26th week of pregnancy - what happens to the baby and mom?

Throughout the gestation period, the expectant mother notices numerous changes in her body. The fruit grows and develops, is improved. Knowing with what changes the 26th week of pregnancy is accompanied, which is the norm for this period, a woman will be able to suspect a deviation in time.

26 weeks of pregnancy - how many months?

In midwifery, the term of the current pregnancy is set to be set in weeks. Doctors always indicate the duration of gestation, using this time interval. However, many future mothers prefer to count the number of months since the conception of time. At the stage of translating weeks into months, confusion arises.

You can make the correct calculation yourself, but you need to know the main rules for such calculations. So, doctors take the duration of the month is always 30 days, and the number of weeks in it is 4. Given these features, you can calculate: 26 weeks of pregnancy - 6 months and 2 weeks. The sixth month of pregnancy is in full swing, and before the appearance of the baby, 14 weeks remain.

26th week of pregnancy - what happens to the baby?

The child at the 26th week of pregnancy continues to actively improve. The lungs by this time take the form of a triangle, and on their surface a surfactant begins to accumulate - a special substance that prevents the alveoli from falling off during the first inhalation of a newborn. A connection is established between the brain and the adrenal cortex, which synthesize hormonal compounds.

The visual apparatus continues to form. Eyeballs are not yet fully formed, but the fetus already reacts to light by intensifying the motor activity. The musculoskeletal system is also improving - the movements become more pronounced, the intensity and amplitude of the perturbations, tremors and strokes made by the future baby increase.

26th week of pregnancy - fetal height and weight

The body weight and growth of the future baby increase with the increase in the gestation period. Fetus in 26 weeks of pregnancy reaches a length of 32-34 cm (from the heels to the crown). Its weight by this time is 800-1000 g. When performing ultrasound, doctors pay attention to the coccyx-parietal size, which should normally be 23 cm. It should be noted that these parameters of the fetal physical development depend on several factors:

26th week of pregnancy - fetal development

At the gestation period of 26 weeks, the development of the baby goes in the direction of improving its internal organs. Significant changes are observed in the work of the nervous system, sensory organs. The kid is able to distinguish between sounds, the voice of his parents, expressing his attitude to the change in mimicry heard. Eyes can distinguish light and darkness, catch vague color spots.

Taste receptors function also. He is able to distinguish the taste of amniotic fluid, periodically swallowing them in small portions. At the beginning of the 26th week of pregnancy, there is a laying of the molars, which cut through only to 5-6 years of the child's life. The digestive system is completing its development, which is gradually preparing to take the first portion of breast milk.

26 weeks of pregnancy - what does the baby look like?

A child at 26 weeks of gestation resembles a newborn baby. The facial features are traced, and when performing ultrasound, the mother can draw conclusions regarding his similarity with himself or his dad. Skin covers are red, with a lot of small wrinkles and wrinkles. As the size of the fetus increases, they become smoother, and the skin becomes pink.

Nail plates are visible on fingertips, which reach almost to the very edges. On the surface of the head there are hairs that begin to color gradually due to the enhanced synthesis of the pigment melanin. With an increase in the term, the intensity of their coloration only increases. On the skin there is a fluff - lanugo, which helps maintain the body temperature of the fetus.

Twitches at 26 weeks gestation

Baby at the 26th week of pregnancy is active. Place in the uterine cavity is still a lot, so there is enough space for his physical exercises. Flips, somersaults, frequent upheavals, the future mother clearly hears and can fix them. By directly assessing the intensity of the motor activity of the fetus, a woman can draw a conclusion about the state of health and the condition of her future baby.

Counting the fetus performed at the 26th week of pregnancy, the doctor advises to spend in the daytime, when the activity of the baby is maximum. The optimal time is the interval from 9 to 19 hours. During this time, the baby has to make itself felt at least 10 times. Decrease or, conversely, a significant increase in this indicator indicates a violation, the most common of which is fetal hypoxia.

26th week of pregnancy - what happens with mom?

