Pregnancy Week 26

At 26 weeks, this is the final week of your second trimester. Next week, you will be beginning your third trimester.

At 26 weeks, it is the time when nerves inside your baby's ears are developing and his or her hearing is consistently improving. Your baby will continue to swallow amniotic fluid, which will further enhance the development of his or her lungs and breathing. If your baby is a little boy, his testicles will have started to descend. At this point, he or she has likely developed a sleep-wake pattern in your womb.

Yes, it is possible to deliver a healthy baby at 26 weeks, but the baby will be considered to be extremely premature, as the delivery has happened 10 weeks in advance. The baby will be under the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) till full term. The survival rates of babies born at 26 weeks are pretty high, but there is a risk of long-term health issues.

At 26 weeks, your baby's regular movements serve as a reassurance to you. You may have gained 7-9 kilos since the start of your pregnancy and you will continue to gain around 0.5 kilos every week until the end of it. Your uterus will have reached 2.5 inches above your navel by the end of this week. Your baby and your growing uterus may exert pressure on your ribs, leading to rib pain, indigestion, acidity, or heartburn. As the muscles of your uterus stretch further, you may experience slight stitch-like pains on the sides of your belly, too.