Congratulations, you’re 26 weeks pregnant! Your belly button is finally more than 2 inches below your uterus. Even if you don’t have any measurement source around you, you can always use your thumb to notice how far your baby has stretched outwards. The distance from the tip of your nail to the knuckle of your thumb makes for approximately one inch.
As the weeks pass by, your belly will continue to grow around 0.5 inches every week. These figures will vary for every woman. So, what exactly should you expect physically when you’re 26 weeks pregnant? Keep reading to find out more about your changing body.
Know About Your Baby
If the extra weight around the middle region of your belly is stressing you out, take a deep breath and relax. It’s completely normal. You must remember that approximately 2 pounds of your weight are your baby. The remaining increase in your weight is because of the amniotic fluids that sustain this new human being in your body.
In 26 weeks, your baby is around the size of red cabbage. To be precise, it weighs 2 pounds with 13 inches in height. If you visualize, the size of your baby is about the head of the cabbage. In the 26th week, your baby is breathing in and exhaling amniotic fluid. This amniotic fluid is developing the lungs of your child. If it’s a boy, his testicles have started reaching down to his scrotum.
As the days pass by, your child can hear you better. This is because, with every passing day, the nerves in the ears of your baby are continuing to develop. This helps them in distinguishing their mother’s voice and those of the others.
In the previous weeks, the retina of your child’s eyes was developing, which is why their eyes were closed. This part of their eyes is used for focusing the images in real life. When you’re 26 weeks pregnant, your baby can see everything that is going around because their eyes are starting to open. Even when the uterus’ view isn’t worth the hype, the feeling of knowing that your child can see is special to a mother.
If your baby hasn’t kicked until now, you could try to shine a glow stick or flashlight at the main spot on your stomach. This light will reach your child, and they might kick as a response.
However, if you’re wondering what the color of your baby’s eyes would be, wait for some more time. Iris is the part that gives color to your eyes. This part hasn’t developed enough pigmentation yet. In about two months from now (or lesser), the pigmentation will fill in to give color to your child’s eyes.
SEE ALSO: 19 Weeks Pregnant – Why Some Women Start Getting Back Pain ?
Your Health Matters More Than Your Belly Size
As your second trimester ends when you’re 26 weeks pregnant, symptoms from the early stage of your pregnancy, like frequent urination, might still continue depending on your body. However, there is a different symptom that could develop at this stage. This symptom has the name ‘Braxton-Hicks contraction.’ These contractions are common for women in the third trimester. But, you could even see them in the early phase of the second trimester.
You could also be seeing the signs of gestational diabetes if you feel strangely thirsty at almost all times, or your bathroom trips are more than usual. Let your healthcare provider know about these symptoms for them to check if the condition is severe or not.
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 9% of women have gestational diabetes. This condition is diagnosed in the best manner by using a glucose tolerance test. This test will let you know about yourself and the baby’s health.
The size of your belly cannot be compared to that of another woman in the same stage. Despite what you’ve heard, the size or shape of your belly is not a precise indicator of your baby’s gender and health. Talk to your doctor to know if your pregnancy is going fine. If the doctor is positive, the shape and size of your belly don’t matter!
Happy pregnancy!
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