When the 26th week of pregnancy begins, what happens in the body, what changes are observed - every future mother wants to know. The most noticeable is the increase in weight. With each passing day the woman is more and more rounded. By this time in norm it should grow no more than by 9-10 kg, in comparison with weight before pregnancy. Exceeding these values ​​is fraught with the development of gestosis - a complication of pregnancy, accompanied by an increase in blood pressure, the appearance of edema. The presence of these symptoms should be an occasion for constant monitoring of the pregnant woman.

Pregnancy 26 weeks - development of the fetus and sensation

Every day the future mother notices new changes in her condition. When the 26th week of pregnancy comes, the sensations of a woman are often associated with difficulty breathing. The bottom of the uterus constantly presses against the diaphragm, because of which the space for the lungs becomes smaller. As a result, the breath becomes less prolonged, and the frequency of respiratory movements increases. There is shortness of breath: first, the pregnant woman notices her only after a long walk, climbing the stairs, but with an increase in the period, she becomes a frequent phenomenon.

Almost simultaneously with dyspnea, heartburn appears. The digestive system experiences constant pressure from the uterus, so gastric juice can enter the esophagus in small amounts. More often this happens after eating. It is important to monitor the diet and not overeat. Food should not contain a lot of fat, otherwise it will affect not only the well-being of the pregnant woman, but also her weight.

Belly at 26 weeks gestation

The fetus is constantly growing, and with it the reproductive organ also increases. The uterus at the 26th week of pregnancy reaches a width of 16 cm. At the same time, its bottom is set 26 cm above the pubic joint. With each subsequent week, the organ becomes 1 cm above the womb. As a result of such changes, the external outline of the abdomen changes, which becomes rounder.

The growth of the abdomen in connection with the features described above occurs mainly in the upper third. As the volume of amniotic fluid increases, it becomes rounder, and the navel of many women bulges outward. On the surface of the skin from the navel to the pubis appears a dark band, which disappears after the birth of the child and changes in the hormonal background.

Allocations at 26 weeks gestation

In general, 6 months of pregnancy is not characterized by a change in the volume and nature of vaginal discharge. They are uninvited, always transparent or whitish in color. At the same time, foreign inclusions and odor are absent. Increasing the volume, changing color and character, the appearance of an unpleasant odor can indicate an infection or inflammation in the reproductive system.

Candidiasis is a frequent phenomenon in pregnant women. Against the backdrop of hormonal changes, the growth of fungal flora increases, which causes characteristic symptoms: burning, itching, reddening of the vulva, white with lumps of secretion resembling cottage cheese. To get rid of the violation, a woman should contact the gynecologist for the appointment of therapy.

Pain at the 26th week of pregnancy

Back, waist, legs - a common localization of painful sensations in women. They appear even before the 26th week of pregnancy begins. Their appearance is associated with an increased strain on the spine and the locomotor apparatus of the female body. Characteristic is the intensification of pain in the evening hours, after a long walk, physical exertion. At the same time, the painful sensations are aching.

Special attention to women should be given to the situation when the abdomen is hurting for 26 weeks. Important is the nature of painful sensations. Short, pulling pains of low intensity, which bring discomfort rather than pain, are considered by doctors as false bouts. When you change the position of the body, they pass by themselves. However, it is necessary to distinguish them from labor clashes, which may precede premature birth . The distinctive features of the latter are:

Ultrasound at 26 weeks gestation

At 26 weeks, ultrasound is performed if there are special indications. In most cases, the study is conducted if there are suspicions of a violation of intrauterine development, anomalies and pathologies. Doctors evaluate externally the fetus, check the work of its internal organs. Pay attention to the placenta, assessing its location, thickness and size, the state of its venous system.

Dangers of the 26th week of pregnancy

The gestation period of 26 weeks is relatively stable. Spontaneous abortion at this time is no longer possible, but in rare cases, premature birth may occur. Among the dangers that a pregnant woman may encounter on such a period, doctors singled out:

Childbirth at 26 weeks of pregnancy

The main question that women are asking with the threat of premature birth is whether the children born at 26 weeks survive. Doctors say that everything depends on the concomitant pathologies of development. If there are none, the chances of leaving a premature baby are large (60-70%). As for the factors that can trigger childbirth, when it's only 26 weeks of pregnancy, then among those: