26 weeks of gestation: the final stretch of the sixth month

In this phase, while there is still plenty of room for the fetus to move, the pregnant woman can feel it changing position several times.

How is the baby at 26 weeks gestation?

The 26-week-old baby starts to look pinker and less translucent than before. Thus, the blood veins are not so apparent. However, the skin is still very wrinkled, because until delivery will gain weight and grow a lot.

The brain is also developing and accelerating growth. The surface of the organ, previously smoother, begins to have the characteristic grooves of the human brain more apparent.

The eyelids of the eyes are formed, but the baby will hardly be able to blink or open his eyes fully. In cases where the baby is already able to partially open, the vision is still not very clear and focused.

If the baby is female, at 26 weeks of gestation it is possible that the eggs are formed. In male fetuses, the testicles may also descend completely.

However, in some cases, they may still be born with one of the testicles inside the abdominal cavity.

In addition to the development of the organism, the baby also starts to show better motor development. In this phase, he moves more and the mother begins to feel the punches and kicks.

This is because the baby is not yet that big and has room to move. Also because the amniotic fluid decreases, which increases the mother’s sensitivity to the baby’s touches.

Symptoms at 26 weeks of gestation

The woman also feels some changes in her body during that week. Your blood volume is now 25% higher than before your pregnancy. This can favor fluid retention, leaving your feet, legs and fingers very swollen.

With the baby more restless – rolling, kicking and punching – the woman may have a more pressing bladder. Therefore, you may have a condition called temporary urinary incontinence.

Thus, the woman may have leakage of urine or feel the urge to urinate constantly.

Even with this problem, it is essential that the amount of water and liquids consumed is not decreased, as good hydration also helps to treat water retention.

Read more: Urinary Incontinence: what it is, in the elderly, in pregnancy, treatment

Another common symptom at this stage is hunger. It can happen that a woman has a very strong increase in appetite, especially at night.

Tiredness , pain in the back and pelvis due to the weight of the belly can also appear.