26 weeks pregnant: Baby’s development, symptoms and top tips

You are carrying a small marrow around inside you – wow! This week your baby measures about 35.6cm long from head to heel. At 26 weeks pregnant, your baby weight in kg is around 0.76 kg or 760 g.

The big news this week is that your baby’s eyes are opening for the first time. Obviously, there’s not much of a view in your uterus, but if you shine a light onto your bump you might feel your baby respond.

Talking of responses, baby’s brain waves are super active now, meaning your baby may be able to respond to noises. Try singing to them and see if you get a flurry of kicks in return.

Their fingernails are also growing, and by the time your baby makes an appearance their nails will be long and sharp enough to scratch their delicate skin. Better add scratch mitts to your shopping list! (Or better yet, the babygrows with sleeves that turn over to act like mitts.)

Back pain

How’s that bump coming along? If this is your second pregnancy, you’ll notice that your bump has grown more quickly than it did in your first pregnancy – this is because your tissue has already been stretched. Other factors affecting the size of your bump include the position of your baby and the amount of amniotic fluid; but ultimately, it’s simply about different body types. For instance, some women naturally have more flexible tissue than others, so their bump will expand more quickly.

Whatever size your bump is, it grows so fast from around week 26 that the hollow in your lower back may increase. Although this is a common occurrence, you can address it by continuing those exercises that strengthen your core. You don’t want to let your posture collapse at this point – it will make the back pain worse and could lead to long-term back problems beyond pregnancy.

If you’re not sure what you should be doing, try taking a Pilates class, joining a pregnancy yoga group, or following classes online. You can also ask your employer to investigate ways to make you more comfortable at work, for example by performing an ergonomics assessment.

Protruding naval

As your bump expands, there’s more chance that your belly button will ‘pop’, meaning it may turn from an innie to an outie. This doesn’t mean anything’s going wrong; it’s a natural result of the pressure from your growing uterus. If you have any pain around your belly button, though, let your midwife know. This could be a sign of a hernia.

Gastrointestinal problems

The pressure the uterus puts on the surrounding organs makes it increasingly likely that you’ll suffer gastrointestinal problems. Feeling full after a meal may well be accompanied by heartburn and nausea, as your stomach is now smaller and can’t process the same amount of food as before.

The immune system in pregnant women is also less effective, as your body is having to deal with the additional challenges of pregnancy. So, make sure you eat as much fresh food as possible (remembering which foods should be avoided) and prepare meals hygienically in order to avoid infections.

Stretch marks

Ultimately, there’s no way to fully avoid stretch marks – your connective tissue is stretched during pregnancy like never before. Your genes, the size of your bump and the amount of pressure on your skin will influence the extent to which you get stretch marks and tears in your skin tissue.

One thing you can try is massaging your skin with oil or lotion, which will boost its elasticity. This will be most effective if you do it every day. Establishing a routine will also boost your wellbeing and soothe itchy skin.

Clumsiness

Walking into the bed, banging into door frames and handles, and tripping over your own feet are all common occurrences as your pregnancy progresses. While there may be a certain amount of ‘pregnancy brain’ at work here, you’ve also got to consider the shift in your centre of gravity now that your shape has changed so drastically. This makes it harder to find your balance, and means you are more likely to miscalculate your movements.

Insomnia

You finally find a comfortable position, the baby stops kicking, but still you can’t get to sleep. It’s so frustrating! Insomnia during pregnancy is usually a sign of a busy mind, and it’s one of those problems that can be self-perpetuating – the more you worry about not sleeping, the harder it is to go to sleep.

Try to relax. Being tired won’t harm your baby, though it does make life more difficult. Try listening to something soothing, like a sleep meditation or a hypnobirthing track; drink something milky; avoid caffeine, and try to establish a calming bedtime routine.

It can help to write down all the things you’re thinking about, or you could try sharing them with a friend or with your partner. If you’re feeling very low and anxious, talk to your midwife. There’s no shame in looking for support.

Keep your fluids up

It’s so tempting to drink less so that you’re not permanently dashing to the loo for a wee. But honestly, you’ll feel so much worse for not drinking – it’s absolutely not worth it. Try to drink eight 8 oz glasses of fluids each day.

