Pregnancy - Week 25 and 26

Your changing body

Around week 25, some women may have pain and numbness in their fingers. This is because the carpal tunnel in the wrist, through which the nerve runs, becomes swollen during pregnancy (like many other tissues in your body), with the resultant pressure causing numbness, tingling and pain. Your hands, wrist and arm may also be affected.

The top of your Uterus may be about 6 cm above your belly button in week 26. In every regular check up, your doctor will be checking your blood pressure to detect Hypertension during pregnancy or Pre-eclampsia. To read more on signs and symptoms, and prevention of Hypertension during pregnancy, click here.

Your growing baby

Your baby weighs around 660 g and is now 35 cm long. Your baby appears less wrinkled now as he or she gaining weight steadily. He/she may begin to make breathing movements but the lungs are still filled with Amniotic Fluid. At this point, if you were to shine a flashlight on your tummy, your baby may turn his/her head which indicates that your baby’s optic nerve (the nerve that connects the eye to the brain) starts functioning.

At around week 26, your baby starts responding consistently to the sounds that he/she hears as the nerves in the ears are developing. Your baby’s eyes begin to open and the retinas are developed now. If your baby is a boy, his Testicles have begun their descent into Scrotum. Your baby weighs around 760 g and is approximately 36 cm long.

Things to consider

Pain and numbness in your hands may get severe at night. Avoid sleeping on your hands, instead elevate on a separate pillow when you go to sleep. Shaking your hand vigorously may also help when numbness occurs. If you keep waking up at night because of the numbness, inform your doctor. To read on how to cope up with sleep problems during pregnancy, click here.

Continue to eat a well balanced diet. Include plenty of fiber and greens in your diet. And drink lots of water.

Can heart rate predict the gender of your baby?

Many people believe that if your baby’s heart is fast, you are having a baby girl and vice versa. Prediction of the gender of baby based on the rate of heartbeat is just one of the pregnancy myths. This myth is routed in the belief that women usually have higher metabolic rates than men and hence, have a slightly higher heartbeat rate. Studies have shown that there is no correlation between gender and fetal heart rate.