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You’re now putting on weight at the rate of about 1 pound a week. Fetal movements
will be stronger and more frequent. Pressure on your rib cage can cause pain, as well
as heartburn and indigestion. Backache, leg cramps, swelling of the ankles and feet,
lower abdominal achiness, hemorrhoids, varicose veins and constipation continue. You
may also feel Braxton Hicks contractions in preparation for delivery. You may experience
shortness of breath, as the baby grows upward. By the end of the month, your uterus will
extend well above your navel. As the uterus expands, you may see stretch marks. It’s
getting more difficult to sleep. By the 27th week, you’re in the home stretch. It’s
the third trimester!
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Baby’s skin is changing from transparent to opaque. Bones are becoming harder. Its
hearing is fully developed. The lungs are still growing but not yet mature. The baby can
now cry. By the end of the month, eyelashes are developing. If you are carrying a boy,
his testes will probably begin descending. Brain waves show rapid eye movement (REM)
sleep, which means your baby is dreaming, and it has patterns of waking and sleeping.
Babies born at the 28th week have a good chance for survival. The baby is now about
15 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds.
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Your weight and blood pressure will be recorded. Urine testing is also performed to check
for the presence of sugar and protein. The height of the uterus and fetal growth will be
measured to evaluate the overall growth of the baby. You can discuss any symptoms or
discomforts you may be experiencing. Fetal heart monitoring is performed. A hemoglobin
screening, to check of evidence of anemia in the mother, is performed somewhere around
the 26th to the 28th week of pregnancy.
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