What to expect at 27 weeks pregnant

Your baby

This week your baby is opening and closing its eyes and clenching its fists – and with the brain maturing every day that means bubs is super active now. While there’s still a long way to go before it can survive on its own in the outside world if born now your baby would have a good chance of surviving with medical intervention.

How you’re feeling

You might start to feel Braxton Hicks from now or “practice contractions” as some people call them. These can feel like cramping, or a hardening/tightening of the uterus and then it goes back to normal. They should go away if you change positions and are the body’s way of getting ready for labour, but if they don’t go away or you’re worried that they’re the real deal – call your midwife or doctor straight away.

Weekly tip

Have you booked in for your glucose tolerance test yet? This is usually done around week 28 and tests for gestational diabetes. The test requires you to drink a glucose solution as well as undergo a number of blood tests to check how your body responds to the glucose levels. There are a few variations of the test which will depend on your medical history/situation but it roughly takes around two hours all up.

Gestational diabetes is when a pregnant woman, who doesn’t have diabetes before pregnancy, has high blood sugar levels as a result of the pregnancy. If left undiagnosed, gestational diabetes could potentially harm you and your baby so it is important that you undergo the test and ensure proper treatment if found positive.

Related Articles

30 things no one tells you about being a first-time parent

10 good things that happen during labour and birth

10 foods you should eat during pregnancy