Pregnancy Week 27

What’s your baby up to?

Your baby is growing rapidly and piling on the extra pounds. He now weighs about 875g (almost 2 pounds) and measures around 36.6cm long from head to toe.

Your baby has been practicing how to breathe, so if he were born now, there would be an 85 percent chance of survival because the lungs though immature, will be able to function with the help of medical intervention.

You may now be able to feel your baby’s hiccups, it is a rhythmic movement that lasts for some seconds. He has been doing this for some time now; but you are only just noticing.

Your baby can make grasping motions, he can hold his feet, and can suck his thumb.

Your baby has his pattern of sleep and activity, which you may have recognized by now.

How are you doing?

You’ve come to the end of the 2nd trimester. Congratulations!

By now, people around you might be able to feel your baby moving when they place their hands on your tummy. They can also hear your baby’s heartbeat by placing their ears to your tummy i.e if they find the right spot.

You may have gained about 16 to 22 lbs by now. It’s normal for you to be  gaining about 1 pound a week. After your baby arrives, and your doctor gives you the OK to exercise, be sure to check into the postpartum weight loss challenge forum, and work out with other moms to get your body back.

Breast tenderness is also common at this phase due to milk production kicking in, and you are still plagued with aching back, leg cramps, constipation, hemorrhoids and other niggles you’d rather not have. Don’t worry mama, it will all be over in a few more weeks.

How about your skin? Are you enjoying a glowing skin or do you have skin issues? Itching is a common symptom around now for some women, and there are different degrees of itching. The most common case is the itching associated with stretch marks. There is also a less common case (1 in 140 pregnancies) of severe itching across the belly or on the arms and legs, soles of the feet, and occurs especially at night. This condition is known as Obstetric Cholestasis or intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. It is a serious condition which requires your doctor’s immediate attention, as it could be a signal of a liver disorder where the normal flow of bile from the liver is reduced.

Another case of severe itching is the one that causes itchy bumps, flakes or rashes on the stretch marks on the tummy, and then spreads to the thighs, buttocks, legs, arms, feet, in fact everywhere except the face. This is known as  Pruitic Urticarial Papules and plaques(PUPP), or  Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy(PEP). It happens in 1 in every 150 pregnancies.

What should you do this week?

Have you been offered the glucose test yet? If you don’t get it this week, you’ll probably get it next week. This test is important in order to check if you have gestational diabetes(GD). It is a diabetes that is common in  pregnancy and increases the risk of an overweight baby, induction and cesarean birth, premature labour, stillbirth, and low blood sugar in babies. Do not be alarmed, as most women with GD still have normal pregnancies and babies if the GD is detected early and managed properly. That’s why the test is so important.

The first test you’ll be offered is the glucose screening, which will then be followed up with a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) if you test positive to the glucose screening. The GTT will determine whether you have gestational diabetes or not.

Talk to your doctor about any severe itching you may be having. A simple blood test will diagnose obstetric cholestasis, and your pregnancy will be monitored going forward. For PUPP, he may prescribe a safe corticosteroidal cream, emollients or any other moisturising cream.

Warm baths, ice packs, changing positions, and stretching exercises may help with your aches and pains.

Finally, stay informed, healthy and inspired, by reading  Maternity Nest. Connect with other moms-to-be for moral support, by joining your Due Date Club in the The Nest.