- 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 27 Weeks
Your baby now weighs approximately 1 kg, about the same as half a honeydew melon! He may be lying in a bottom-down position at this stage or even across the womb (transverse), but he is quite likely to turn into the more usual head-down position any time from now, in preparation for birth. This may not happen until quite close to full term, however, and you may still feel quite sharp movements.
Development
Your baby's bones, muscles and organs continue to grow, and he is becoming stronger with every passing week. If he was born now, and given the right specialist care, he would have about an 85 per cent chance of survival. However, he would still be unable to keep his lungs inflated and would have a problem keeping himself warm because there is not enough fat on his body yet. He would also be more susceptible to infection because his immune system is immature. Although he could probably survive in an incubator, the best incubator by far over the next few weeks, providing him with everything he needs to thrive, is your uterus.
Appearance
Your baby's eyelids are open and he will start to blink. He looks much the same as he will at full term, only smaller and thinner.
Movement
It would be convenient if your baby's sleep-wake phases coincided with yours, but they rarely do. Perhaps this is nature's way of preparing you for disturbed sleep after the birth! A more likely theory is that your baby is rocked to sleep by your daytime activities, which takes up about four-fifths of his time, then wakes up and starts his own stretch-and-exercise routine just as you settle down for the evening.