27th week of pregnancy: The 27th week of pregnancy at a glance
At the end of the 27th week of pregnancy, your fetus is starting to really look like a baby. It now weighs about 1,000 grams and is 34 centimeters tall. Your baby is already reacting to sounds and light.
The development of your baby in the 27th week of pregnancy
At the end of the seventh month, your baby has already grown up, a small finished person. Your baby is now able to express emotions, he can laugh and cry. His brain continues to grow rapidly. The surface of the brain is reminiscent of that of an adult brain. If it was previously smooth, it now gradually gains structure and the first typical brain furrows arise. Around the 27th week of pregnancy, your baby can open and close his eyes, he even turns his head in the direction of a bright light source. Small eyelashes have already grown for him.
Your baby’s blood formation now takes place via the bone marrow. The development of the lungs has progressed so far that the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide becomes possible. Outside the womb, however, your baby could not yet breathe independently. His lungs are not yet mature enough for that. At birth twelve to fifteen weeks before the appointment,premature babiesusually need respiratory assistance for a few days.
At the moment, your baby likes to suck his thumb and play around cheerfully. As you are in the final stages of your pregnancy, your child is slowly filling all the space in your uterus. Nevertheless, even in the 27th week of pregnancy, it still occupies different positions in the mother’s womb. So sometimes the feet are up and the head down and other times the head is up. You can recognize the situation by where you feel the kicks of the feet. So it is not a problem if the baby has not yet taken the birth position. There is still room for easy, independent child movements.
During this period of pregnancy, your child’s fingernails grow and body fat layers develop. Your baby is preparing for life outside the womb. If you want to communicate with the baby before birth, singing and reading aloud are a good idea. Don’t worry if it makes you feel weird, it’s not for everyone.
Your body in the 27th week of pregnancy
From the 27th to the 30th week of pregnancy, youwill gain 400 to 500 grams of weight per week. These are mainlyfluid retention, which are now particularly high. No wonder that shoes no longer fit properly or rings are difficult to peel off. If you have a tendency to thick fingers, you should wear rings on a chain around your neck from now on. So you avoid the risk of having to cut open stuck pieces of jewelry.
Meanwhile, the baby has become so big that it presses quite a bit on the bladder and every kick or nudge of the little one in the direction of the organ can “squeeze out” urine without you having control over it. So it is quite normal if now when laughing, sneezing, coughing and also in between a few drops of urine go off.
Regular pelvic floor training and postnatal gymnasticsafter birth ensure that you do not continue to suffer from incontinence after pregnancy. At the moment, however, there is little you can do about it, except to equip yourself with panty liners or thin pads with cotton coating as laundry protection. However, to limit the leakage of urine when laughing and coughing, it helps to turn the head to the right or left shoulder at the same time. This reduces the pressure on the pelvic floor and intercepts it via the lateral abdominal muscles.
What does a baby look like in the 27th week of pregnancy?
Questions about the 27th week of pregnancy
Urine or amniotic fluid?
Amniotic fluid, just like urine, can drain droplets and indicate apremature rupture of the bladder. To determine whether the fluid is urine or amniotic fluid, you should consult a doctor for safety, as it is difficult for a layman to make a clear distinction. However, if fluid comes out in a strong gush, it is relatively likely that it is amniotic fluid and not urine. To be sure, however, you should also ask a doctor for advice or go directly to the clinic. As a rule, you can also walk short distances.
Important:Â If there is indeed a premature rupture of the bladder, never wait at home for the onset of labor, but make your way to the maternity hospital.
What to do in case of urinary incontinence?
If you lose urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting heavily, it is called urinary incontinence. In pregnancy, the sphincter of the urethra is weakened. Muscle or connective tissue weakness of the pelvic floor can also promote incontinence. In order to avoid long-term problems, you should consistently performpelvic floor trainingduring pregnancy. You will learn to tense the muscle layers individually or together and thus strengthen muscles and connective tissue. In between, try to visualize the muscles of your pelvic floor. To do this, tighten the pelvic floor briefly from time to time and then let go again. You can do this exercise anywhere and whenever it comes to your mind – whether you’re sitting in the office or queuing at the checkout in the supermarket.
Tips and hints for the 27th week of pregnancy
Doppler ultrasound
Especially from the 26th week of pregnancy,Doppler ultrasoundis increasingly used to control the baby’s heart sounds and the supply via the placenta and umbilical cord.
Learn about breastfeeding
Preparing forbreastfeedingmeans, above all, obtaining a lot of information. In some places, there are breastfeeding preparation courses offered by various institutions, birthing centers, clinics, lactation consultants or midwives for pregnant women. Alternatively, you can also make a preliminary visit to a breastfeeding group. There you can watch, but also talk to the mothers about breastfeeding.
Do not use hardening measures, as they can do the exact opposite: brush abrasion of the nipple can lead to injury and inflammation. Rubbing or sucking on the nipple can triggerpremature laborin addition to injury.