Welcome to Week 27 of Your Pregnancy!
Your Baby in Week 27 of Pregnancy
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Your baby’s pretty little eyes will begin to flutter in week 27 of pregnancy. Ok, their eyes don’t actually flutter, but his or her eyelids will crack open a bit and begin to see what’s outside. Your baby will learn to blink and blink rapidly. The eyes are very sensitive at this point and can pick up on the slightest bit of light. They have the ability to move within their socket now and look left, right and even up if they wanted to by week 27 of pregnancy. The retinas begin to form but won’t be completely developed for a few more weeks.
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Your baby will put on significant length during week 27 of pregnancy. On average, a fetus during week 27 of pregnancywill gain a half an inch! When that growth is complete, they will measure between 12 and 14 inches from head to foot by the end of the week. They only have a little bit left to grow before they reach their full length for delivery and then they’ll kick weight gain into high gear. Babies will measure anywhere from 18 ½ to 21 ½ inches long at birth and your baby is almost there!
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Your baby will learn to suck on his or her fingers during week 27 of pregnancy. They can already manage with sucking their thumb, but now they have explored a little and discovered that fingers are good to suck on too! Any suckling experience your baby can get in utero will help develop and strengthen those mouth muscles for their future feedings. Your baby may suck one finger, two fingers or all four at one time. If you were to watch, they would look a little clumsy as they try to get their fingers in their mouth, but with a little practice, their coordination will improve and they’ll soon be able to get those fingers in right away.
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Your baby’s brain will experience rapid development during week 27 of pregnancy and the next. The structures are becoming more and more complex by the hour. The senses are being fine-tuned so they are more alert and responsive with each touch and action that will affect them. Soon, your baby will be fully capable at knowing your touch, your scent, your voice, what you look like and especially when they are hungry!
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The lungs continue to expand on the “tree” growth mentioned last week. Your baby’s lungs are still quite immature, but if your baby were to be born this week, they would need breathing assistance. Every day, from now until the day you deliver, those lungs will get stronger and more mature. Each time they take a practice breath in your uterus those lungs will become more and more more capable of functioning properly in the outside world.
Your Body in Week 27 of Pregnancy
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Does sauerkraut and chocolate milk sound like a perfect meal to you in week 27 of pregnancy? Are hot peppers the only thing on your mind after midnight? You must be experiencing cravings! There isn’t really an explanation for the reason why, but a pregnant woman will have (or may have) cravings for a particular food. It happens a lot! It happens so much, that there are many cartoons drawn that show a tired husband, headed out to the store after midnight to satisfy his wife’s craving. It’s all a part of the crazy journey of pregnancy!
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In week 27 of pregnancy you may want to consider keeping a fetal movement chart. This is something your doctor may or may not suggest anyway. What a fetal movement chart does is monitor movement from your baby every day.
Different doctors set it up a little differently from each other, but basically, you pick a time each day and see how long it takes for your baby to do ten movements. Some babies may move ten times in five minutes. Other babies may take a whole hour to move ten times. The important part is that they keep moving.
When the ten movements are up, you write the time down on the chart (or a piece of paper). You may also be asked to track this several times during one day. Some doctors keep track of your chart after each visit just to make sure your baby is remaining active inside. If your doctor doesn’t require you to keep a chart, it’s not a big concern, but you can always do so anyway for peace of mind.
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You may have many new symptoms during week 27 of pregnancy. Your waistline is growing and so are your “ailments!” Following are some common problems of pregnancy and how to combat them.
Heartburn
Heartburn in pregnant women is typically caused from the shrinking room for the stomach, a mess of new hormones and just general malaise. To keep your heartburn down, eat smaller and more frequent meals as this will keep your system from emptying completely, thereby reducing acid buildup. Different foods will affect women’s systems differently, but the most common offenders are tomato products, garlic, onions, citrus, and spicy foods. Avoid these foods if you can. Don’t eat a large meal or a snack if you plan on lying down within 30 minutes because lying down can sometimes cause food to go back up and burn as well.
Shortness of breath
There isn’t a whole lot you can do when a baby is pressing up on your lungs. They will cause you to be short of breath, no matter what you do. If you find that you often have shortness of breath, try walking or exercising in smaller increments or do so more slowly to try and prevent it.
Breast tenderness
The hormones inside of you are working on your mammary glands, meaning you will develop tender breasts at some point in the pregnancy. Drink plenty of water and fluids to keep the mammary glands healthy. Avoiding caffeine may also help as it can cause tenderness for women who aren’t even pregnant! If the pain becomes too bothersome, check with your doctor to see if you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever. But don’t worry, these feelings will pass in time.
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