27 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms and What to Expect
Your Growing Fetus at 27 Weeks
About the size of a bike helmet, you have a 14.4” fetus that weighs about 1.9 lbs.
- Right here at the end of the second-trimester baby is starting to use that little brain more and more as the grey matter becomes more complex.
- Baby is breathing amniotic fluid in and out of his or her little lungs. And, hey… was that a hiccup you felt? If you’re feeling a bunch of tiny little twitches in your belly they are more than likely baby hiccups. How cute is that?
- Next week you will launch into the third trimester.
- The last leg of this marathon is coming up. Can you believe it? Next week you’ll start counting kicks and tracking baby’s daily activity more closely so you can either draw up some charts and prepare or kick back and have fun just noticing them instead. Is it kick kick roll or jab kick jab? Do you have a set response?
- Are you having a sing-along and dance competitions with baby yet or still just enjoying the wonder of it all?
If you’re feeling a little more aggressive than usual don’t be alarmed. You’re not turning into a werewolf or having an angry baby. It’s actually sort of normal. As a mammal Mama is programmed to protect the young so your hormones are giving you a little bit of edginess. This is just a little practice.
Pregnancy Superfood for Week 27
Oatmeal is a healthy, comforting source of fiber and it’s filled with folic acid, iron and a lot of B vitamins. If you want to stay regular this is a great way to start your day and here’s a recipe that makes it a great afternoon treat as well!
Apple Pie Oatmeal:
Serves 1,
- 1 c water
- 1 tbsp apple
- 1/2 Old Fashioned Oats
- 2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend
- ⅓ tsp apple spice (cinnamon, clove, ginger)
Boil water and stir in oats, stir while cooking over medium heat 5 min. Add apple, spice, and sugar. Stir and serve warm.
Top Tip for Week Twenty-Seven
Everyone has aches and pains caused by inflammation sometimes. Soreness happens when there’s too much pressure on your muscles or your tissues are dehydrated and joints poorly lubricated.
If you work out too hard you strain your muscles and create a byproduct that hangs around and makes the tissues ache but pregnant women tend to experience inflammation as part of the condition. In other words, you don’t have to do anything to have inflammation your pregnancy is doing plenty to cause it.
- Adjustments to a growing baby, more weight, and changes in where the body is stretched or stress are causing pain and inflammation. In other words, things just tend to swell up! Especially your legs, feet, and ankles. Sit down and put them up and the swelling goes down.
- But you can’t sit around all day and there’s no way to keep your feet elevated while you’re using them so you might need a trick or two to help out in this situation. As little as a half an hour of laying on your side can get you some relief. Using sea salt on your food can help, too and exercise is an obvious way to move the fluids.
- Drinking plenty of water may seem counterintuitive since the swelling is usually caused by excess fluid but you need more water to keep flushing toxins out of the system. Toxins are what’s really behind this but they are the natural and necessary by-products of using oxygen and nutrients to grow new tissues.
So drink the water and keep the garbage moving out. Wear comfortable clothing that allows your blood to flow freely. Tight elastic around your waist, ankles, and wrists can decrease the flow of blood and lymph and cause the fluids to build up. As you know, if the swelling happens very quickly and is a lot more than normal you need to call your doctor.
Inspirational Message of the Week from Already Moms
“I’m never as happy as when I’m pregnant. I literally would have 10 babies if I could!”
– Tori Spelling
Big Efforts from your Co-Creator
Your patience will be tested and you will have to keep your fears and concerns to yourself now and then to keep the peace or to make sure you don’t scare anyone. Especially not a pregnant person.
Snoop around a bit online and you’ll find that can learn to breathe through the emotions with the ease and mellowness of a happy monk. Frustration and boredom, hysterics, traffic jams and inappropriate comments from people who should know better will slide right off if you know how to breathe.
This will continue to serve you well in everything you do in life so it’s worth learning now. And the baby will grow up with a great parental model of chill.
This Art of Allowing
You still have lots to get done but the third trimester can be one of waiting so you need to mentally prepare for that. Not just waiting for the action to start but literally waiting to see your OB or Nurse Practitioner; waiting for someone to get out of the bathroom so you can rush in and pee; waiting for the kicking to stop so you can take a sip of tea; waiting for the heartburn to subside after you take an antacid.
Okay. You just have to allow time to pass until you can do what it is you need to do. Some of it is fun. If you’re waiting for the baby to stop kicking you’ll get to spend that time seeing if there’s a rhythm to it yet. Is baby kicking out a secret code or is there a detectable Jamaican beat you could dance to?
Most of it can be boring and it’s perfectly alright to allow yourself to feel that particular emotion. Explore it and see if there is something new and wonderful about pregnancy boredom. However, we’re often prewired or just trained to multitask and, while it’s rude to make phone calls in a waiting room or the line to the Ladies, this might be a perfect time to tune into a great new podcast.
They’re addictive! If you’re new to the practice just check online for free podcasts or look for a list by checking for “best free podcasts download”. There are funny stories, mysteries, investigative journalism and all kinds of things in between. It’s a great way to stay occupied and entertained while you are allowing life to happen to you without trying to hurry it along or make it happen or fight frustration and boredom.
If you’re worried about making others feel left out while you’re sitting around the OB’s waiting room you can always take out the earbuds when someone else shows up and ask them if they have any podcast suggestions. It’s a good icebreaker and might help you feel a little more “normal.”
