Pregnant in week 26? In this article, you can read all about this stage of pregnancy. You will get information about your baby’s development, the changes in your body, and useful tips for your wellbeing.

Baby: The baby in the belly is now about 35 centimeters and weighs around 850 grams 💕

Development

Sensation is developing and your baby can now react to touch: motor skills also develop and the foetus practices tying its hands, grasping its feet and sucking its thumb.

The foetus is preparing for life outside the womb and in this week the nostrils, which were previously more blocked, begin to open up.

Short-term memory also develops, which means that your baby begins to recognise voices from outside much more clearly. Therefore, you can advantageously talk to and sing to your baby, who hears and remembers your voice, which is also soothing for the baby after birth.

Mother: Do you experience pain in the pelvic area? 

Pelvic pain is caused by the joints and ligaments that normally help hold your pelvis in place instead becoming more mobile; this is due to the hormone relaxin that is secreted in your body during pregnancy.

Pelvic floor pain

Joints and ligaments become more mobile and is a natural part of the preparations for childbirth. If you suffer from pelvic pain, the first thing you should do is call a physiotherapist or ask your GP or midwife for a referal to get the right help. Feel free to choose someone who is used to working with pregnant women in particular.

As your stomach gets bigger and you carry more weight, it is easy to get a changed posture and increased slouching, which can increase discomfort or pain in the pelvis and back. You can strengthen your joints and reduce pain on your own by strengthening your gluteal and lower back muscles, as well as by adjusting your posture so that you don’t slouch more than usual. It is also good to do pelvic floor training together with pinch exercises and relaxation for the pelvic floor. Feel free to do them half sitting/lying down or kneeling on all fours like a dog, then you don’t increase the load on the pelvis when you do your exercises, which is gentle on your body.

Partner: Around this week, it may be time to take part in parenting courses.

Feel free to suggest this to your partner and discuss where you want to go and do your course. These courses should be offered by your antenatal clinic – ask your midwife for tips and advice!

The parenting preparation courses can take place in larger or smaller groups, on a single occasion or several times. This depends on where you live and how the clinics work.

During the courses, you will go through and discuss everything from pregnancy, childbirth, different ways of feeding your baby to parenting and relationships. Remember that no question is too stupid or unimportant, so take the opportunity to ask all the questions you want answered!