27 Weeks Pregnant

-Beginning of Third Trimester!

When you are 27 weeks pregnant, you will enter into the third trimester of your pregnancy.

This is the time to plan for labor and birth. From this week onwards, changes will be radical.

There are various changes that take place in you and your developing unborn baby.

As you grow in weight and are getting clumsy, your baby becomes more active.

Also you become more receptive to exterior factors and stressful environments.

If you are a working future mommy, this is the time to ask for special treatment so you can be put on pregnancy work schedule.

27th week of pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body

27 weeks pregnant pictures

It’s natural to feel tired

During 27 weeks pregnancy, your levels of fatigue will increase to a great extent.

There are several factors that lead to this condition, such as increased weight, shortness of breath and also sleep deprivation.

You will also experience a feeling of being swelled up during this period and may feel like you are living in a sweat factory because of increased basal body temperature.

Increasing kidney activity

From this week onwards, you will experience frequent urination because of the compression of your bladder size with the increased size of your uterus.You might urinate every 10 minutes but don’t try to stop it. Stress incontinence is also very common during this period.

When you are 27 weeks pregnant, you will observe urine leakage when you laugh, cough, and exercise, and change position, move to pick anything or chase after your children

Breast tenderness

You will experience breast tenderness at this time because the production of milk is kicking in and milk glands are developing. The breasts can feel sore and you can notice changes in their structure. You may also need to get a bigger bra.

Consequences of the grown uterus

Your uterus is continuing to grow and is about two and half inches above your naval. It roughly measures around 26 to 28 centimeters from the pubic symphysis to the top of your uterus.

With the increased size of your baby, you will encounter shortness of breath when you are in week 27 of pregnancy. This is because your increased uterus size presses on the diaphragm and it will be difficult to fill the lungs fully.

Your body prepares for labor

When you enter into the third trimester, you will experience mood swings, sudden food cravings and quasi labor pains. Sudden movements may cause loss of balance and dizziness; so you better pace yourself.

You may start to experience ‘braxton hicks’ contractions during the 27th week of pregnancy. They are nothing but ‘pre’ labor contractions which help your body prepare for labor that will come in the future. They are mostly random and sometimes uncomfortable but not usually outright painful.

Avoid pregnancy blues

Your circulatory system works more efficiently because of increased levels of pregnancy hormones but you may also feel less energetic.

There is a good chance that you may feel slightly depressed when you think of the upcoming labor.

The right way to approach these situations is to be positive and remember that the baby is very receptive of your feelings.

Care you need to take when you are in week 27 pregnancy

Sleep well, try to be active and eat well. Improve your sleep posture to help you breathe better.

Practice kegel exercises that help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and support the bladder in reducing urinary incontinence. Identify the muscle engaged and train that muscle to stop a frequent urine stream.

Try to manage mood swings and food cravings by changing the environment in which you live. Take frequent walks, call your friends and chat with them or engage yourself in any other interesting activity that makes you feel better.

Try and practice relaxing techniques such as pregnancy yoga meditation. This will improve your communication with the baby and help alleviate your pre-labor anxiety.

Changes that occur in the fetus when you are 27 weeks pregnant

By this week, your 27 week fetus will be about 15 inches long and weigh more than two pounds. Your baby will now grow over an inch during this week alone and this phenomenal growth rate repeats itself in your baby’s pre-teen years.

Rhythmic breathing starts

At the beginning of the third trimester, your little baby’s lungs are capable of breathing the air. Your baby’s pulmonary vascular system provides sufficient gas exchange and the regulation of rhythmic breathing by the central nervous system but also the basal body temperature make breathing easier. However, the lungs, immune system and liver still need to develop.

Hiccups and sleep patterns

The baby will hiccup frequently and you can feel the hiccups as small tingling sensations. Your baby will begin to have regular and predictable patterns of movement and sleep.

Baby responds to outside stimulus

When you are week 27 pregnancy, your baby’s brain is developing faster. You can share whatever you want with your baby now. Your baby is sure to respond.

The network of nerves around and to the ears has formed now and your baby is able to hear you. He/she might even be able to recognize your voice.

With 27 weeks pregnant ultrasound, you can see the baby open his/her eyes. The baby will see the light through your abdomen and retinas will begin to form. Also, your baby will be sensitive to touch from the outside world.

Screening tests in 27 weeks pregnancy

Group B streptococcus

Every pregnant woman should be routinely screened for group B streptococcus. This is the most common cause of meningitis and blood infection in a newborn baby. Ten to thirty five percent of women can carry this bacterium within their vagina or in the lower intestine.

During labor and delivery, the chances of your baby being exposed to these bacteria are greater. To check for life-threatening infections in the blood or infections of the fluid and the lining surrounding the brain, it is very essential to go for routine screening in pregnancy week 27.

Rh negative screening

In case the mother has negative Rh factor she will screened for Rh antibodies and if necessary, receive a RhoGam vaccine to help remove the incompatibility factor. In this case the vaccine will be repeated in the 36th week.

Get more information on what to expect when you are 28 weeks pregnant.

Image source: umm

pregnancy week by week

27 Weeks Pregnant Fetus

27 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here