You are 27 weeks pregnant

Your baby

This week, your baby is big enough - and his heartbeat strong enough - that the soft thump, thump, thump may be clearly discernable to your partner if he puts his ear up to your belly. So cool! You...Read more

Your body

By this point in your pregnancy, there’s an embarrassing (but very common) little issue you may begin to experience: stress incontinence. Your partner totally cracks you up and, mid laugh, yo...Read more

Your life right now

Had some crazy - and extremely vivid - dreams lately? Even if you’ve never remembered a single one before, you might find yourself rocked by nightmares or just plain odd pregnancy dreams: You...Read more

Mums like me

'ALWAYS have at least a change of clothes in your changing bag for your baby, even if it’s just a vest and a babygro, being out for coffee and your baby pooing all up his back is not plea...Read more

This week, your baby is big enough - and his heartbeat strong enough - that the soft thump, thump, thump may be clearly discernable to your partner if he puts his ear up to your belly. So cool! Your baby has grown to about 15 inches, head to toe, and even though development isn’t complete yet, he now looks like a smaller, pinker version of what he’ll look like when he’s born.

By this point in your pregnancy, there’s an embarrassing (but very common) little issue you may begin to experience: stress incontinence. Your partner totally cracks you up and, mid laugh, you feel a bit of urine leak out. It’s also apt to happen during exercise, when you cough or sneeze. Stress incontinence is caused by pregnancy hormones, as well as the fact that your bladder is being compressed by the growing baby. If this is your second baby, it may be particularly troublesome. What you really want to know, of course, is what you can do to prevent it. The answer: Kegels. Strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor will help minimize stress incontinence - not only now, but after delivery, as well. Practice slowly contracting these muscles (they’re the same ones you’d use to stop the flow of urine when you wee); keep the muscles squeezed tight for 8 to 10 seconds, then release. Work up to 50 repetitions spread over the course of the day. (Bonus: Toning up the area with regular Kegels may help you avoid the need for an episiotomy (an incision that enlarges the vaginal opening) during delivery. Another potential plus: This exercise can also lead to better orgasms!) In the meantime, you can deal with stress incontinence by wearing a thin maxi pad. It’s completely normal!

Had some crazy - and extremely vivid - dreams lately? Even if you’ve never remembered a single one before, you might find yourself rocked by nightmares or just plain odd pregnancy dreams: You give birth to a monkey. You’re racing to the hospital and—oh no!—can’t find it. These vivid dreams are probably caused by all the changes that are going on with your body and life lately, the same way a stressful week at work might play havoc with your sleep. And because you’re waking up so often at night to change positions or visit the loo, you’re more apt to interrupt yourself mid-dream - and therefore remember it. Know that they’re normal and, in the case of scary dreams, not your body trying to tell you that something is wrong. So take a deep breath, relax and nod back off.

'ALWAYS have at least a change of clothes in your changing bag for your baby, even if it’s just a vest and a babygro, being out for coffee and your baby pooing all up his back is not pleasant!' – itrinity

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