- Preparing for Pregnancy
- Diet and Exercise
- Emotional Wellbeing
- Health
- Antenatal Care
- Preganancy at 1-3 Weeks
- Preganancy at 4 Weeks
- Preganancy at 5 Weeks
- Preganancy at 6 Weeks
- Preganancy at 7 Weeks
- Preganancy at 8 Weeks
- Preganancy at 9 Weeks
- Preganancy at 10 Weeks
- Preganancy at 11 Weeks
- Preganancy at 12 Weeks
- Preganancy at 13 Weeks
- Preganancy at 14 Weeks
- Preganancy at 15 Weeks
- Preganancy at 16 Weeks
- Preganancy at 17 Weeks
- Preganancy at 18 Weeks
- Preganancy at 19 Weeks
- Preganancy at 20 Weeks
- Preganancy at 21 Weeks
- Preganancy at 22 Weeks
- Preganancy at 23 Weeks
- Preganancy at 24 Weeks
- Preganancy at 25 Weeks
- Preganancy at 26 Weeks
- Preganancy at 27 Weeks
- Preganancy at 28 Weeks
- Preganancy at 29 Weeks
- Preganancy at 30 Weeks
- Preganancy at 31 Weeks
- Preganancy at 32 Weeks
- Preganancy at 33 Weeks
- Preganancy at 34 Weeks
- Preganancy at 35 Weeks
- Preganancy at 36 Weeks
- Preganancy at 37 Weeks
- Preganancy at 38 Weeks
- Preganancy at 39 Weeks
- Preganancy at 40 Weeks
- Labour and Birth
- The First Few Days
Pregnancy at 26 Weeks
It is encouraging to think that your baby would have a good chance of survival if she was born now, although she would still need a great deal of highly skilled medical attention to help her survive. From 7 months, play classical music to your baby.This will help to speed the development of right-brain spatial skills and increase the likelihood that your child will excel in sports!
Development
Your baby's nervous system is maturing, including the ceils in the cortex of her brain that are used for conscious thought. Her brain is increasing in size, and the nerve circuits are linked up with the brain cells. The nerve fibres are now encased in myelin, a fatty substance that enables messages to travel faster along the nerves, thus boosting her ability to learn, remember and move. Meanwhile the smooth surface of her brain develops the ridges and valleys that vastly increase its surface area. At this point, she can feel pain. This week, she will partly open her eyes, which are almost fully formed. A few babies are born with brown eyes, but most babies'eyes are blue and remain blue until the colouring develops, often several weeks after they are born.
Appearance
Your baby's skin is not as red as it was in earlier weeks, and it is no longer translucent. A thin layer of fat has already started to accumulate under her skin, which makes her look paler, less wrinkled and generally less fragile overall.
Movement
You will be very aware of your baby's movements as she still has room to turn around and will prod against the wall of your uterus with her sharp fists and knees. You may start to recognize the parts of her body as she kicks and prods you, making odd shapes on your abdomen. Some mothers-to-be say that they can even feel the 'scratching'of their baby's minute fingers against the wall of the uterus.
| I'm 26 weeks pregnant and I'm having real problems sleeping and feel so exhausted the whole time. Can I ask my doctor for some sleeping pills or would they harm my baby? |
| Like all medicines, sleeping tablets are best avoided during pregnancy. It is better to try to get to sleep naturally if you can. The best means of doing this is to make sure that you are relaxed and comfortable. Try to get some light exercise during the day. Avoid eating heavy meals late in the evening or you will not have time to digest them, but if you are peckish, have a light snack or a glass of warm milk. Make sure that the bedroom is at a comfortable temperature: being too hot or too cold will make sleeping difficult. Although it sounds easy, try not to worry about being unable to sleep, this will just make it more difficult. Distract yourself by getting up to watch the television for a while, or read a book or magazine. When you feel sleepy, try again. If no commonsense ideas seem to work, talk to your doctor who may prescribe something for you. |