26 weeks pregnant: Bond with your bump
Talk and sing to your baby - as she can recognise mum and dad's voice.
Your body
You're steadily putting on weight, at the rate of about 0.5kg a week. Ideally, you should put on the pounds gradually, whereas your baby gains most weight during the last three months of pregnancy. Interestingly, your weight gain bears little relation to the size of your baby.
Learning the ropes
There's nothing quite like talking to other women at the same stage of pregnancy to make you realise that everyone worries about putting on too much weight, surviving the birth, the next 18 years, sex. Once your babies are here, you'll also find it invaluable to have friends with offspring the same age: cracked nipples, leaking nether regions and sleepless nights seem slightly less bearable when you know you're not suffering alone.
The easiest way to find others to share your fears with is by enrolling for antenatal classes – ask your midwife or doctor to recommend one in your area. If you have a partner, these classes are also a good opportunity for him to get more involved in the pregnancy… and meet like-minded men to commiserate with about female hormones over a pint afterwards.
Your baby
She now weighs 910g. Her crown to rump length is around 23cm. She's growing rapidly and beginning to put on weight.
Drinking too much?
With all the time in the world to learn in her protective amniotic bag, your baby is actively practising breathing, by inhaling and exhaling the watery amniotic fluid. She also swallows and excretes amniotic fluid – when she gulps too much, too quickly and hiccups as a result, you may feel your stomach leap!
Your baby can now hear noises outside the uterus so be sure to chat and sing to your little one.
Eye-opener
As your baby's optic nerves become more developed, her eyes will open for the first time. She won't be able to see much in the murky world of your uterus, but some light does filter in. If you shine a bright light on your stomach, your baby may turn her head towards it.
Listen with Daddy
Your baby's hearing has developed sufficiently for her to make out noises outside the uterus: your voice and that of your partner and best friend may already be familiar to her.