Let’s admit that things have a way of getting a little baby-centric if you’re not careful. Allow yourself to have other interests and keep your mind as active as ever.
Pregnancy Symptoms of Week Twenty Seven
In just a few days you will be in the third trimester! This is exciting and sometimes anxiety producing. Right now the physical symptoms that are distracting you from all that are probably something along the lines of:
Leg cramps: Keep drinking water and stretch your legs when you can. Flex your feet and roll a tennis ball under the arches. If you cramp when you flex or stretch review the amount of potassium and salt in your diet and make sure they’re in balance. Magnesium can help, too. There’s a lot of it in a potato.
Backaches: Snuggle up with your body pillow and find a comfortable position for your hips. Do gentle stretches for your back muscles and ask your partner for a little massage.
Constipation: A constant problem throughout this journey. Keeping walking and see if you can find a new, delicious source of fiber. Add fruit to your water (like raspberries) to make it more enticing. Then eat the fruit! Ask your doctor for a stool softener if nothing else is working.
Hemorrhoids: You really have to concentrate on not straining because the baby is already putting so much pressure on this area. Do everything you can to beat constipation and you will feel a lot better soon.
Hair and nails: Women often notice interesting changes in the growth of things related to keratin proteins during pregnancy. Hair and nails thicken and grow a lot faster but they are probably more brittle now, too.
Snissing: If you pee when you sneeze you are in lack of better word, snissing. Try to empty your bladder often and completely and you just might limit the problem but there’s just so much pressure on your bladder now it’s hard not to have this experience. Panty liners might be a great investment.
We’ll just mention some of the pregnancy symptoms that are very unlikely to occur but we want you to be aware of the possibility.
- Call your OB if you have bleeding, watery discharge, abdominal pains or strong regular contractions.
- Also, continue to watch for high blood pressure and know the symptoms of extreme hypertension so you know if you’re in trouble.
- If you’re finding it hard to breathe or you have blurred vision call the doctor immediately.
- Other symptoms are: a severe headache, heart pounding or irregular heartbeat, fatigue or confusion, blood in your urine.
Your Body will Change and It’s Necessary
By now if you’re not carrying twins you have probably gained 15 to 30 lbs but if it’s more than that you will probably be told you need to review your diet. You have to gain weight because you’re making a baby and preparing a milk making factory.
Baby gets bigger, you get bigger and all that is exactly what nature wants. But there are measurements that seem to be accurate in determining what is good and what is less than healthy.
If you’re gaining more than expected during an average pregnancy you need to give the matter some attention. It’s not always about how many calories you are getting, sometimes it’s just what your body is doing with them and that may have changed for you because of the hormone situation.
What you ate when you were 10 years old didn’t work as well at 15. What you ate when you weren’t pregnant could get you into trouble with your pregnancy body. If your doctor is telling you that you’ve gained too much too quickly then consider increasing your fiber and cutting a few simple carbs.
Some sandwich breads are just tasty carbs and you can easily swap that for a nutty bread or one made with whole grains only. Also, the more processed your food, the more likely it is to have empty calories. More nutrition is always better! Your body will love you for it.
Our Recommended Remedy for Week 27
Got a pool? Float that belly. Swimming is good exercise and there’s nothing as soothing as floating in still water. There are pregnancy swim classes everywhere if you don’t have a private pool.
While there have been reported concerns about exposing yourself to chlorine while pregnant it seems that consequences are rare. If you’re still worried, you can find a pool with salt water instead.
The salt kills bacteria as efficiently as the chemicals and gives you extra-buoyancy so the floating is all that much more effortless.
Our Best Advice to Soothe The Uncomfortable
Labor Exercises: If you’ve been going to classes you know what they are. If not, it’s easy to find a class or check them out online. You can walk and swim to stay in shape and fight weight gain but there are exercises that are specifically designed to target the muscles you really need for delivery.
Exercising now will pay off later, too when you have less back pain than women who skipped this. You will probably have more energy, too and you’re going to love the way your body gets back into shape with a lot less effort after delivery.
Plies: the simple ballet move that strengthens and lengthens your legs from the quadriceps and hamstrings to your butt muscles. These improve your balance, too which is very helpful as that belly shifts your center and requires some counterweighting.
Side leg lifts will strengthen your core and inner thighs (and you get to do them laying down).
Plank: is the perfect move to keep your core strong and build up your arms and back. Make sure you keep your back flat, no sagging or you will stress the spine and those back muscles you are trying to improve.
Hand weights: With a set of 5 – 8lb weights you can strengthen your back, biceps, triceps, and shoulders. When they’re strong and conditioned the arms are less likely to ache after carrying groceries, your shoulders will be more relaxed after cooking or washing dishes. And this will really pay off when the baby is out in the world and needing to be picked up and carried around.
Preparation for Motherhood
- Pediatrician. You’ve done the research and discussed it with your partner so now is the time to make a firm decision on this.
- Delivery gang. Confirm commitments from whoever you have decided you want to share this moment with you. If someone just doesn’t feel right anymore don’t hesitate to ask them not to be there. If this is a particularly difficult person then have your partner do the un-inviting. This is a special moment and though much of the process will not be in your control you can determine who will hold your hand, read to you or help you shout it out.
- Birth plan. You might have talked this one into the ground by now but be sure you have all details in place. Buy whatever you don’t have yet and even get The Plan down on paper. Sometimes writing things down brings another dimension to the issue. This is real. Be organized now and you can relax in the last few months.
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