Water is best, but weak squash is also fine. A glass of fruit juice makes a nice treat, but is too sugary to make up all your fluid intake; the same applies to smoothies. For hot drinks, avoid consuming too much caffeine. Check the label of your herbal teas; you can find caffeine in the most unlikely places!

Iron intake

If you're not getting enough iron, you might find you've got a touch of anaemia, which will make you feel tired and low on energy. Your doctor or midwife tests for anaemia as part of your regular blood checks, but you can help guard against it by eating plenty of foods that are rich in iron.

Red meat contains a type of iron that's easy for your body to absorb, but if you're not a steak sort of person, you can tuck into non-meat sources such as lentils, soya mince or baked beans. You can even get a bit of your daily iron by nibbling on pumpkin seeds, dried apricots or cashew nuts.

If you're looking to maximise your iron absorption, make sure you eat or drink something that's high in vitamin C along with iron-rich foods - the vitamin C helps your body absorb iron better. On the other hand, drinks like tea, coffee and caffeinated soft drinks actually stop your body from absorbing iron, so you might not want to have a coffee straight after your lunch or dinner.

HiPP Organic fruit juice is a really good choice to drink when you’re pregnant, since it is high in vitamin C but also low in acidity, which means it's unlikely to cause heartburn (Bonus: it’s pure and organic too).

Washing fruit and veg

Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. But whether you’re buying from the supermarket or an organic farm shop, you need to make sure you’re washing fruit and veg with cold water (and a scrubbing brush if needed) before you eat it. This removes residues such as dirt, germs or even lingering chemicals from your food.

Reduced movement

Your baby’s movements are the best way to tell that they are happy and healthy in there. Try to notice the pattern of their movements, so that you can be aware if your baby becomes less active. Reduction in activity could suggest the baby is in distress.

Contractions or abdominal pain

While Braxton hicks are fairly common at 26 weeks, you shouldn’t be experiencing painful contractions yet. If you are concerned that what you’re feeling is more than Braxton hicks, call your maternity unit to be checked out.

The same applies if you feel any severe abdominal pain. It doesn’t matter if it turns out to be trapped wind – no one will ever mind checking to be sure.

Headaches and swelling

Blinding headaches, sudden swelling or vision changes can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. Call your midwife or doctor and tell them about your symptoms, or if it’s out of hours, call your maternity unit or follow the instructions in your yellow notes.

Leaking fluid

If you’re concerned that your waters have broken, call your maternity unit. They will usually want a sample, so put a pad in your underwear to collect the fluid and be prepared to hand it over at the hospital.

Itching

Sudden, severe itching without a rash can be a sign of cholestasis, a liver disorder that requires medical treatment. Call your doctor, or call 111 out of hours.

What month is week 26 of pregnancy?

You are in your sixth month of pregnancy – only 14 weeks to go!

What position is baby in at 26 weeks?

Your baby is getting bigger and taking up more space in the uterus, which means less somersaulting, though still plenty of kicks. From about week 26 or soon after, your baby will move into a vertical lie position, which means head down or bottom down.

How long do babies sleep in the womb at 26 weeks?

It’s difficult to know how long your baby is sleeping for, but though it might feel like you’re constantly being booted around, the evidence suggests that babies in the womb spend the majority of their time sleeping.

How big should a pregnant belly be at 26 weeks?

Now that you have a measurement of fundal height, you know roughly the size of your uterus. It usually corresponds to how many weeks pregnant you are, so for example at 26 weeks pregnant the fundal height measurement would be roughly 26 cm.

How big your belly looks, though, will depend on a range of factors, including pre-pregnancy weight, height and weight gained during pregnancy. If you want to see what your weight should be at this point in your pregnancy, refer to our weight chart.

Why is my baby so active in the womb at 26 weeks?

If this is your first baby, you might be surprised by the frequency and intensity of baby movements. It is wearing to be constantly poked and prodded from the inside. But be assured, this is a normal sign of baby development and a good indicator of a happy, healthy baby. They are exercising those growing muscles, stretching their joints, and generally learning how to use their bodies.

Got questions? At the HiPPBabyClub, we bring you real-world advice and support from HiPP parents, midwives, nutritionists and more. Join our Baby Club to find out more.