increased weight.

Varicose veins

Pregnancy hormones increase the blood volume of the expectant mother to meet the baby’s nutritional and oxygen needs. This causes the vessels to dilate, which may also cause varicose veins.

Shortness of breath

As the uterus grows, it puts pressure on your internal organs. The pressure on your lungs may cause shortness of breath.

Bloating and gas

The enlarged uterus puts pressure on your intestines and stomach. In addition, pregnancy hormones relax the muscles, due to which digestion slows down, causing bloating, indigestion, and gas.

Clumsiness

Do you often get stuck, drop something, or even run into the wall in the hallway these days? Oh, be careful, don’t trip over! As of the twenty-sixth week of pregnancy, clumsiness is quite common. Why is that? The weight of the baby and the grown uterus disrupt your centre of gravity. Moreover, the relaxed muscles may cause issues with hand, arm, and leg coordination. Together, they form the cause of your clumsiness.

Pelvic pain

Pregnancy hormones relax the ligaments in your pelvic area to make room for the growing uterus and to ease delivery. The weight of the uterus on the loosened ligaments may cause pelvic and lower back pain. Stretching and pregnancy exercises can help reduce this issue.

Braxton Hicks contractions

These contractions, also known as false labour pains, are common in the third trimester, but they may already start now. They usually occur at irregular intervals and are not too painful. If you notice that the contractions become more severe and the time between them becomes regular, you should immediately inform your doctor, in case they are real labour pains.

Insomnia

As time progresses, pregnancy symptoms will become a little more disturbing, and disrupt your sleep. Your belly prevents you from finding a comfortable position, reflux worsens at night, back and leg aches wake you up, and you have to go to the toilet every other hour. It is not surprising that pregnancy insomnia is so common.

Forgetfulness

One of the most obvious symptoms in the twenty-sixth week is forgetfulness. Where did you put the remote? Oh no, you forgot your meet-up with your best friend today! A combination of pregnancy hormones and insomnia are among the factors that cause forgetfulness. When you add the excitement and anxiety of pregnancy, we can assure you: this forgetfulness is completely normal.

Tips to Minimize Annoying Pregnancy Symptoms

As you are nearing the third trimester, your pregnancy symptoms will intensify. So, it is important to take some precautions.

First of all, avoid gaining unnecessary weight. This will help prevent musculoskeletal pain and digestive issues. Take diligent care of your skin. Avoid going out in the sun without sunscreen. Use a good moisturiser to help your skin’s elasticity. Be sure to ask your doctor’s advice on what to use. Dizziness is common around this time. Avoid going hungry for a long time, drink plenty of water and sit down or hold on to something during a spell of dizziness. To prevent varicose veins and leg aches, be careful not to stand up for too long and try to rest regularly, lying down.

To cope with insomnia, avoid drinking water right before going to bed and do not eat late. To fall asleep more easily, support your lower back, abdomen, and legs with pillows, take a lukewarm shower, and drink a glass of warm milk before sleeping. Avoiding insomnia may also help with forgetfulness. Besides that, jotting down to-do lists will help to keep this forgetfulness under control.

How Much Weight Should You Gain?

It is inevitable to gain weight during pregnancy. However, extra weight puts strain on your body, causing pregnancy symptoms to become more severe. Therefore, it is important to gain weight in a controlled manner. In general, having gained about 7−9 kg so far is considered healthy. If you gained much less or more, discuss this with your doctor and take the necessary precautions.

Exercise at Twenty-Six Weeks of Pregnancy

Exercise is not only important for weight control but also to keep your body healthy. Therefore, it is advisable to continue exercising throughout pregnancy, unless there are medical concerns. At twenty-six weeks the following activities are ideal:

• Light-paced walking
• Swimming
• Pregnancy Pilates
• Stretching movements
• Kegel exercises and pelvic floor exercises
• Pregnancy-proof abdominal exercises
• Pregnancy yoga

Make sure to adjust all types of exercise to a level suitable for pregnancy and ask your doctor for advice.

Nutrition at Twenty-Six Weeks of Pregnancy

• Eat a regular and balanced diet. Make sure you get enough of each food group.
• Even though you need a little more calories during pregnancy, don’t exaggerate. An extra 400-450 calories per day is sufficient. Avoid going hungry for extended periods by eating three main meals and three snacks a day.
• Drink at least 2−3 litres of water per day. On hot days, you need to drink more.
• Relieve digestive issues by consuming fibre-rich foods such as oats, flax seeds, unrefined grains, apples, pears, dried figs, dried apricots, prunes, etc.
• Avoid oily, spicy, and oversalted foods.
• Stay away from harmful substances such as processed meat, packaged food, and alcohol.
• When consuming seafood and meat, make sure they are fresh and well-cooked.
• Before consuming fresh vegetables and fruits, soak them in vinegar water and rinse well.
• Consume foods containing a lot of minerals such as calcium and magnesium to strengthen your bones. If needed, add a nutritional supplement.

Twenty-Six-Week Pregnancy Checklist

Research childbirth and create your personal birth plan. At which hospital do you want to give birth and with which obstetrician? What kind of birth do you envision? What are your preferences? Whom do you want by your side? Do you want to work with a doula? Etc.

Research the difference between labour pains and Braxton Hicks contractions and discuss the topic with your doctor.

If you are a working mum, plan your maternity leave well ahead and think about who will look after your baby.

If you want to have a baby shower, the twenty-sixth week is ideal.