Week 26 of Your Pregnancy
Baby’s Development
This week, your baby’s eyes will open again after being shut since the first trimester. Because of this, your baby’s eyes start to develop even further and she will even start to respond to the differences in light and dark. Her organs continue to develop and her bones harden. Her heart is slowly becoming more mature and oil and sweat glands begin to function throughout her body.
Although her skin is still very wrinkled, when body fat, both brown and white, starts to increase in the upcoming weeks, she’ll start to be a little less alien looking. However, this week her skin does start to become more opaque. Up until this point her epidermis has been translucent and reddish, due to the visible dermal blood vessels. As her skin begins to thicken, she’ll start to take on the more pinkish hue we associate with newborns.
Your Body and Emotions
Some of the physical discomfort you may have associated with the first trimester is starting to creep back into your life again. This is partly due to an increase in hormones this week combined with a rise in your blood pressure.
Because of the sudden burst of hormones, you may start to experience headaches again. Something you have been blissfully without for the last twelve weeks or so! Remember that even though most of your fetus’s crucial organ development is complete, the nervous system and brain is still steadily growing. You need to be just as careful with your medicine intake as you were in the beginning of your pregnancy. Try managing your headaches through relaxation, drinking plenty of water and massage. You may want to take the time to talk to an aromatherapist about pregnancy safe essential oils. Although some oils are highly toxic in pregnancy, others can offer you some relief in the months to come.
It’s common for women to experience an increase in blood pressure at week twenty-six. This is perfectly normal and just a sign that you are not only getting bigger, but closer to the end of your pregnancy. Of course, there are some warning signs that you need to look for in the next few months. If you experience swelling hands, blurry vision, severe headaches, upper abdominal pain or sudden weight gain over a period of two days, seek help immediately. These are all indicators that you may be developing preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous blood pressure disorder that can put both you and your fetus at significant risk.
Because both your uterus and your baby are getting steadily larger, your baby’s movements may actually start to cause you some discomfort this week. Many women experience pain in their abdomen and ribs as well as a sense of pressure as your little one changes positions. There’s not much you can do about this except wait for your baby to settle. Some women swear that if they move their position, their little one does too. It’s worth a try!!
Dad’s Tips
Have you been kicked out of the bed? Starting at this point in pregnancy, many women begin to have a great deal of trouble sleeping. Their hormones are returning with a vengeance and their bodies are starting to crack under the strain of your growing child. Even if she doesn’t ask you to leave, you may feel there is simply no room for you in the bed what with the parade float of pillows she needs to feel comfortable. She may also be more sensitive to noise because of her exhaustion and the slightest clearing of the throat may wake her up and garner you a whack on the head. For your own sake and for hers, you may have retreated to the couch. Try not to be too lonely or feel too put upon. It’s so common for men to sleep elsewhere in the last trimester, that it’s almost a tradition. You can be assured that your father and your father’s father made the midnight stumble to the couch before you. |
