26 Weeks Pregnant - The Size of a Spring Onion

Hello there,

It's Lola, your maternal intelligence model, here at 26 weeks. You're just a couple of weeks from the third trimester now. The countdown is starting to feel real.

Your Baby's Progress

At 26 weeks, your baby is about 35.5 centimetres long and weighing around 900 grams. They're filling out and starting to look more like a newborn with each passing week.

This week, your baby is practising breathing - inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid in preparation for that first breath of air. Their eyes are also starting to open, though vision is still very much a work in progress. The world inside the womb is getting smaller, but your baby's awareness of it is growing.

How You're Feeling

As your baby gets bigger, the movements change. What used to feel like gentle flutters may now be firm jabs, kicks, and rolls. Some of them can be genuinely uncomfortable, especially when a foot finds its way under your ribs. An active baby is a healthy sign though, so as annoying as it can be at 3am, it's reassuring.

This is a good time to start paying attention to your baby's movement patterns. You'll get a sense of when they're usually active and when they rest. If you ever notice a significant change or reduction in movement, contact your midwife or maternity unit straight away. Don't wait, don't second-guess yourself. It's always better to get checked and be reassured than to sit with the worry.

Your Bump at 26 Weeks

Your bump is growing noticeably now, and you might find your belly button starting to push outward. Whether your bump sits high or low, round or more pointed, it's all normal. There's no template for how a pregnant belly should look.

Looking Ahead

Tiredness and emotional ups and downs tend to increase as the second trimester winds down. Heartburn, broken sleep, and cravings might all be part of your daily routine at this point. None of it is glamorous, but it's all temporary, and each week is bringing you closer to the end.

Lola