Your baby is growing

Your baby’s ears can now hear your voice and yourhusband’s too. This is because the nerve network in his ears are much better developed and even more sensitive than before. His lungs are constantly developing as he exhales and inhales small amount of amniotic fluid. This will come handy when he takes his first breath at birth.

He is now all chubby with baby fat. His weight is 1 2/3 pounds (0.725 gm) and is 14 inches long. His testicles will soon start to descend into his scrotum. This will happen over a period of 2-3 months.

Your life at 26 weeks

At this stage, even though you go about doing your daily activities, you need to take a lot of care. Eat properly and take a lot of rest. Your blood pressure could be slightly on the increase. Blood Pressure usually falls at the first trimester’s end and gets lower by 22 to 24 weeks. High blood pressure could lead to Preeclampsia, that appears after 37 weeks, but still could happen even before. You should know of its warning signs such as rapid weight gain, sudden swelling on your ankles and feet. Severe Preeclampsia has symptoms like persistent headache, feeling of nausea, changes in vision, light sensitivity, intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen, etc. In such cases, see your Doctor as soon as possible. If you’re experiencing an achy lower back, it is because of your growing uterus that shifts your centre of gravity, stretches out, weakening your abdominal muscles. It could be pressing on a nerve along with those hormonal changes that makes your joints and ligaments loose.

Remember you are carrying extra weight, which means your muscles and joints work harder and have to bear more, making you feel fatigued by day’s end. Here’s how you can sooth it out. Try a warm, relaxing shower. Look after your posture. Don’t bend or twist at the same time. When you want to sleep, do so with bent knees, keeping a pillow between your legs and another to support your abdomen will bring relief.